Identification and characterization of tomato mutants affected in the Rx-mediated resistance to PVX isolates

Evidence for different, host-dependent functioning of Rx against both wild-type and recombinant Pepino mosaic virus

The potato Rx gene provides resistance against Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV) in tomato; however, recent work has suggested that the resistance conferred may not be durable. Resistance breaking can probably be attributed to multiple mutations observed to accumulate in the capsid protein (CP) region of resistance-breaking isolates, but this has not been confirmed through directed manipulation of an infectious PepMV clone. The present work describes the introduction of two specific mutations, A-T78 and A-T114, into the coat protein minimal elicitor region of an Rx-controlled PepMV isolate of the EU genotype. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and phenotypic evaluation were conducted in three Rx-expressing and wild-type solanaceous hosts: Nicotiana benthamiana, Nicotiana tabacum and Solanum lycopersicum. Mutation A-T78 alone was sufficient to confer Rx-breaking activity in N. benthamiana and S. lycopersicum, whereas mutation A-T114 was found to be associated, in most cases, with a secondary A-D100 mutation to break Rx-mediated resistance in S. lycopersicum. These results suggest that the need for a second, fitness-restoring mutation may be dependent on the PepMV mutant under consideration. Both mutations conferred Rx breaking in S. lycopersicum, whereas neither conferred Rx breaking in N. tabacum and only A-T78 allowed Rx breaking in N. benthamiana, suggesting that Rx may function in a different manner depending on the genetic background in which it is present.

Culture of the Tomato Micro-Tom Cultivar in Greenhouse

Micro-Tom tomato cultivar is particularly adapted to the development of genomic approaches in tomato. Here, we describe the culture of this plant in greenhouse, including climate regulation, seed sowing and watering, vegetative development, plant maintenance, including treatment of phytosanitary problems, and reproductive development.

The Ectopic Expression of CaRop1 Modulates the Response of Tobacco Plants to Ralstonia solanacearum and Aphids

In plants, Rho-related GTPases (Rops) are versatile molecular switches that regulate various biological processes, although their exact roles are not fully understood. Herein, we provide evidence that the ectopic expression of a Rop derived from Capsicum annuum, designated CaRop1, in tobacco plants modulates the response of these plants to Ralstonia solanacearum or aphid attack. The deduced amino acid sequence of CaRop1 harbors a conserved Rho domain and is highly homologous to Rops of other plant species. Transient expression of a CaRop1-GFP fusion protein in Nicotiana benthamiana leaf epidermal cells revealed localization of the GFP signal to the plasma membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus. Overexpression (OE) of the wild-type CaRop1 or its dominant-negative mutant (DN-CaRop1) conferred substantial resistance to R. solanacearum infection and aphid attack, and this effect was accompanied by enhanced transcriptional expression of the hypersensitive-reaction marker gene HSR201; the jasmonic acid (JA)-responsive PR1b and LOX1; the insect resistance-associated NtPI-I, NtPI-II, and NtTPI; the ethylene (ET) production-associated NtACS1; and NPK1, a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKK) that interferes with N-, Bs2-, and Rx-mediated disease resistance. In contrast, OE of the constitutively active mutant of CaRop1(CA-CaRop1) enhanced susceptibility of the transgenic tobacco plants to R. solanacearum infection and aphid attack and downregulated or sustained the expression of HSR201, PR1b, NPK1, NtACS1, NtPI-I, NtPI-II, and NtTPI. These results collectively suggest that CaRop1 acts as a signaling switch in the crosstalk between Solanaceaes's response to R. solanacearum infection and aphid attack possibly via JA/ET-mediated signaling machinery.

The coat protein of Alternanthera mosaic virus is the elicitor of a temperature-sensitive systemic necrosis in Nicotiana benthamiana, and interacts with a host boron transporter protein

Different isolates of Alternanthera mosaic virus (AltMV; Potexvirus), including four infectious clones derived from AltMV-SP, induce distinct systemic symptoms in Nicotiana benthamiana. Virus accumulation was enhanced at 15 °C compared to 25 °C; severe clone AltMV 3-7 induced systemic necrosis (SN) and plant death at 15 °C. No interaction with potexvirus resistance gene Rx was detected, although SN was ablated by silencing of SGT1, as for other cases of potexvirus-induced necrosis. Substitution of AltMV 3-7 coat protein (CPSP) with that from AltMV-Po (CP(Po)) eliminated SN at 15 °C, and ameliorated symptoms in Alternanthera dentata and soybean. Substitution of only two residues from CP(Po) [either MN(13,14)ID or LA(76,77)IS] efficiently ablated SN in N. benthamiana. CPSP but not CP(Po) interacted with Arabidopsis boron transporter protein AtBOR1 by yeast two-hybrid assay; N. benthamiana homolog NbBOR1 interacted more strongly with CPSP than CP(Po) in bimolecular fluorescence complementation, and may affect recognition of CP as an elicitor of SN.