Characterization of a pathogen-induced calmodulin-binding protein: mapping of four Ca2+-dependent calmodulin-binding domains

SA and NHP glucosyltransferase UGT76B1 affects plant defense in both SID2- and NPR1-dependent and independent manner

KEY MESSAGE

The small-molecule glucosyltransferase loss-of-function mutant ugt76b1 exhibits both SID2- or NPR1-dependent and independent facets of enhanced plant immunity, whereupon FMO1 is required for the SID2 and NPR1 independence. The small-molecule glucosyltransferase UGT76B1 inactivates salicylic acid (SA), isoleucic acid (ILA), and N-hydroxypipecolic acid (NHP). ugt76b1 loss-of-function plants manifest an enhanced defense status. Thus, we were interested how UGT76B1 genetically integrates in defense pathways and whether all impacts depend on SA and NHP. We study the integration of UGT76B1 by transcriptome analyses of ugt76b1. The comparison of transcripts altered by the loss of UGT76B1 with public transcriptome data reveals both SA-responsive, ISOCHORISMATE SYNTHASE 1/SALICYLIC ACID INDUCTION DEFICIENT 2 (ICS1/SID2)- and NON EXPRESSOR OF PR GENES 1 (NPR1)-dependent, consistent with the role of UGT76B1 in glucosylating SA, and SA-non-responsive, SID2/NPR1-independent genes. We also discovered that UGT76B1 impacts on a group of genes showing non-SA-responsiveness and regulation by infections independent from SID2/NPR1. Enhanced resistance of ugt76b1 against Pseudomonas syringae is partially independent from SID2 and NPR1. In contrast, the ugt76b1-activated resistance is completely dependent on FMO1 encoding the NHP-synthesizing FLAVIN-DEPENDENT MONOOXYGENASE 1). Moreover, FMO1 ranks top among the ugt76b1-induced SID2- and NPR1-independent pathogen responsive genes, suggesting that FMO1 determines the SID2- and NPR1-independent effect of ugt76b1. Furthermore, the genetic study revealed that FMO1, ENHANCED DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY 1 (EDS1), SID2, and NPR1 are required for the SA-JA crosstalk and senescence development of ugt76b1, indicating that EDS1 and FMO1 have a similar effect like stress-induced SA biosynthesis (SID2) or the key SA signaling regulator NPR1. Thus, UGT76B1 influences both SID2/NPR1-dependent and independent plant immunity, and the SID2/NPR1 independence is relying on FMO1 and its product NHP, another substrate of UGT76B1.

Genetic Analysis of Partially Resistant and Susceptible Chickpea Cultivars in Response to Ascochyta rabiei Infection

The molecular mechanism involved in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) resistance to the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Ascochyta rabiei is not well documented. A. rabiei infection can cause severe damage in chickpea, resulting in significant economic losses. Understanding the resistance mechanism against ascochyta blight can help to define strategies to develop resistant cultivars. In this study, differentially expressed genes from two partially resistant cultivars (CDC Corinne and CDC Luna) and a susceptible cultivar (ICCV 96029) to ascochyta blight were identified in the early stages (24, 48 and 72 h) of A. rabiei infection using RNA-seq. Altogether, 3073 genes were differentially expressed in response to A. rabiei infection across different time points and cultivars. A larger number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found in CDC Corinne and CDC Luna than in ICCV 96029. Various transcription factors including ERF, WRKY, bHLH and MYB were differentially expressed in response to A. rabiei infection. Genes involved in pathogen detection and immune signalings such as receptor-like kinases (RLKs), Leucine-Rich Repeat (LRR)-RLKs, and genes associated with the post-infection defence response were differentially expressed among the cultivars. GO functional enrichment and pathway analysis of the DEGs suggested that the biological processes such as metabolic process, response to stimulus and catalytic activity were overrepresented in both resistant and susceptible chickpea cultivars. The expression patterns of eight randomly selected genes revealed by RNA-seq were confirmed by quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis. The results provide insights into the complex molecular mechanism of the chickpea defence in response to the A. rabiei infection.

Enhancing powdery mildew resistance in soybean by targeted mutation of MLO genes using the CRISPR/Cas9 system

BACKGROUND

Powdery mildew is a major disease that causes great losses in soybean yield and seed quality. Disease-resistant varieties, which are generated by reducing the impact of susceptibility genes through mutation in host plants, would be an effective approach to protect crops from this disease. The Mildew Locus O (MLO) genes are well-known susceptibility genes for powdery mildew in plant. In this study, we utilized the CRISPR/Cas9 system to induce targeted mutations in the soybean GmMLO genes to improve powdery mildew resistance.

RESULTS

A dual-sgRNA CRISPR/Cas9 construct was designed and successfully transferred into the Vietnamese soybean cultivar DT26 through Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Various mutant forms of the GmMLO genes including biallelic, chimeric and homozygous were found at the T0 generation. The inheritance and segregation of CRISPR/Cas9-induced mutations were confirmed and validated at the T1 and T2 generations. Out of six GmMLO genes in the soybean genome, we obtained the Gmmlo02/Gmmlo19/Gmmlo23 triple and Gmmlo02/Gmmlo19/Gmmlo20/Gmmlo23 quadruple knockout mutants at the T2 generation. When challenged with Erysiphe diffusa, a fungus that causes soybean powdery mildew, all mutant plants showed enhanced resistance to the pathogen, especially the quadruple mutant. The powdery mildew severity in the mutant soybeans was reduced by up to 36.4% compared to wild-type plants. In addition, no pleiotropic effect on soybean growth and development under net-house conditions was observed in the CRISPR/Cas9 mutants.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicate the involvement of GmMLO02, GmMLO19, GmMLO20 and GmMLO23 genes in powdery mildew susceptibility in soybean. Further research should be conducted to investigate the roles of individual tested genes and the involvement of other GmMLO genes in this disease infection mechanism. Importantly, utilizing the CRISPR/Cas9 system successfully created the Gmmlo transgene-free homozygous mutant lines with enhanced resistance to powdery mildew, which could be potential materials for soybean breeding programs.

Phosphoproteomics analysis of the effect of target of rapamycin kinase inhibition on Cucumis sativus in response to Podosphaera xanthii

Target of rapamycin (TOR) kinase is a conserved sensor of cell growth in yeasts, plants, and mammals. Despite the extensive research on the TOR complex in various biological processes, large-scale phosphoproteomics analysis of TOR phosphorylation events upon environmental stress are scarce. Powdery mildew caused by Podosphaera xanthii poses a major threat to the quality and yield of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). Previous studies concluded that TOR participated in abiotic and biotic stress responses. Hence, studying the underlying mechanism of TOR-P. xanthii infection is particularly important. In this study, we performed a quantitative phosphoproteomics studies of Cucumis against P. xanthii attack under AZD-8055 (TOR inhibitor) pretreatment. A total of 3384 phosphopeptides were identified from the 1699 phosphoproteins. The Motif-X analysis showed high sensitivity and specificity of serine sites under AZD-8055-treatment or P. xanthii stress, and TOR exhibited a unique preference for proline at +1 position and glycine at -1 position to enhance the phosphorylation response to P. xanthii. The functional analysis suggested that the unique responses were attributed to proteins related to plant hormone signaling, mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade signaling, phosphatidylinositol signaling system, and circadian rhythm; and calcium signaling- and defense response-related proteins. Our results provided rich resources for understanding the molecular mechanism of how the TOR kinase controlled plant growth and stress adaptation.

Seed priming with calcium chloride enhances stress tolerance in rice seedlings

Calcium is a crucial second messenger in plant cells and contributes to plant resistance against biotic and abiotic stress. Plant defense priming with natural or synthetic compounds leads to quicker and stronger resistance responses. However, whether pretreatment of plant seeds with calcium could improve their resistance to stress remains poorly understood. In this study, we showed that rice seedlings grown from calcium chloride (CaCl₂)-pretreated seeds displayed enhanced resistance to the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae and the rice bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. Oryzae (Xoo). Seed priming with CaCl₂ also led to enhanced rice tolerance to salt and cold. Furthermore, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst increased significantly upon immunity activation in the leaves of rice seedlings grown from CaCl₂-pretreated seeds. Additionally, we analyzed the rice calmodulin-binding protein 60 (OsCBP60) family and found that there were 19 OsCBP60s in rice cultivar Zhonghua 11 (ZH11). The transcripts of several OsCBP60s were chitin- and M. oryzae-inducible, suggesting that they may contribute to rice resistance. Taken together, these data indicate that seed priming with CaCl₂ can effectively enhance rice tolerance to multiple stresses, perhaps by boosting the burst of ROS, and OsCBP60 family members may also play an essential role in this process.

Analysis of long non-coding RNAs and mRNAs in harvested kiwifruit in response to the yeast antagonist, Wickerhamomyces anomalus

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W. anomalus exhibits good biocontrol activity against blue and gray mold on kiwifruit.

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LncRNAs in kiwifruit may be involved in activating plant hormone signal transduction pathways in response to the biocontrol yeast.

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LncRNAs in kiwifruit may modulate the production of related TFs and secondary metabolites.

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The expression of downstream defense-related genes in kiwifruit increases in response to the application of the biocontrol yeast.

Biological control utilizing antagonistic yeasts is an effective method for controlling postharvest diseases. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been found to be involved in a variety of plant growth and development processes, including those associated with plant disease resistance. In the present study, the yeast antagonist, Wickerhamomyces anomalus, was found to strongly inhibit postharvest blue mold (Penicillium expansum) and gray mold (Botrytis cinerea) decay of kiwifruit. Additionally, lncRNA high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic analysis was used to identify lncRNAs in W. anomalus-treated wounds in kiwifruit and predict their function based on putative target genes. Our results indicate that lncRNAs may be involved in increasing ethylene (ET), jasmonic acid (JA), abscisic acid (ABA), and auxin (IAA) levels, as well as activating signal transduction pathways that regulate the expression of several transcription factors (WRKY72, WRKY53, JUB1AP2). These transcription factors (TFs) then mediate the expression of downstream, defense-related genes (ZAR1, PAD4, CCR4, NPR4) and the synthesis of secondary metabolites, thus, potentially enhancing disease resistance. Notably, by stimulating the accumulation of antifungal compounds, such as phenols and lignin, disease resistance in kiwifruit was enhanced. Our study provides new information on the mechanism underlying the induction of disease resistance in kiwifruit by W. anomalus, as well as a new disease resistance strategy that can be used to enhance the defense response of fruit to pathogenic fungi.

Time-series expression profiling of sugarcane leaves infected with Puccinia kuehnii reveals an ineffective defense system leading to susceptibility

Successful orange rust development on sugarcane can potentially be explained as suppression of the plant immune system by the pathogen or delayed plant signaling to trigger defense responses. Puccinia kuehnii is an obligate biotrophic fungus that infects sugarcane leaves causing a disease called orange rust. It spread out to other countries resulting in reduction of crop yield since its first outbreak. One of the knowledge gaps of that pathosystem is to understand the molecular mechanisms altered in susceptible plants by this biotic stress. Here, we investigated the changes in temporal expression of transcripts in pathways associated with the immune system. To achieve this purpose, we used RNA-Seq to analyze infected leaf samples collected at five time points after inoculation. Differential expression analyses of adjacent time points revealed substantial changes at 12, 48 h after inoculation and 12 days after inoculation, coinciding with the events of spore germination, haustoria post-penetration and post-sporulation, respectively. During the first 24 h, a lack of transcripts involved with resistance mechanisms was revealed by underrepresentation of hypersensitive and defense response related genes. However, two days after inoculation, upregulation of genes involved with immune response regulation provided evidence of some potential defense response. Events related to biotic stress responses were predominantly downregulated in the initial time points, but expression was later restored to basal levels. Genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism showed evidence of repression followed by upregulation, possibly to ensure the pathogen nutritional requirements were met. Our results support the hypothesis that P. kuehnii initially suppressed sugarcane genes involved in plant defense systems. Late overexpression of specific regulatory pathways also suggests the possibility of an inefficient recognition system by a susceptible sugarcane genotype.

Transcriptome analysis of Actinidia chinensis in response to Botryosphaeria dothidea infection

Ripe rot caused by Botryosphaeria dothidea causes extensive production losses in kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis Planch.). Our previous study showed that kiwifruit variety “Jinyan” is resistant to B. dothidea while “Hongyang” is susceptible. For a comparative analysis of the response of these varieties to B. dothidea infection, we performed a transcriptome analysis by RNA sequencing. A total of 305.24 Gb of clean bases were generated from 36 libraries of which 175.76 Gb was from the resistant variety and 129.48 Gb from the susceptible variety. From the libraries generated, we identified 44,656 genes including 39,041 reference genes, 5,615 novel transcripts, and 13,898 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Among these, 2,373 potentially defense-related genes linked to calcium signaling, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), cell wall modification, phytoalexin synthesis, transcription factors, pattern-recognition receptors, and pathogenesis-related proteins may regulate kiwifruit resistance to B. dothidea. DEGs involved in calcium signaling, MAPK, and cell wall modification in the resistant variety were induced at an earlier stage and at higher levels compared with the susceptible variety. Thirty DEGs involved in plant defense response were strongly induced in the resistant variety at all three time points. This study allowed the first comprehensive understanding of kiwifruit transcriptome in response to B. dothidea and may help identify key genes required for ripe rot resistance in kiwifruit.

Mining the Cicer arietinum genome for the mildew locus O (Mlo) gene family and comparative evolutionary analysis of the Mlo genes from Medicago truncatula and some other plant species

The mildew locus O (Mlo) gene family is ubiquitous in land plants. Some members of this gene family are involved in negative regulation of powdery mildew resistance, while others are involved in several other biological functions. Mlo proteins have characteristic seven transmembrane domains and a calmodulin-binding domain at their C-termini, and are associated with plasma membrane. The Mlo gene family has been studied in several economically important cereals, but little information is available on this gene family in the important legumes, Medicago truncatula Gaertn. and Cicer arietinum L. We carried out a comprehensive and comparative investigation of the Mlo gene family in these two species using the genome sequences available at the M. truncatula genome database (Mt v4.0) and NCBI (C. arietinum). A genome-wide homology-based search using Arabidopsis Mlo proteins as query identified 16 MtMlo (M. truncatula Mlo) and 14 CarMlo (C. arietinum Mlo) genes. The MtMlo and CarMlo genes had comparable gene structure, protein sequence and topology. Their chromosomal locations indicated the occurrence of extensive reorganization in the genomes of the two species after their divergence from the common ancestor. A multiple sequence alignment of 53 Mlo proteins from these two and several other species showed a highly conserved sequence block of seven amino acids, viz., L-ETPTW, towards their N-termini. The evolutionary phylogenetic analysis grouped the MtMlo and CarMlo members into four clusters, and most of the MtMlo and CarMlo members formed one-to-one ortholog pairs. The ka/ks analyses indicated that the MtMlo and CarMlo genes are subjected to intense purifying selection.

Transcriptome analysis reveals dynamic changes in the gene expression of tobacco seedlings under low potassium stress

Potassium plays a key role in plant development and reproduction. In agricultural practice, potassium deficiency is common worldwide, and leads to crop growth inhibition and output reduction. In this study, we analysed the transcriptome of tobacco seedlings under low potassium stress. Tobacco seedlings with or without decreased potassium treatment were harvested after 0 (control), 6, 12, or 24 h and were submitted for microarray analysis. The results showed that up to 3790 genes were upregulated or downregulated more than 2-fold as a result of the decreased potassium treatment. Gene ontology analysis revealed significantly differentially expressed genes that were categorized as cation binding, transcription regulation, metabolic processes, transporter activity and enzyme regulation. Some potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus transporters; transcription factors; and plant signal molecules, such as CPKs were also significantly differentially expressed under potassium deficiency. Our results indicate that the expression profiles of a large number of genes involved in various plant physiological processes are significantly altered in response to potassium deficiency, which can result in physiological and morphological changes in tobacco plants.

Comparative phylogenetic analysis of genome-wide Mlo gene family members from Glycine max and Arabidopsis thaliana

Powdery mildew locus O (Mlo) gene family is one of the largest seven transmembrane protein-encoding gene families. The Mlo proteins act as negative regulators of powdery mildew resistance and a loss-of-function mutation in Mlo is known to confer broad-spectrum resistance to powdery mildew. In addition, the Mlo gene family members are known to participate in various developmental and biotic and abiotic stress response-related pathways. Therefore, a genome-wide similarity search using the characterized Mlo protein sequences of Arabidopsis thaliana was carried out to identify putative Mlo genes in soybean (Glycine max) genome. This search identified 39 Mlo domain containing protein-encoding genes that were distributed on 15 of the 20 G. max chromosomes. The putative promoter regions of these Mlo genes contained response elements for different external stimuli, including different hormones and abiotic stresses. Of the 39 GmMlo proteins, 35 were rich (8.7-13.1 %) in leucine, while five were serine-rich (9.2-11.9 %). Furthermore, all the GmMlo members were localized in the plasma membrane. Phylogenetic analysis of the GmMlo and the AtMlo proteins classified them into three main clusters, and the cluster I comprised two sub-clusters. Multiple sequence alignment visualized the location of seven transmembrane domains, and a conserved CaM-binding domain. Some of the GmMlo proteins (GmMlo10, 20, 22, 23, 32, 36, 37) contained less than seven transmembrane domains. The motif analysis yielded 27 motifs; out of these, motif 2, the only motif present in all the GmMlos, was highly conserved and three amino acid residues were essentially invariant. Five of the GmMlo members were much smaller in size; presumably they originated through deletion following a gene duplication event. The presence of a large number of GmMlo members in the G. max genome may be due to its paleopolyploid nature and the large genome size as compared to that of Arabidopsis. The findings of this study may further help in characterization and isolation of individual GmMlo members.

Genetic and cytological analysis of a novel type of low temperature-dependent intrasubspecific hybrid weakness in rice

Hybrid weakness (HW) is an important postzygotic isolation which occurs in both intra- and inter-specific crosses. In this study, we described a novel low temperature-dependent intrasubspecific hybrid weakness in the F₁ plants derived from the cross between two indica rice varieties Taifeng A and V1134. HW plants showed growth retardation, reduced panicle number and pale green leaves with chlorotic spots. Cytological assay showed that there were reduced cell numbers, larger intercellular spaces, thicker cell walls, and abnormal development of chloroplast and mitochondria in the mature leaves from HW F₁ plants in comparison with that from both of the parental lines. Genetic analysis revealed that HW was controlled by two complementary dominant genes Hw3 from V1134 and Hw4 from Taifeng A. Hw3 was mapped in a 136 kb interval between the markers Indel1118 and Indel1117 on chromosome 11, and Hw4 was mapped in the region of about 15 cM between RM182 and RM505 on chromosome 7, respectively. RT-PCR analysis revealed that only LOC_Os11g44310, encoding a putative calmodulin-binding protein (OsCaMBP), differentially expressed among Taifeng A, V1134 and their HW F₁. No recombinant was detected using the markers designed based on the sequence of LOC_Os11g44310 in the BC₁F₂ (Taifeng A//Taifeng A/V1134) population. Hence, LOC_Os11g44310 was probably the candidate gene of Hw3. Gene amplification suggested that LOC_Os11g44310 was present in V1134 and absent in Taifeng A. BLAST search revealed that LOC_Os11g44310 had one copy in the japonica genomic sequence of Nipponbare, and no homologous sequence in the indica reference sequence of 9311. Our results indicate that Hw3 is a novel gene for inducing hybrid weakness in rice.

Root transcriptional responses of two melon genotypes with contrasting resistance to Monosporascus cannonballus (Pollack et Uecker) infection

BACKGROUND

Monosporascus cannonballus is the main causal agent of melon vine decline disease. Several studies have been carried out mainly focused on the study of the penetration of this pathogen into melon roots, the evaluation of symptoms severity on infected roots, and screening assays for breeding programs. However, a detailed molecular view on the early interaction between M. cannonballus and melon roots in either susceptible or resistant genotypes is lacking. In the present study, we used a melon oligo-based microarray to investigate the gene expression responses of two melon genotypes, Cucumis melo 'Piel de sapo' ('PS') and C. melo 'Pat 81', with contrasting resistance to the disease. This study was carried out at 1 and 3 days after infection (DPI) by M. cannonballus.

RESULTS

Our results indicate a dissimilar behavior of the susceptible vs. the resistant genotypes from 1 to 3 DPI. 'PS' responded with a more rapid infection response than 'Pat 81' at 1 DPI. At 3 DPI the total number of differentially expressed genes identified in 'PS' declined from 451 to 359, while the total number of differentially expressed transcripts in 'Pat 81' increased from 187 to 849. Several deregulated transcripts coded for components of Ca2+ and jasmonic acid (JA) signalling pathways, as well as for other proteins related to defence mechanisms. Transcriptional differences in the activation of the JA-mediated response in 'Pat 81' compared to 'PS' suggested that JA response might be partially responsible for their observed differences in resistance.

CONCLUSIONS

As a result of this study we have identified for the first time a set of candidate genes involved in the root response to the infection of the pathogen causing melon vine decline. This information is useful for understanding the disease progression and resistance mechanisms few days after inoculation.

Experimental and computational approaches for the study of calmodulin interactions

Ca(2+), a universal messenger in eukaryotes, plays a major role in signaling pathways that control many growth and developmental processes in plants as well as their responses to various biotic and abiotic stresses. Cellular changes in Ca(2+) in response to diverse signals are recognized by protein sensors that either have their activity modulated or that interact with other proteins and modulate their activity. Calmodulins (CaMs) and CaM-like proteins (CMLs) are Ca(2+) sensors that have no enzymatic activity of their own but upon binding Ca(2+) interact and modulate the activity of other proteins involved in a large number of plant processes. Protein-protein interactions play a key role in Ca(2+)/CaM-mediated in signaling pathways. In this review, using CaM as an example, we discuss various experimental approaches and computational tools to identify protein-protein interactions. During the last two decades hundreds of CaM-binding proteins in plants have been identified using a variety of approaches ranging from simple screening of expression libraries with labeled CaM to high-throughput screens using protein chips. However, the high-throughput methods have not been applied to the entire proteome of any plant system. Nevertheless, the data provided by these screens allows the development of computational tools to predict CaM-interacting proteins. Using all known binding sites of CaM, we developed a computational method that predicted over 700 high confidence CaM interactors in the Arabidopsis proteome. Most (>600) of these are not known to bind calmodulin, suggesting that there are likely many more CaM targets than previously known. Functional analyses of some of the experimentally identified Ca(2+) sensor target proteins have uncovered their precise role in Ca(2+)-mediated processes. Further studies on identifying novel targets of CaM and CMLs and generating their interaction network - "calcium sensor interactome" - will help us in understanding how Ca(2+) regulates a myriad of cellular and physiological processes.

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.

Identification of differentially expressed proteins in poplar leaves induced by Marssonina brunnea f. sp. Multigermtubi

Black spot disease in poplar is a disease of the leaf caused by fungus. The major pathogen is Marssonina brunnea f. sp. multigermtubi. To date, little is known about the molecular mechanism of poplar (M. brunnea) interaction. In order to identify the proteins related to disease resistance and understand its molecular basis, the clone "NL895" (P. euramericana CL"NL895"), which is highly resistant to M. brunnea f. sp. multigermtubi, was used in this study. We used two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and mass spectrometry (MS) to identify the proteins in poplar leaves that were differentially expressed in response to black spot disease pathogen, M. brunnea f. sp. multigermtubi. Proteins extracted from poplar leaves at 0, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h after pathogen-inoculation were separated by 2-DE. About 500 reproducible protein spots were detected, of which 40 protein spots displayed differential expression in levels and were subjected to Matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) followed by database searching. According to the function, the identified proteins were sorted into five categories, that is, protein synthesis, metabolism, defense response and unclassified proteins.

Arabidopsis CaM binding protein CBP60g contributes to MAMP-induced SA accumulation and is involved in disease resistance against Pseudomonas syringae

Salicylic acid (SA)-induced defense responses are important factors during effector triggered immunity and microbe-associated molecular pattern (MAMP)-induced immunity in plants. This article presents evidence that a member of the Arabidopsis CBP60 gene family, CBP60g, contributes to MAMP-triggered SA accumulation. CBP60g is inducible by both pathogen and MAMP treatments. Pseudomonas syringae growth is enhanced in cbp60g mutants. Expression profiles of a cbp60g mutant after MAMP treatment are similar to those of sid2 and pad4, suggesting a defect in SA signaling. Accordingly, cbp60g mutants accumulate less SA when treated with the MAMP flg22 or a P. syringae hrcC strain that activates MAMP signaling. MAMP-induced production of reactive oxygen species and callose deposition are unaffected in cbp60g mutants. CBP60g is a calmodulin-binding protein with a calmodulin-binding domain located near the N-terminus. Calmodulin binding is dependent on Ca²⁺. Mutations in CBP60g that abolish calmodulin binding prevent complementation of the SA production and bacterial growth defects of cbp60g mutants, indicating that calmodulin binding is essential for the function of CBP60g in defense signaling. These studies show that CBP60g constitutes a Ca²⁺ link between MAMP recognition and SA accumulation that is important for resistance to P. syringae.

Plants respond to attack by microbial pathogens through activation of a battery of defense responses. This activation is controlled by a complex signaling network. Disease resistance depends on rapid activation of plant defense responses. Improved understanding of the signaling network may lead to development of crops with improved disease resistance. Here, we used the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana to study activation of defense responses after infection by a bacterial pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae. We found that a gene not previously known to function in defense signaling, CBP60g, is needed for resistance. By studying plants with mutations in this gene, we found that CBP60g contributes to the increases in levels of the important signaling molecule, salicylic acid, that occur after pathogen recognition. We also found that the CBP60g protein binds calmodulin, a protein that mediates calcium regulation of protein function. Calmodulin binding was necessary for the function of CBP60g in disease resistance. We conclude that CBP60g is a protein that mediates calmodulin-dependent activation of salicylic acid signaling in response to pathogen recognition.

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.

Calcium in plant defence-signalling pathways

In plant cells, the calcium ion is a ubiquitous intracellular second messenger involved in numerous signalling pathways. Variations in the cytosolic concentration of Ca2+ ([Ca2+]cyt) couple a large array of signals and responses. Here we concentrate on calcium signalling in plant defence responses, particularly on the generation of the calcium signal and downstream calcium-dependent events participating in the establishment of defence responses with special reference to calcium-binding proteins.

Vitamin B1 functions as an activator of plant disease resistance

Vitamin B(1) (thiamine) is an essential nutrient for humans. Vitamin B(1) deficiency causes beriberi, which disturbs the central nervous and circulatory systems. In countries in which rice (Oryza sativa) is a major food, thiamine deficiency is prevalent because polishing of rice removes most of the thiamine in the grain. We demonstrate here that thiamine, in addition to its nutritional value, induces systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in plants. Thiamine-treated rice, Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), and vegetable crop plants showed resistance to fungal, bacterial, and viral infections. Thiamine treatment induces the transient expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes in rice and other plants. In addition, thiamine treatment potentiates stronger and more rapid PR gene expression and the up-regulation of protein kinase C activity. The effects of thiamine on disease resistance and defense-related gene expression mobilize systemically throughout the plant and last for more than 15 d after treatment. Treatment of Arabidopsis ecotype Columbia-0 plants with thiamine resulted in the activation of PR-1 but not PDF1.2. Furthermore, thiamine prevented bacterial infection in Arabidopsis mutants insensitive to jasmonic acid or ethylene but not in mutants impaired in the SAR transduction pathway. These results clearly demonstrate that thiamine induces SAR in plants through the salicylic acid and Ca(2+)-related signaling pathways. The findings provide a novel paradigm for developing alternative strategies for the control of plant diseases.

Plant-specific calmodulin-binding proteins

Calmodulin CaM is the most prominent Ca2+ transducer in eukaryotic cells, regulating the activity of numerous proteins with diverse cellular functions. Many features of CaM and its downstream targets are similar in plants and other eukaryotes. However, plants possess a unique set of CaM-related proteins, and several unique CaM target proteins. This review discusses recent progress in identifying plant-specific CaM-binding proteins and their roles in response to biotic and abiotic stresses and development. The review also addresses aspects emerging from recent structural studies of CaM interactions with target proteins relevant to plants.