Stimulation of sugar import for antibacterial defense ($)

When villagers see the marauding hordes approaching, they secure their food sources. Similarly, when the cell-surface FLS2 receptor detects a bacterial pathogen, it (through its co-receptor BAK1) phosphorylates and stimulates the activity of a cell-surface sugar transporter (STP13), leading to the uptake into the plant cell of apoplastic sugars, thus depriving the pathogen of food and restricting the bacteria’s ability to deliver virulence factors. As summarized by Yamada et al., “Competition for sugar thus shapes host-pathogen interactions”. Science 10.1126/science/aah5692