Pathogen-induced calmodulin isoforms in basal resistance against bacterial and fungal pathogens in tobacco

Sweet potato calmodulin SPCAM is involved in salt stress-mediated leaf senescence, H₂O₂ elevation and senescence-associated gene expression

The sweet potato calmodulin gene, SPCAM, was previously cloned and shown to participate in ethephon-mediated leaf senescence, H₂O₂ elevation and senescence-associated gene expression. In this report, an association of SPCAM with NaCl stress is reported. Expression of SPCAM was significantly enhanced by NaCl on days 1 and 2 after salt treatment in a dose-dependent manner and drastically decreased again on the third day. Starting on day 6, salt stress also remarkably promoted leaf senescence, H₂O₂ elevation and senescence-associated gene expression in a dose-dependent manner. These salt stress-mediated effects were strongly inhibited by chlorpromazine, a calmodulin inhibitor, and the chlorpromazine-induced repression could be reversed by exogenous application of purified calmodulin fusion protein. These data suggest an involvement of calmodulin in salt stress-mediated leaf senescence, H₂O₂ elevation and senescence-associated gene expression in sweet potato. Exogenous application of SPCAM fusion protein alone, however, did not significantly accelerate leaf senescence and senescence-associated gene expression, but only showed a slight effect 12 days after treatment. These data suggest that additional components are involved in salt stress-mediated leaf senescence in sweet potato, possibly induced by and coordinated with SPCAM. In conclusion, the sweet potato calmodulin gene is NaCl-inducible and participates in salt stress-mediated leaf senescence, H₂O₂ elevation and senescence-associated gene expression.

Tobacco calmodulin-like protein provides secondary defense by binding to and directing degradation of virus RNA silencing suppressors

RNA silencing (RNAi) induced by virus-derived double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), which is in a sense regarded as a pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) of viruses, is a general plant defense mechanism. To counteract this defense, plant viruses express RNA silencing suppressors (RSSs), many of which bind to dsRNA and attenuate RNAi. We showed that the tobacco calmodulin-like protein, rgs-CaM, counterattacked viral RSSs by binding to their dsRNA-binding domains and sequestering them from inhibiting RNAi. Autophagy-like protein degradation seemed to operate to degrade RSSs with the sacrifice of rgs-CaM. These RSSs could thus be regarded as secondary viral PAMPs. This study uncovered a unique defense system in which an rgs-CaM-mediated countermeasure against viral RSSs enhanced host antiviral RNAi in tobacco.

Cloning and characterization of a sweet potato calmodulin SPCAM that participates in ethephon-mediated leaf senescence, H2O2 elevation and senescence-associated gene expression

In this report a full-length cDNA, SPCAM, was isolated from ethephon-treated mature leaves of sweet potato. SPCAM contained 450 nucleotides (149 amino acids) in its open reading frame, and exhibited high amino acid sequence identities (ca. 76-100%) with several plant calmodulins, including Arabidopsis, carrot, ghost needle weed, pea, potato, soybean, sweet chestnut, and tobacco. Sweet potato SPCAM also contained four putative conserved calmodulin EF-hand motifs, which responded for Ca(2+) binding and cellular signalling. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that sweet potato SPCAM exhibited closely-related association with Arabidopsis AtCAM7, which functioned as a transcriptional regulator. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis showed that SPCAM gene expression was not significantly increased from L1 immature leaf to L3 mature leaf, however, was remarkably enhanced in L4 early senescent leaf, and then decreased in L5 late senescent leaf. In dark- and ethephon-treated mature leaves, SPCAM expression was significantly increased from 6 to 48h, then decreased gradually until 72h after treatment. Ethephon-mediated leaf senescence, H(2)O(2) elevation, and senescence-associated gene expression, however, was remarkably inhibited by chlorpromazine, a calmodulin inhibitor. Exogenous application of purified calmodulin SPCAM fusion protein reversed the chlorpromazine repression of ethephon-mediated leaf senescence, H(2)O(2) elevation and senescence-associated gene expression. Based on these data we conclude that sweet potato SPCAM is an ethephon-inducible calmodulin and its expression is enhanced in natural and induced senescent leaves. Calmodulin SPCAM may play a physiological role in ethephon-mediated leaf senescence, H(2)O(2) elevation and senescence-associated gene expression in sweet potato leaves.

Roles of Ca2+ and cyclic nucleotide gated channel in plant innate immunity

The increase of cytosolic Ca(2+) is a vital event in plant pathogen signaling cascades. Molecular components linking pathogen signal perception to cytosolic Ca(2+) increase have not been well characterized. Plant cyclic nucleotide gated channels (CNGCs) play important roles in the pathogen signaling cascade, in terms of facilitating Ca(2+) uptake into the cytosol in response to pathogen and pathogen associated molecular pattern (PAMP) signals. Perception of pathogens leads to cyclic nucleotide production and the activation of CNGCs. The Ca(2+) signal is transduced through Ca(2+) sensors (Calmodulin (CaM) and CaM-like proteins (CMLs)), which regulates the production of nitric oxide (NO). In addition, roles of Ca(2+)/CaM interacting proteins such as CaM binding Protein (CBP) and CaM-binding transcription activators (CAMTAs)) have been recently identified in the plant defense signaling cascade as well. Furthermore, Ca(2+)-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) have been found to function as components in terms of transcriptional activation in response to a pathogen (PAMP) signal. Although evidence shows that Ca(2+) is an essential signaling component upstream from many vital signaling molecules (such as NO), some work also indicates that these downstream signaling components can also regulate Ca(2+) homeostasis. NO can induce cytosolic Ca(2+) increase (through activation of plasma membrane- and intracellular membrane-localized Ca(2+) channels) during pathogen signaling cascades. Thus, much work is needed to further elucidate the complexity of the plant pathogen signaling network in the future.

Calmodulin and calmodulin-like proteins in plant calcium signaling

Calmodulin (CaM) is a primary calcium sensor in all eukaryotes. It binds calcium and regulates the activity of a wide range of effector proteins in response to calcium signals. The list of CaM targets includes plant-specific proteins whose functions are progressively being elucidated. Plants also possess numerous calmodulin-like proteins (CMLs) that appear to have evolved unique functions. Functional studies of CaM and CMLs in plants highlight the importance of this protein family in the regulation of plant development and stress responses by converting calcium signals into transcriptional responses, protein phosphorylation or metabolic changes. This review summarizes some of the significant progress made by biochemical and genetic studies in identifying the properties and physiological functions of plant CaMs and CMLs. We discuss emerging paradigms in the field and highlight the areas that need further investigation.

Priming by rhizobacterium protects tomato plants from biotrophic and necrotrophic pathogen infections through multiple defense mechanisms

A selected strain of rhizobacterium, Pseudomonas putida strain LSW17S (LSW17S), protects tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum L. cv. Seokwang) from bacterial speck by biotrophic Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato strain DC3000 (DC3000) and bacterial wilt by necrotrophic Ralstonia solanacearum KACC 10703 (Rs10703). To investigate defense mechanisms induced by LSW17S in tomato plants, transcription patterns of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes and H(2)O(2) production were analyzed in plants treated with LSW17S and subsequent pathogen inoculation. LSW17S alone did not induce transcriptions of employed PR genes in leaves and roots. DC3000 challenge following LSW17S triggered rapid transcriptions of PR genes and H(2)O(2) production in leaves and roots. Catalase infiltration with DC3000 attenuated defense-related responses and resistance against DC3000 infection. Despite depriving H(2)O(2) production and PR1b transcription by the same treatment, resistance against Rs10703 infection was not deterred significantly. H(2)O(2) is indispensable for defense signaling and/or mechanisms primed by LSW17S and inhibition of bacterial speck, however, it is not involved in resistance against bacterial wilt.

Recent advances in plant early signaling in response to herbivory

Plants are frequently attacked by herbivores and pathogens and therefore have acquired constitutive and induced defenses during the course of their evolution. Here we review recent progress in the study of the early signal transduction pathways in host plants in response to herbivory. The sophisticated signaling network for plant defense responses is elicited and driven by both herbivore-induced factors (e.g., elicitors, effectors, and wounding) and plant signaling (e.g., phytohormone and plant volatiles) in response to arthropod factors. We describe significant findings, illuminating the scenario by providing broad insights into plant signaling involved in several arthropod-host interactions.

Coping with stresses: roles of calcium- and calcium/calmodulin-regulated gene expression

Abiotic and biotic stresses are major limiting factors of crop yields and cause billions of dollars of losses annually around the world. It is hoped that understanding at the molecular level how plants respond to adverse conditions and adapt to a changing environment will help in developing plants that can better cope with stresses. Acquisition of stress tolerance requires orchestration of a multitude of biochemical and physiological changes, and most of these depend on changes in gene expression. Research during the last two decades has established that different stresses cause signal-specific changes in cellular Ca(2+) level, which functions as a messenger in modulating diverse physiological processes that are important for stress adaptation. In recent years, many Ca(2+) and Ca(2+)/calmodulin (CaM) binding transcription factors (TFs) have been identified in plants. Functional analyses of some of these TFs indicate that they play key roles in stress signaling pathways. Here, we review recent progress in this area with emphasis on the roles of Ca(2+)- and Ca(2+)/CaM-regulated transcription in stress responses. We will discuss emerging paradigms in the field, highlight the areas that need further investigation, and present some promising novel high-throughput tools to address Ca(2+)-regulated transcriptional networks.

Ca2+ conduction by plant cyclic nucleotide gated channels and associated signaling components in pathogen defense signal transduction cascades

Ca(2+) elevation in the cytosol is an essential early event during pathogen response signaling cascades. However, the specific ion channels involved in Ca(2+) influx into plant cells, and how Ca(2+) signals are initiated and regulate downstream events during pathogen defense responses, are at present unclear. Plant cyclic nucleotide gated ion channels (CNGCs) provide a pathway for Ca(2+) conductance across the plasma membrane (PM) and facilitate cytosolic Ca(2+) elevation in response to pathogen signals. Recent studies indicate that the recognition of pathogens results in cyclic nucleotide production and the activation of CNGCs, which leads to downstream generation of pivotal signaling molecules (such as nitric oxide (NO)). Calmodulins (CaMs) and CaM-like proteins (CMLs) are also involved in this signaling, functioning as Ca(2+) sensors and mediating the synthesis of NO during the plant pathogen response signaling cascade. In this article, these and other pivotal signaling components downstream from the Ca(2+) signal, such as Ca(2+)-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) and CaM-binding transcription activators (CAMTAs), are discussed in terms of their involvement in the pathogen response signal transduction cascade.

Tobacco leaf spot and root rot caused by Rhizoctonia solani Kühn

Rhizoctonia solani Kühn is a soil-borne fungal pathogen that causes disease in a wide range of plants worldwide. Strains of the fungus are traditionally grouped into genetically isolated anastomosis groups (AGs) based on hyphal anastomosis reactions. This article summarizes aspects related to the infection process, colonization of the host and molecular mechanisms employed by tobacco plants in resistance against R. solani diseases.

TAXONOMY

Teleomorph: Thanatephorus cucumeris (Frank) Donk; anamorph: Rhizoctonia solani Kühn; Kingdom Fungi; Phylum Basidiomycota; Class Agaricomycetes; Order Cantharellales; Family Ceratobasidiaceae; genus Thanatephorus.

IDENTIFICATION

Somatic hyphae in culture and hyphae colonizing a substrate or host are first hyaline, then buff to dark brown in colour when aging. Hyphae tend to form at right angles at branching points that are usually constricted. Cells lack clamp connections, but possess a complex dolipore septum with continuous parenthesomes and are multinucleate. Hyphae are variable in size, ranging from 3 to 17 µm in diameter. Although the fungus does not produce any conidial structure, ellipsoid to globose, barrel-shaped cells, named monilioid cells, 10-20 µm wide, can be produced in chains and can give rise to sclerotia. Sclerotia are irregularly shaped, up to 8-10 mm in diameter and light to dark brown in colour.

DISEASE SYMPTOMS

Symptoms in tobacco depend on AG as well as on the tissue being colonized. Rhizoctonia solani AG-2-2 and AG-3 infect tobacco seedlings and cause damping off and stem rot. Rhizoctonia solani AG-3 causes 'sore shin' and 'target spot' in mature tobacco plants. In general, water-soaked lesions start on leaves and extend up the stem. Stem lesions vary in colour from brown to black. During late stages, diseased leaves are easily separated from the plant because of severe wilting. In seed beds, disease areas are typically in the form of circular to irregular patches of poorly growing, yellowish and/or stunted seedlings.

RESISTANCE

Knowledge is scarce regarding the mechanisms associated with resistance to R. solani in tobacco. However, recent evidence suggests a complex response that involves several constitutive factors, as well as induced barriers controlled by multiple defence pathways.

MANAGEMENT

This fungus can survive for many years in soil as mycelium, and also by producing sclerotia, which makes the management of the disease using conventional means very difficult. Integrated pest management has been most successful; it includes timely fungicide applications, crop rotation and attention to soil moisture levels. Recent developments in biocontrol may provide other tools to control R. solani in tobacco.

Roles of calcineurin B-like protein-interacting protein kinases in innate immunity in rice

Cytosolic free Ca(2+) mobilization induced by microbe/pathogen-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs/PAMPs) play key roles in plant innate immunity. However, components involved in Ca(2+) signaling pathways still remain to be identified and possible involvement of the CBL (calcineurin B-like proteins)-CIPK (CBL-interacting protein kinases) system in biotic defense signaling has yet to be clarified. Recently we identified two CIPKs, OsCIPK14 and OsCIPK15, which are rapidly induced by MAMPs, involved in various MAMP-induced immune responses including defense-related gene expression, phytoalexin biosynthesis and hypersensitive cell death. MAMP-induced production of reactive oxygen species as well as cell browning were also suppressed in OsCIPK14/15-RNAi transgenic cell lines. Possible molecular mechanisms and physiological functions of the CIPKs in plant innate immunity are discussed.

Expression of calmodulin genes in wild type and calmodulin mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana under heat stress

Calmodulin (CaM), a calcium-regulated protein, regulates the activity of a number of key enzymes and plays important roles in cellular responses to environmental changes. The Arabidopsis thaliana genome contains nine calmodulin (CAM) genes. To understand the role of specific CAM genes in heat stress, the steady-state level of mRNA for the nine CAM genes in root and shoot tissues of seedlings grown at normal growth temperature (25 degrees C) and during heat stress at 42 degrees C for 2h was compared in T-DNA insertional mutant lines of 7 CAM genes and the wild type using gene specific primers and RT-PCR. Compared to growth at 25 degrees C, the mRNA levels of all CAM genes were up-regulated in both root and shoot after heat treatment with the notable exception of CAM5 in root and shoot, and CAM1 in shoot where the mRNA levels were reduced. At 25 degrees C all cam mutants showed varying levels of mRNA for corresponding CAM genes with the highest levels of CAM5 gene mRNA being found in cam5-1 and cam5-3. CAM5 gene mRNA was not observed in the cam5-4 allele which harbors a T-DNA insertion in exon II. The level of respective CAM gene mRNAs were reduced in all cam alleles compared to levels in wild type except for increased expression of CAM5 in roots and shoots of cam5-1 and cam5-3. Compared to wild type, the level of mRNA for all CAM genes varied in each cam mutant, but not in a systematic way. In general, any non-exonic T-DNA insertion produced a decrease in the mRNA levels of the CAM2 and CAM3 genes, and the levels of CAM gene mRNAs were the same as wild type or lower in the cam1, cam4, cam5-2, and cam6-1 non-exonic mutant alleles. However, the level of mRNA for all genes except CAM2 and CAM3 genes was up-regulated in all cam2 and cam3 alleles and in the cam5-1 and cam5-3 alleles. During heat stress at 42 degrees C the level of CAM gene mRNAs were also variable between insertional mutants, but the level of CAM1 and CAM5 gene mRNAs were consistently greater in response to heat stress in both root and shoot. These results suggest differential tissue-specific expression of CAM genes in root and shoot tissues, and specific regulation of CAM gene mRNA levels by heat. Each of the CAM genes appears to contain noncoding regions that play regulatory roles resulting in interaction between CAM genes leading to changes in specific CAM gene mRNA levels in Arabidopsis. Only exonic insertion in CAM5 gene resulted in a loss-of-function of CAM5 gene among the mutants we surveyed in this study.

Regulation of microbe-associated molecular pattern-induced hypersensitive cell death, phytoalexin production, and defense gene expression by calcineurin B-like protein-interacting protein kinases, OsCIPK14/15, in rice cultured cells

Although cytosolic free Ca(2+) mobilization induced by microbe/pathogen-associated molecular patterns is postulated to play a pivotal role in innate immunity in plants, the molecular links between Ca(2+) and downstream defense responses still remain largely unknown. Calcineurin B-like proteins (CBLs) act as Ca(2+) sensors to activate specific protein kinases, CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs). We here identified two CIPKs, OsCIPK14 and OsCIPK15, rapidly induced by microbe-associated molecular patterns, including chitooligosaccharides and xylanase (Trichoderma viride/ethylene-inducing xylanase [TvX/EIX]), in rice (Oryza sativa). Although they are located on different chromosomes, they have over 95% nucleotide sequence identity, including the surrounding genomic region, suggesting that they are duplicated genes. OsCIPK14/15 interacted with several OsCBLs through the FISL/NAF motif in yeast cells and showed the strongest interaction with OsCBL4. The recombinant OsCIPK14/15 proteins showed Mn(2+)-dependent protein kinase activity, which was enhanced both by deletion of their FISL/NAF motifs and by combination with OsCBL4. OsCIPK14/15-RNAi transgenic cell lines showed reduced sensitivity to TvX/EIX for the induction of a wide range of defense responses, including hypersensitive cell death, mitochondrial dysfunction, phytoalexin biosynthesis, and pathogenesis-related gene expression. On the other hand, TvX/EIX-induced cell death was enhanced in OsCIPK15-overexpressing lines. Our results suggest that OsCIPK14/15 play a crucial role in the microbe-associated molecular pattern-induced defense signaling pathway in rice cultured cells.

Function of endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase in innate immunity-mediated programmed cell death

Programmed cell death (PCD) initiated at the pathogen-infected sites during the plant innate immune response is thought to prevent the development of disease. Here, we describe the identification and characterization of an ER-localized type IIB Ca(2+)-ATPase (NbCA1) that function as a regulator of PCD. Silencing of NbCA1 accelerates viral immune receptor N- and fungal-immune receptor Cf9-mediated PCD, as well as non-host pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 and the general elicitor cryptogein-induced cell death. The accelerated PCD rescues loss-of-resistance phenotype of Rar1, HSP90-silenced plants, but not SGT1-silenced plants. Using a genetically encoded calcium sensor, we show that downregulation of NbCA1 results in the modulation of intracellular calcium signalling in response to cryptogein elicitor. We further show that NbCAM1 and NbrbohB function as downstream calcium decoders in N-immune receptor-mediated PCD. Our results indicate that ER-Ca(2+)-ATPase is a component of the calcium efflux pathway that controls PCD during an innate immune response.

Over-expression of a protein kinase gene enhances the defense of tobacco against Rhizoctonia solani

To identify Nicotiana tabacum genes involved in resistance and susceptibility to Rhizoctonia solani, suppression subtractive hybridization was used to generate a cDNA library from transcripts that are differentially expressed during a compatible and incompatible interaction. This allowed the isolation of a protein kinase cDNA that was down-regulated during a compatible and up-regulated during an incompatible interaction. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis of this gene confirmed the differential expression patterns between the compatible and incompatible interactions. Over-expression of this gene in tobacco enhanced the resistance to damping-off produced by an aggressive R. solani strain. Furthermore, silencing of this protein kinase gene reduced the resistance to a non-aggressive R. solani strain. A set of reported tobacco-resistant genes were also evaluated in tobacco plants over-expressing and silencing the protein kinase cDNA. Several genes previously associated with resistance in tobacco, like manganese superoxide dismutase, Hsr203J, chitinases and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, were up-regulated in tobacco plants over-expressing the protein kinase cDNA. Potentially, the protein kinase gene could be used to engineer resistance to R. solani in tobacco cultivars susceptible to this important pathogen.

The pepper calmodulin gene CaCaM1 is involved in reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide generation required for cell death and the defense response

Calcium signaling has emerged as an important signal transduction pathway of higher plants in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Ca2+-bound calmodulin (CaM) plays a critical role in decoding and transducing stress signals by activating specific targets. Here, we isolated and functionally characterized the pathogen-responsive CaM gene, Capsicum annuum calmodulin 1 (CaCaM1), from pepper (C. annuum) plants. The cellular function of CaCaM1 was verified by Agrobacterium spp.-mediated transient expression in pepper and transgenic overexpression in Arabidopsis thaliana. Agrobacterium spp.-mediated transient expression of CaCaM1 activated reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO) generation, and hypersensitive response (HR)-like cell death in pepper leaves, ultimately leading to local acquired resistance to Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria. CaCaM1-overexpression (OX) Arabidopsis exhibited enhanced resistance to Pseudomonas syringae and Hyaloperonospora parasitica, which was accompanied by enhanced ROS and NO generation and HR-like cell death. Treatment with the calcium-channel blocker suppressed the oxidative and NO bursts and HR-like cell death that were triggered by CaCaM1 expression in pepper and Arabidopsis, suggesting that calcium influx is required for the activation of CaCaM1-mediated defense responses in plants. Upon treatment with the CaM antagonist, virulent P. syringae pv. tomato-induced NO generation was also compromised in CaCaM1-OX leaves. Together, these results suggest that the CaCaM1 gene functions in ROS and NO generation are essential for cell death and defense responses in plants.

Patterns of defence gene expression in the tomato–Verticilliuminteraction

In a tomato plant infected by Verticillium dahliae , race 1, compatibility or incompatibility appears to be determined in the stem, but little is known about the genes that either regulate or effect critical cellular events. In the present study, microarray and RT-PCR analyses were used to assess changes in tomato mRNA populations during both interactions. Initially, a commercially available DNA chip was used to screen gene expression at a single critical time point after inoculation of resistant and susceptible plants. From the results, the most-affected genes were selected to develop a tomato Verticillium response (TVR) DNA chip for detailed analyses of gene expression for 15 d after inoculation. Taken together, over half of the genes on the TVR array exhibited one of three distinct patterns of change, one reflecting a resistant phenotype and two being consistent with a susceptible phenotype. Of particular interest was a cluster of strongly expressed genes belonging to groups 2 and 3 that appeared to be co-ordinately down regulated in infected resistant plants relative to susceptible. Many of these genes encode pathogenesis related (PR) proteins. The data demonstrate that even though complex, the biological system can be standardized sufficiently to allow the reproducible analysis of gene expression in a whole plant system and provide patterns of transcriptional variation that can be used to assess the significance of specific genes in pathogenesis and resistance.

Quantitative iTRAQ proteome and comparative transcriptome analysis of elicitor-induced Norway spruce (Picea abies) cells reveals elements of calcium signaling in the early conifer defense response

Long-lived conifer trees depend on both constitutive and induced defenses for resistance against a myriad of potential pathogens and herbivores. In species of spruce (Picea spp.), several of the late events of pathogen-, insect-, or elicitor-induced defense responses have previously been characterized at the anatomical, biochemical, transcriptome, and proteome levels in stems and needles. However, accurately measuring the early events of induced cellular responses in a conifer is technically challenging due to limitations in the precise timing of induction and tissue sampling from intact trees following insect or fungal treatment. In the present study, we used the advantages of Norway spruce (Picea abies) cell suspensions combined with chitosan elicitation to investigate the early proteome response in a conifer. A combination of iTRAQ labeling and a new design of iterative sample analysis employing data-dependent exclusion lists were used for proteome analysis. This approach improved the coverage of the spruce proteome beyond that achieved in any prior study in a conifer system. Comparison of elicitor-induced proteome and transcriptome responses in Norway spruce cells consistently identified features associated with calcium-mediated signaling and response to oxidative stress that have not previously been observed in the response of intact trees to fungal attack.

The calmodulin-binding transcription factor OsCBT suppresses defense responses to pathogens in rice

We previously isolated the OsCBT gene, which encodes a calmodulin (CaM)-binding protein, from a rice expression library constructed from fungal elicitor-treated rice suspension cells. In order to understand the function of OsCBT in rice, we isolated and characterized a T-DNA insertion mutant allele named oscbt-1. The oscbt-1 mutant exhibits reduced levels of OsCBT transcripts and no significant morphological changes compared to wild-type plant although the growth of the mutant is stunted. However, oscbt-1 mutants showed significant resistance to two major rice pathogens. The growth of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe grisea, as well as the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae was significantly suppressed in oscbt-1 plants. Histochemical analysis indicated that the hypersensitive-response was induced in the oscbt-1 mutant in response to compatible strains of fungal pathogens. OsCBT expression was induced upon challenge with fungal elicitor. We also observed significant increase in the level of pathogenesis-related genes in the oscbt-1 mutant even under pathogen-free condition. Taken together, the results support an idea that OsCBT might act as a negative regulator on plant defense.

Innate immunity signaling: cytosolic Ca2+ elevation is linked to downstream nitric oxide generation through the action of calmodulin or a calmodulin-like protein

Ca(2+) rise and nitric oxide (NO) generation are essential early steps in plant innate immunity and initiate the hypersensitive response (HR) to avirulent pathogens. Previous work from this laboratory has demonstrated that a loss-of-function mutation of an Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plasma membrane Ca(2+)-permeable inwardly conducting ion channel impairs HR and that this phenotype could be rescued by the application of a NO donor. At present, the mechanism linking cytosolic Ca(2+) rise to NO generation during pathogen response signaling in plants is still unclear. Animal nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activation is Ca(2+)/calmodulin (CaM) dependent. Here, we present biochemical and genetic evidence consistent with a similar regulatory mechanism in plants: a pathogen-induced Ca(2+) signal leads to CaM and/or a CaM-like protein (CML) activation of NOS. In wild-type Arabidopsis plants, the use of a CaM antagonist prevents NO generation and the HR. Application of a CaM antagonist does not prevent pathogen-induced cytosolic Ca(2+) elevation, excluding the possibility of CaM acting upstream from Ca(2+). The CaM antagonist and Ca(2+) chelation abolish NO generation in wild-type Arabidopsis leaf protein extracts as well, suggesting that plant NOS activity is Ca(2+)/CaM dependent in vitro. The CaM-like protein CML24 has been previously associated with NO-related phenotypes in Arabidopsis. Here, we find that innate immune response phenotypes (HR and [avirulent] pathogen-induced NO elevation in leaves) are inhibited in loss-of-function cml24-4 mutant plants. Pathogen-associated molecular pattern-mediated NO generation in cells of cml24-4 mutants is impaired as well. Our work suggests that the initial pathogen recognition signal of Ca(2+) influx into the cytosol activates CaM and/or a CML, which then acts to induce downstream NO synthesis as intermediary steps in a pathogen perception signaling cascade, leading to innate immune responses, including the HR.

Peanut gene expression profiling in developing seeds at different reproduction stages during Aspergillus parasiticus infection

Background

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important crop economically and nutritionally, and is one of the most susceptible host crops to colonization of Aspergillus parasiticus and subsequent aflatoxin contamination. Knowledge from molecular genetic studies could help to devise strategies in alleviating this problem; however, few peanut DNA sequences are available in the public database. In order to understand the molecular basis of host resistance to aflatoxin contamination, a large-scale project was conducted to generate expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from developing seeds to identify resistance-related genes involved in defense response against Aspergillus infection and subsequent aflatoxin contamination.

Results

We constructed six different cDNA libraries derived from developing peanut seeds at three reproduction stages (R5, R6 and R7) from a resistant and a susceptible cultivated peanut genotypes, 'Tifrunner' (susceptible to Aspergillus infection with higher aflatoxin contamination and resistant to TSWV) and 'GT-C20' (resistant to Aspergillus with reduced aflatoxin contamination and susceptible to TSWV). The developing peanut seed tissues were challenged by A. parasiticus and drought stress in the field. A total of 24,192 randomly selected cDNA clones from six libraries were sequenced. After removing vector sequences and quality trimming, 21,777 high-quality EST sequences were generated. Sequence clustering and assembling resulted in 8,689 unique EST sequences with 1,741 tentative consensus EST sequences (TCs) and 6,948 singleton ESTs. Functional classification was performed according to MIPS functional catalogue criteria. The unique EST sequences were divided into twenty-two categories. A similarity search against the non-redundant protein database available from NCBI indicated that 84.78% of total ESTs showed significant similarity to known proteins, of which 165 genes had been previously reported in peanuts. There were differences in overall expression patterns in different libraries and genotypes. A number of sequences were expressed throughout all of the libraries, representing constitutive expressed sequences. In order to identify resistance-related genes with significantly differential expression, a statistical analysis to estimate the relative abundance (R) was used to compare the relative abundance of each gene transcripts in each cDNA library. Thirty six and forty seven unique EST sequences with threshold of R > 4 from libraries of 'GT-C20' and 'Tifrunner', respectively, were selected for examination of temporal gene expression patterns according to EST frequencies. Nine and eight resistance-related genes with significant up-regulation were obtained in 'GT-C20' and 'Tifrunner' libraries, respectively. Among them, three genes were common in both genotypes. Furthermore, a comparison of our EST sequences with other plant sequences in the TIGR Gene Indices libraries showed that the percentage of peanut EST matched to Arabidopsis thaliana, maize (Zea mays), Medicago truncatula, rapeseed (Brassica napus), rice (Oryza sativa), soybean (Glycine max) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) ESTs ranged from 33.84% to 79.46% with the sequence identity ≥ 80%. These results revealed that peanut ESTs are more closely related to legume species than to cereal crops, and more homologous to dicot than to monocot plant species.

Conclusion

The developed ESTs can be used to discover novel sequences or genes, to identify resistance-related genes and to detect the differences among alleles or markers between these resistant and susceptible peanut genotypes. Additionally, this large collection of cultivated peanut EST sequences will make it possible to construct microarrays for gene expression studies and for further characterization of host resistance mechanisms. It will be a valuable genomic resource for the peanut community. The 21,777 ESTs have been deposited to the NCBI GenBank database with accession numbers ES702769 to ES724546.

Comparison of the expression profiles of susceptible and resistant Eucalyptus grandis exposed to Puccinia psidii Winter using SAGE

Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden and its hybrids are commonly planted by the Brazilian pulp and paper industry, but they are the most susceptible to the neotropical rust disease caused by Puccinia psidii Winter. In an initial attempt to understand the mechanisms of resistance, we constructed two contrasting Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE) libraries using susceptible and resistant individuals from a segregating half-sibling E. grandis population. Using the Z-test we identified tags differentially expressed between the libraries, preferentially 239 in the susceptible and 232 in the resistant type individuals. Using public (Expressed Sequence Tags) EST databases, 40 of the susceptible and 70 of the resistant tags matched ESTs and were annotated. By comparing the type of genes and their expression levels, distinct differences between the libraries were observed. Susceptible plants showed gene expression linked to leaf senescence, generalised stress responses and detoxification, and are apparently incapable of inducing a competent host defence response. On the other hand, resistant plants showed genes upregulated for cellular polarisation, cytoskeleton restructuring, vesicle transport, and cellulose and lignin biosynthesis. In the resistant individuals, evidence for systemic resistance, anti-oxidative responses and a hypersensitive response was also observed, although no R gene was identified.

The grateful dead: calcium and cell death in plant innate immunity

Plant cells sensing pathogenic microorganisms evoke defence systems that can confer resistance to infection. This innate immune reaction can include triggering of basal defence responses as well as programmed cell death, or hypersensitive response (HR). In both cases (basal defence and HR), pathogen perception is translated into elevated cytosolic Ca(2+) (mediated by plasma membrane and intracellular channels) as an early step in a signalling cascade. Cyclic nucleotide-gated channels contribute to this influx of Ca(2+) into the cell. The molecular nature of other transport proteins contributing to the Ca(2+) elevation is unclear. Pathogen recognition occurs at two levels: the perception of pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) molecules widely present in microorganisms, and an interaction between pathogen avirulence gene products (if present) and corresponding plant R (resistance) gene products. The Ca(2+) elevation occurring in response to PAMP perception or R gene interactions could occur due to phosphorylation events, G-protein signalling and/or an increase in cyclic nucleotides. Downstream from the initial Ca(2+) rise, the signalling cascade includes: activation of calmodulin and protein kinases, and nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species generation. Some of these downstream events amplify the Ca(2+) signal by further activation of Ca(2+) transporters.