Mapping out the roles of MAP kinases in plant defense.

Arabidopsis contains 20 MAP kinase genes, but their roles in plant physiology have remained largely unknown because of a lack of mutants. Recent papers from two groups have shed new light on the function of two different MAP kinases. The Arabidopsis MPK4 gene appears to negatively regulate salicylic acid-mediated defense responses and positively regulate jasmonic acid-induced responses. The tobacco SIPK gene (orthologous to Arabidopsis MPK6) appears to positively regulate programmed cell death.