Induction of mRNA accumulation corresponding to a gene encoding a cell wall hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein by fungal elicitors

Three-way interaction among plants, bacteria, and coleopteran insects

MAIN CONCLUSION

Coleoptera, the largest and the most diverse Insecta order, is characterized by multiple adaptations to plant feeding. Insect-associated microorganisms can be important mediators and modulators of interactions between insects and plants. Interactions between plants and insects are highly complex and involve multiple factors. There are various defense mechanisms initiated by plants upon attack by herbivorous insects, including the development of morphological structures and the synthesis of toxic secondary metabolites and volatiles. In turn, herbivores have adapted to feeding on plants and further sophisticated adaptations to overcome plant responses may continue to evolve. Herbivorous insects may detoxify toxic phytocompounds, sequester poisonous plant factors, and alter their own overall gene expression pattern. Moreover, insects are associated with microbes, which not only considerably affect insects, but can also modify plant defense responses to the benefit of their host. Plants are also frequently associated with endophytes, which may act as bioinsecticides. Therefore, it is very important to consider the factors influencing the interaction between plants and insects. Herbivorous insects cause considerable damage to global crop production. Coleoptera is the largest and the most diverse order in the class Insecta. In this review, various aspects of the interactions among insects, microbes, and plants are described with a focus on coleopteran species, their bacterial symbionts, and their plant hosts to demonstrate that many factors contribute to the success of coleopteran herbivory.

Accumulation and localization of extensin protein in apoplast of pea root nodule under aluminum stress

Cell wall components such as hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins (HRGPs, extensins) have been proposed to be involved in aluminum (Al) resistance mechanisms in plants. We have characterized the distribution of extensin in pea (Pisum sativum L.) root nodules apoplast under short (for 2 and 24h) Al stress. Monoclonal antibodie LM1 have been used to locate extensin protein epitope by immunofluorescence and immunogold labeling. The nodules were shown to respond to Al stress by thickening of plant and infection thread (IT) walls and disturbances in threads growth and bacteria endocytosis. Immunoblot results indicated the presence of a 17-kDa band specific for LM1. Irrespective of the time of Al stress, extensin content increased in root nodules. Further observation utilizing fluorescence and transmission electron microscope showed that LM1 epitope was localized in walls and intercellular spaces of nodule cortex tissues and in the infection threads matrix. Al stress in nodules appears to be associated with higher extensin accumulation in matrix of enlarged thick-walled ITs. In addition to ITs, thickened walls and intercellular spaces of nodule cortex were also associated with intense extensin accumulation. These data suggest that Al-induced extensin accumulation in plant cell walls and ITs matrix may have influence on the process of IT growth and tissue and cell colonization by Rhizobium bacteria.

Localization of hydrogen peroxide accumulation and diamine oxidase activity in pea root nodules under aluminum stress

Aluminum (Al) is one of the environmental stressors that induces formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plants. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and H2O2-generated apoplast diamine oxidase (DAO) activity were detected cytochemically via transmission electron microscopy (TEM), in pea (Pisum sativum L.) root nodules exposed to high (50 μM AlCl3, for 2 and 24h) Al stress. The nodules were shown to respond to Al stress by disturbances in infection thread (IT) growth, bacteria endocytosis, premature degeneration of bacteroidal tissue and generation of H2O2 in nodule apoplast. Large amounts of peroxide were found at the same sites as high DAO activity under Al stress, suggesting that DAO is a major source of Al-induced peroxide accumulation in the nodules. Peroxide distribution and DAO activity in the nodules of both control plants and Al-treated ones were typically found in the plant cell walls, intercellular spaces and infection threads. However, 2 h Al treatment increased DAO activity and peroxide accumulation in the nodule apoplast and bacteria within threads. A prolonged Al treatment (24 h) increased the H2O2 content and DAO activity in the nodule apoplast, especially in the thread walls, matrix and bacteria within infection threads. In addition to ITs, prematurely degenerated bacteroids, which occurred in response to Al, were associated with intense staining for H2O2 and DAO activity. These results suggest the involvement of DAO in the production of a large amount of H2O2 in the nodule apoplast under Al stress. The role of reactive oxygen species in pea-Rhizobium symbiosis under Al stress is discussed.

Fine mapping and identification of candidate genes controlling the resistance to southern root-knot nematode in PI 96354

Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid and White) Chitwood (Mi) is the most economically damaging species of the root-knot nematode to soybean and other crops in the southern USA. PI 96354 was identified to carry a high level of resistance to galling and Mi egg production. Two Quantitative Trait Locus (QTLs) were found to condition the resistance in PI 96354 including a major QTL and a minor QTL on chromosome 10 and chromosome 18, respectively. To fine map the major QTL on chromosome 10, F5:6 recombinant inbred lines from the cross between PI 96354 and susceptible genotype Bossier were genotyped with Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) markers to identify recombinational events. Analysis of lines carrying key recombination events placed the Mi-resistant allele on chromosome 10 to a 235-kb region of the 'Williams 82' genome sequence with 30 annotated genes. Candidate gene analysis identified four genes with cell wall modification function that have several mutations in promoter, exon, 5', and 3'UTR regions. qPCR analysis showed significant difference in expression levels of these four genes in Bossier compared to PI 96354 in the presence of Mi. Thirty Mi-resistant soybean lines were found to have same SNPs in these 4 candidate genes as PI 96354 while 12 Mi-susceptible lines possess the 'Bossier' genotype. The mutant SNPs were used to develop KASP assays to detect the resistant allele on chromosome 10. The four candidate genes identified in this study can be used in further studies to investigate the role of cell wall modification genes in conferring Mi resistance in PI 96354.

Transcriptome analysis of tobacco BY-2 cells elicited by cryptogein reveals new potential actors of calcium-dependent and calcium-independent plant defense pathways

Cryptogein is a proteinaceous elicitor secreted by the oomycete Phytophthora cryptogea, which induces a hypersensitive response in tobacco plants. We have previously reported that in tobacco BY-2 cells treated with cryptogein, most of the genes of the phenylpropanoid pathway were upregulated and cell wall-bound phenolics accumulated. Both events were Ca(2+) dependent. In this study, we designed a microarray covering a large proportion of the tobacco genome and monitored gene expression in cryptogein-elicited BY-2 cells to get a more complete view of the transcriptome changes and to assess their Ca(2+) dependence. The predominant functional gene categories affected by cryptogein included stress- and disease-related proteins, phenylpropanoid pathway, signaling components, transcription factors and cell wall reinforcement. Among the 3819 unigenes whose expression changed more than fourfold, 90% were Ca(2+) dependent, as determined by their sensitivity to lanthanum chloride. The most Ca(2+)-dependent transcripts upregulated by cryptogein were involved in defense responses or the oxylipin pathway. This genome-wide study strongly supports the importance of Ca(2+)-dependent transcriptional regulation of regulatory and defense-related genes contributing to cryptogein responses in tobacco.

Microbial symbionts in insects influence down-regulation of defense genes in maize

Diabrotica virgifera virgifera larvae are root-feeding insects and significant pests to maize in North America and Europe. Little is known regarding how plants respond to insect attack of roots, thus complicating the selection for plant defense targets. Diabrotica virgifera virgifera is the most successful species in its genus and is the only Diabrotica beetle harboring an almost species-wide Wolbachia infection. Diabrotica virgifera virgifera are infected with Wolbachia and the typical gut flora found in soil-living, phytophagous insects. Diabrotica virgifera virgifera larvae cannot be reared aseptically and thus, it is not possible to observe the response of maize to effects of insect gut flora or other transient microbes. Because Wolbachia are heritable, it is possible to investigate whether Wolbachia infection affects the regulation of maize defenses. To answer if the success of Diabrotica virgifera virgifera is the result of microbial infection, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera were treated with antibiotics to eliminate Wolbachia and a microarray experiment was performed. Direct comparisons made between the response of maize root tissue to the feeding of antibiotic treated and untreated Diabrotica virgifera virgifera show down-regulation of plant defenses in the untreated insects compared to the antibiotic treated and control treatments. Results were confirmed via QRT-PCR. Biological and behavioral assays indicate that microbes have integrated into Diabrotica virgifera virgifera physiology without inducing negative effects and that antibiotic treatment did not affect the behavior or biology of the insect. The expression data and suggest that the pressure of microbes, which are most likely Wolbachia, mediate the down-regulation of many maize defenses via their insect hosts. This is the first report of a potential link between a microbial symbiont of an insect and a silencing effect in the insect host plant. This is also the first expression profile for a plant attacked by a root-feeding insect.

Membrane-bound guaiacol peroxidases from maize (Zea mays L.) roots are regulated by methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, and pathogen elicitors

Plant peroxidases are involved in numerous cellular processes in plant development and stress responses. Four plasma membrane-bound peroxidases have been identified and characterized in maize (Zea mays L.) roots. In the present study, maize seedlings were treated with different stresses and signal compounds, and a functional analysis of these membrane-bound class III peroxidases (pmPOX1, pmPOX2a, pmPOX2b, and pmPOX3) was carried out. Total guaiacol peroxidase activities from soluble and microsomal fractions of maize roots were compared and showed weak changes. By contrast, total plasma membrane and washed plasma membrane peroxidase activities, representing peripheral and integral membrane proteins, revealed strong changes after all of the stresses applied. A proteomic approach using 2D-PAGE analysis showed that pmPOX3 was the most abundant class III peroxidase at plasma membranes of control plants, followed by pmPOX2a >pmPOX2b >pmPOX1. The molecular mass (63 kDa) and the isoelectric point (9.5) of the pmPOX2a monomer were identified for the first time. The protein levels of all four enzymes changed in response to multiple stresses. While pmPOX2b was the only membrane peroxidase down-regulated by wounding, all four enzymes were differentially but strongly stimulated by methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, and elicitors (Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium culmorum extracts, and chitosan) indicating their function in pathogen defence. Oxidative stress applied as H(2)O(2) treatment up-regulated pmPOX2b >pmPOX2a, while pmPOX3 was down-regulated. Treatment with the phosphatase inhibitor chantharidin resulted in distinct responses.

Role of hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins in resistance of pearl millet against downy mildew pathogen Sclerospora graminicola

Hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins (HRGPs) are important plant cell wall components involved in plant defense response to pathogen attack. In the present study, a resistant pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) cultivar, IP18292, was compared with a susceptible cultivar, 7042S, to investigate the contribution of HRGPs in the successful defense against the phytopathogenic oomycete S. graminicola. Northern hybridization using MeHRGP cDNA, a heterologous probe from cassava, indicated steady accumulation of HRGP transcripts, from 2 h.p.i. onwards with a maximum at 6 h.p.i., in the resistant cultivar. This is followed by HRGPs accumulation at about 8 h.p.i. as revealed by Western-blot analysis. Immunocytochemical localization by tissue printing and confocal immunofluorescence microscopy indicated cell walls of parenchymatic cells and the vascular tissue of coleoptile as sites of HRGP deposition. In vitro studies in the presence of horseradish peroxidase and H2O2 showed cross-linking of pearl millet HRGPs, which occurred parallel to isodityrosine accumulation. Inducible high isodityrosine content was also observed in vivo in the resistant cultivar. Here, H2O2 was found to accumulate as twin burst at 1 and 6 h.p.i., whereas in the susceptible cultivar only an early single peak was detectable. Moreover, the amount of hydroxyproline in HRGPs was about twice as high in the resistant as in the susceptible cultivar. These results suggest that cell wall strengthening in S. graminicola-infected resistant pearl millet is brought about by a combination of polypeptide cross-linking of isodityrosine as well as by the high content of hydroxyproline in HRGPs, and H2O2, in contrast to the susceptible plant.

Methyl jasmonate stimulates the de novo biosynthesis of vitamin C in plant cell suspensions

Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) is an important primary metabolite of plants that functions as an antioxidant, an enzyme cofactor, and a cell-signalling modulator in a wide array of crucial physiological processes, including biosynthesis of the cell wall, secondary metabolites and phytohormones, stress resistance, photoprotection, cell division, and growth. Plants synthesize ascorbic acid via de novo and salvage pathways, but the regulation of its biosynthesis and the mechanisms behind ascorbate homeostasis are largely unknown. Jasmonic acid and its methyl ester (jasmonates) mediate plant responses to many biotic and abiotic stresses by triggering a transcriptional reprogramming that allows cells to cope with pathogens and stress. By using 14C-mannose radiolabelling combined with HPLC and transcript profiling analysis, it is shown that methyl jasmonate treatment increases the de novo synthesis of ascorbic acid in Arabidopsis and tobacco Bright Yellow-2 (BY-2) suspension cells. In BY-2 cells, this stimulation coincides with enhanced transcription of at least two late methyl jasmonate-responsive genes encoding enzymes for vitamin C biosynthesis: the GDP-mannose 3'',5''-epimerase and a putative L-gulono-1,4-lactone dehydrogenase/oxidase. As far as is known, this is the first report of a hormonal regulation of vitamin C biosynthesis in plants. Finally, the role of ascorbic acid in jasmonate-regulated stress responses is reviewed.

Role of extracytoplasmic leucine rich repeat proteins in plant defence mechanisms

Plant-pathogen interactions involve highly complex series of reactions in disease development. Plants are endowed with both, resistance and defence genes. The activation of defence genes after contact with avirulence gene products of pathogens depends on signals transduced by leucine-rich repeats (LRRs) contained in resistance genes. Additionally, LRRs play roles for various actions following ligand recognition. Polygalacturonase inhibiting proteins (PGIPs), the only plant LRR protein with known ligands, are pectinase inhibitors, bound by ionic interactions to the extracellular matrix (ECM) of plant cells. They have a high affinity for fungal endopolygalacturonases (endoPGs). PGIP genes are organised in families encoding proteins with similar physical characteristics but different specificities. They are induced by infection and stress related signals. The molecular basis of PG-PGIP interaction serves as a model to understand the evolution of plant LRR proteins in recognising non-self-molecules. Extensins form a different class of structural proteins with repetitive sequences. They are also regulated by wounding and pathogen infection. Linkage of extensins with LRR motifs is highly significant in defending host tissues against pathogen invasion. Overexpression of PGIPs or expression of several PGIPs in a plant tissue, and perhaps manipulation of extensin expression could be possible strategies for disease management.

Real-Time Quantitative RT-PCR of Defense-Associated Gene Transcripts of Rhizoctonia solani-Infected Bean Seedlings in Response to Inoculation with a Nonpathogenic Binucleate Rhizoctonia Isolate

ABSTRACT Certain isolates of nonpathogenic binucleate Rhizoctonia spp. (np-BNR) are effective biocontrol agents against seedling root rot and damping-off. Inoculation of bean seed with np-BNR strain 232-CG at sowing reduced disease symptoms in bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) seedlings caused by R. solani. Molecular analyses of the spatial expression of three defense-associated genes were carried out using real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) assays. This method allowed accurate quantitative evaluation of transcript levels of pG101 encoding for 1,3-beta-D-glucanase, gPAL1 encoding for phenylalanine ammonia lyase, and CHS17 encoding for chalcone synthase in 1- and 2-week-old bean seedlings that were inoculated simultaneously with np-BNR and infected with R. solani, and in seedlings that were singly inoculated with either fungi or not inoculated. In the seedlings that were infected with R. solani only, results revealed that, following infection, activation of all defense-associated gene transcripts was achieved with significant increases ranging from 7- to 40-fold greater than the control, depending on the defense gene and tissue analyzed. Seedlings that were treated with np-BNR and infected with R. solani had expression similar to those that were treated with np-BNR only, but the levels were significantly down-regulated compared with those that were infected with R. solani only. These findings indicate that disease suppression by np-BNR isolate is not correlated to pG101, gPAL1, and CHS17 gene activation.

Ascorbic acid: much more than just an antioxidant

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid (AA)) is very popular for its antioxidant properties. Consequently, many other important aspects of this multifaceted molecule are often underestimated or even ignored. In the present paper, we have tried to bring to the foreground some of these aspects, including the peculiarities of the AA biosynthetic pathway in different organisms, the remarkable function of AA as a co-substrate of many important dioxygenases, the role of AA-regenerating enzymes and the known pathways of AA catabolism, as well as the intriguing function of AA in gene expression.

The chimeric leucine-rich repeat/extensin cell wall protein LRX1 is required for root hair morphogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana

In plants, the cell wall is a major determinant of cell morphogenesis. Cell enlargement depends on the tightly regulated expansion of the wall, which surrounds each cell. However, the qualitative and quantitative mechanisms controlling cell wall enlargement are still poorly understood. Here, we report the molecular and functional characterization of LRX1, a new Arabidopsis gene that encodes a chimeric leucine-rich repeat/extensin protein. LRX1 is expressed in root hair cells and the protein is specifically localized in the wall of the hair proper, where it becomes insolubilized during development. lrx1-null mutants, isolated by a reverse-genetic approach, develop root hairs that frequently abort, swell, or branch. Complementation and overexpression experiments using modified LRX1 proteins indicate that the interaction with the cell wall is important for LRX1 function. These results suggest that LRX1 is an extracellular component of a mechanism regulating root hair morphogenesis and elongation by controlling either polarized growth or cell wall formation and assembly.