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Li S, Zhao Y, Wu P, Grierson D, Gao L. Ripening and rot: How ripening processes influence disease susceptibility in fleshy fruits. JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 39016673 DOI: 10.1111/jipb.13739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
Fleshy fruits become more susceptible to pathogen infection when they ripen; for example, changes in cell wall properties related to softening make it easier for pathogens to infect fruits. The need for high-quality fruit has driven extensive research on improving pathogen resistance in important fruit crops such as tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). In this review, we summarize current progress in understanding how changes in fruit properties during ripening affect infection by pathogens. These changes affect physical barriers that limit pathogen entry, such as the fruit epidermis and its cuticle, along with other defenses that limit pathogen growth, such as preformed and induced defense compounds. The plant immune system also protects ripening fruit by recognizing pathogens and initiating defense responses involving reactive oxygen species production, mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling cascades, and jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, ethylene, and abscisic acid signaling. These phytohormones regulate an intricate web of transcription factors (TFs) that activate resistance mechanisms, including the expression of pathogenesis-related genes. In tomato, ripening regulators, such as RIPENING INHIBITOR and NON_RIPENING, not only regulate ripening but also influence fruit defenses against pathogens. Moreover, members of the ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR (ERF) family play pivotal and distinct roles in ripening and defense, with different members being regulated by different phytohormones. We also discuss the interaction of ripening-related and defense-related TFs with the Mediator transcription complex. As the ripening processes in climacteric and non-climacteric fruits share many similarities, these processes have broad applications across fruiting crops. Further research on the individual contributions of ERFs and other TFs will inform efforts to diminish disease susceptibility in ripe fruit, satisfy the growing demand for high-quality fruit and decrease food waste and related economic losses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Yu Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Pan Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Donald Grierson
- Plant and Crop Sciences Division, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Lei Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan, 430070, China
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Khojasteh M, Darzi Ramandi H, Taghavi SM, Taheri A, Rahmanzadeh A, Chen G, Foolad MR, Osdaghi E. Unraveling the genetic basis of quantitative resistance to diseases in tomato: a meta-QTL analysis and mining of transcript profiles. PLANT CELL REPORTS 2024; 43:184. [PMID: 38951262 DOI: 10.1007/s00299-024-03268-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024]
Abstract
KEY MESSAGE Whole-genome QTL mining and meta-analysis in tomato for resistance to bacterial and fungal diseases identified 73 meta-QTL regions with significantly refined/reduced confidence intervals. Tomato production is affected by a range of biotic stressors, causing yield losses and quality reductions. While sources of genetic resistance to many tomato diseases have been identified and characterized, stability of the resistance genes or quantitative trait loci (QTLs) across the resources has not been determined. Here, we examined 491 QTLs previously reported for resistance to tomato diseases in 40 independent studies and 54 unique mapping populations. We identified 29 meta-QTLs (MQTLs) for resistance to bacterial pathogens and 44 MQTLs for resistance to fungal pathogens, and were able to reduce the average confidence interval (CI) of the QTLs by 4.1-fold and 6.7-fold, respectively, compared to the average CI of the original QTLs. The corresponding physical length of the CIs of MQTLs ranged from 56 kb to 6.37 Mb, with a median of 921 kb, of which 27% had a CI lower than 500 kb and 53% had a CI lower than 1 Mb. Comparison of defense responses between tomato and Arabidopsis highlighted 73 orthologous genes in the MQTL regions, which were putatively determined to be involved in defense against bacterial and fungal diseases. Intriguingly, multiple genes were identified in some MQTL regions that are implicated in plant defense responses, including PR-P2, NDR1, PDF1.2, Pip1, SNI1, PTI5, NSL1, DND1, CAD1, SlACO, DAD1, SlPAL, Ph-3, EDS5/SID1, CHI-B/PR-3, Ph-5, ETR1, WRKY29, and WRKY25. Further, we identified a number of candidate resistance genes in the MQTL regions that can be useful for both marker/gene-assisted breeding as well as cloning and genetic transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moein Khojasteh
- Department of Plant Protection, School of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, 71441-65186, Iran
- School of Agriculture and Biology/State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
- Department of Plant Protection, University of Tehran, Karaj, 31587-77871, Iran
| | - Hadi Darzi Ramandi
- Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, P.O. Box 657833131, Hamedan, Iran
- Department of Molecular Physiology, Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
| | - S Mohsen Taghavi
- Department of Plant Protection, School of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, 71441-65186, Iran.
| | - Ayat Taheri
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, Plant Biotechnology Research Center, Fudan-SJTU-Nottingham Plant Biotechnology R&D Center, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Asma Rahmanzadeh
- Department of Plant Protection, School of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, 71441-65186, Iran
- Department of Plant Protection, University of Tehran, Karaj, 31587-77871, Iran
| | - Gongyou Chen
- School of Agriculture and Biology/State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Majid R Foolad
- Department of Plant Science and the Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Plant Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
| | - Ebrahim Osdaghi
- Department of Plant Protection, University of Tehran, Karaj, 31587-77871, Iran.
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Hu Z, Wang X, Wei L, Wansee S, Rabbani Nasab H, Chen L, Kang Z, Wang J. TaAP2-10, an AP2/ERF transcription factor, contributes to wheat resistance against stripe rust. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 288:154078. [PMID: 37657304 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2023.154078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
The AP2/ERF TF (transcription factor) family is involved in regulating plant responses to various biotic and abiotic stresses. Nevertheless, understanding of the function of AP2/ERF TFs in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) resistance against the obligate biotrophic stripe rust fungus (Puccinia striiformis f. sp tritici, Pst) remains limited. From a wheat-Pst incompatible interaction cDNA library, the transcript of TaAP2-10 was identified to be significantly induced during Pst infection. TaAP2-10, encodes an AP2 TF with two typical AP2-binding domains. There are three homologues of TaAP2-10 in the wheat genome, located on chromosome 6A, 6B and 6D. TaAP2-10 is localized in the nucleus of wheat protoplasts. A transactivation assay in yeast revealed that TaAP2-10 had transcriptional activation activity that was dependent on its C-terminal region. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analyses verified that the expression of TaAP2-10 was specifically upregulated by avirulent Pst infection but not by virulent Pst, suggesting its role in wheat resistance to Pst. Furthermore, TaAP2-10 is also induced by abiotic stresses and hormone treatments, particularly under PEG4000 and abscisic acid (ABA) treatments, indicating its potential role in facilitating wheat adaptation to environmental stresses. Silencing TaAP2-10 by barley stripe mosaic virus-induced gene silencing (BSMV-VIGS) significantly reduced wheat resistance against Pst, resulting in a decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst, and promoted Pst growth and development. These findings suggest that TaAP2-10, as a nuclear-localized transcription factor, positively regulates wheat resistance to Pst.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeyu Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Xiaojie Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Lai Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Somying Wansee
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Hojjatollah Rabbani Nasab
- Plant Protection Research Department, Agricultural and Natural Resource Research and Education Centre of Golestan province, AREEO, Gorgan, Iran
| | - Liang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Zhengsheng Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Jianfeng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China.
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Reboledo G, Agorio A, Vignale L, Alvarez A, Ponce De León I. The moss-specific transcription factor PpERF24 positively modulates immunity against fungal pathogens in Physcomitrium patens. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:908682. [PMID: 36186018 PMCID: PMC9520294 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.908682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
APETALA2/ethylene response factors (AP2/ERFs) transcription factors (TFs) have greatly expanded in land plants compared to algae. In angiosperms, AP2/ERFs play important regulatory functions in plant defenses against pathogens and abiotic stress by controlling the expression of target genes. In the moss Physcomitrium patens, a high number of members of the ERF family are induced during pathogen infection, suggesting that they are important regulators in bryophyte immunity. In the current study, we analyzed a P. patens pathogen-inducible ERF family member designated as PpERF24. Orthologs of PpERF24 were only found in other mosses, while they were absent in the bryophytes Marchantia polymorpha and Anthoceros agrestis, the vascular plant Selaginella moellendorffii, and angiosperms. We show that PpERF24 belongs to a moss-specific clade with distinctive amino acids features in the AP2 domain that binds to the DNA. Interestingly, all P. patens members of the PpERF24 subclade are induced by fungal pathogens. The function of PpERF24 during plant immunity was assessed by an overexpression approach and transcriptomic analysis. Overexpressing lines showed increased defenses to infection by the fungal pathogens Botrytis cinerea and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides evidenced by reduced cellular damage and fungal biomass compared to wild-type plants. Transcriptomic and RT-qPCR analysis revealed that PpERF24 positively regulates the expression levels of defense genes involved in transcriptional regulation, phenylpropanoid and jasmonate pathways, oxidative burst and pathogenesis-related (PR) genes. These findings give novel insights into potential mechanism by which PpERF24 increases plant defenses against several pathogens by regulating important players in plant immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo Reboledo
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Astrid Agorio
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Lucía Vignale
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Alfonso Alvarez
- Laboratorio de Fisiología Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Inés Ponce De León
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay
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5
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Shen L, Zhao E, Liu R, Yang X. Transcriptome Analysis of Eggplant under Salt Stress: AP2/ERF Transcription Factor SmERF1 Acts as a Positive Regulator of Salt Stress. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 11:2205. [PMID: 36079586 PMCID: PMC9460861 DOI: 10.3390/plants11172205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Salt stress, a type of abiotic stress, impedes plant growth and development and strongly reduces crop yield. The molecular mechanisms underlying plant responses to salt stress remain largely unclear. To characterize the enriched pathways and genes that were affected during salt treatment, we performed mRNA sequencing (mRNA-seq) in eggplant roots and identified 8509 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the mock and 24 h under salt stress. Among these DEGs, we found that the AP2/ERF transcription factor family member SmERF1 belongs to the plant-pathogen interaction pathway, which was significantly upregulated by salt stress. We found that SmERF1 localizes in the nuclei with transcriptional activity. The results of the virus-induced gene silencing assay showed that SmERF1 silencing markedly enhanced the susceptibility of plants to salt stress, significantly downregulated the transcript expression levels of salt stress defense-related marker genes (9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase [SmNCED1, SmNCED2], Dehydrin [SmDHN1], and Dehydrin (SmDHNX1), and reduced the activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase. Silencing SmERF1 promoted the generation of H2O2 and proline. In addition, the transient overexpression of SmERF1 triggered intense cell death in eggplant leaves, as assessed by the darker diaminobenzidine and trypan blue staining. These findings suggest that SmERF1 acts as a positive regulator of eggplant response to salt stress. Hence, our results suggest that AP2/ERF transcription factors play a vital role in the response to salt stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Shen
- College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Enpeng Zhao
- College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Ruie Liu
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201600, China
| | - Xu Yang
- College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
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Li S, Wu P, Yu X, Cao J, Chen X, Gao L, Chen K, Grierson D. Contrasting Roles of Ethylene Response Factors in Pathogen Response and Ripening in Fleshy Fruit. Cells 2022; 11:cells11162484. [PMID: 36010560 PMCID: PMC9406635 DOI: 10.3390/cells11162484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Fleshy fruits are generally hard and unpalatable when unripe; however, as they mature, their quality is transformed by the complex and dynamic genetic and biochemical process of ripening, which affects all cell compartments. Ripening fruits are enriched with nutrients such as acids, sugars, vitamins, attractive volatiles and pigments and develop a pleasant taste and texture and become attractive to eat. Ripening also increases sensitivity to pathogens, and this presents a crucial problem for fruit postharvest transport and storage: how to enhance pathogen resistance while maintaining ripening quality. Fruit development and ripening involve many changes in gene expression regulated by transcription factors (TFs), some of which respond to hormones such as auxin, abscisic acid (ABA) and ethylene. Ethylene response factor (ERF) TFs regulate both fruit ripening and resistance to pathogen stresses. Different ERFs regulate fruit ripening and/or pathogen responses in both fleshy climacteric and non-climacteric fruits and function cooperatively or independently of other TFs. In this review, we summarize the current status of studies on ERFs that regulate fruit ripening and responses to infection by several fungal pathogens, including a systematic ERF transcriptome analysis of fungal grey mould infection of tomato caused by Botrytis cinerea. This deepening understanding of the function of ERFs in fruit ripening and pathogen responses may identify novel approaches for engineering transcriptional regulation to improve fruit quality and pathogen resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Li
- Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
- Correspondence: (S.L.); (D.G.)
| | - Pan Wu
- Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Xiaofen Yu
- Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Jinping Cao
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Zijinggang Campus, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Xia Chen
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Lei Gao
- Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Kunsong Chen
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Zijinggang Campus, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Integrative Biology, Zhejiang University, Zijinggang Campus, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Donald Grierson
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Zijinggang Campus, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Plant and Crop Sciences Division, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough LE12 5RD, UK
- Correspondence: (S.L.); (D.G.)
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Yue ZL, Tian ZJ, Zhang JW, Zhang SW, Li YD, Wu ZM. Overexpression of Lectin Receptor-Like Kinase 1 in Tomato Confers Resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Radicis-Lycopersici. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:836269. [PMID: 35185997 PMCID: PMC8850989 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.836269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The disease Fusarium crown and root rot (FCRR), caused mainly by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici (FORL), seriously affects commercial tomato [Solanum lycopersicum (Sl)] yields. However, the genes that offer resistance to FORL are limited and the mechanism of resistance to FCRR is poorly understood. Lectin receptor-like kinases (LecRKs) play critical roles in defensive responses and immunity in many plant species; however, whether specific LecRKs are involved in the response of tomato plants to FORL is unclear. Here, we report that the expression of SlLecRK1/Solyc09g011070.1 was obviously induced by the infection of FORL. Biochemical and cell biological data revealed that SlLecRK1 is an active kinase that is located at the cell membrane, while real-time quantitative PCR data suggested that SlLecRK1 is mainly expressed in stems and roots. Genetic studies showed that overexpression of SlLecRK1 significantly improved the resistance of tomato plants to FORL but did not cause visible changes in plant growth and development compared with wild-type control plants. RNA-Seq data suggested that the positive effects of SlLecRK1 on the resistance of tomato plants to FORL occur mainly by triggering the expression of ethylene-responsive transcription factor (ERF) genes. Together, our findings not only identify a new target for the development of FCRR-resistant tomato varieties, they also demonstrate a molecular mechanism linking SlLecRK1 and ERFs in regulating the immune responses of tomato plants to FORL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi-Liang Yue
- Institute of Cash Crops, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Zhe-Juan Tian
- Institute of Cash Crops, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Jun-Wei Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Hebei Collaboration Innovation Center for Cell Signaling and Environmental Adaptation, Hebei Key Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Sheng-Wei Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Hebei Collaboration Innovation Center for Cell Signaling and Environmental Adaptation, Hebei Key Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Ya-Dong Li
- Institute of Cash Crops, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Zhi-Ming Wu
- Institute of Cash Crops, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
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Zang Z, Wang Z, Zhao F, Yang W, Ci J, Ren X, Jiang L, Yang W. Maize Ethylene Response Factor ZmERF061 Is Required for Resistance to Exserohilum turcicum. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:630413. [PMID: 33767717 PMCID: PMC7985547 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.630413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Plants have evolved a series of sophisticated defense mechanisms to help them from harm. Ethylene Response Factor (ERF) plays pivotal roles in plant immune reactions, however, its underlying mechanism in maize with a defensive function to Exserohilum turcicum (E. turcicum) remains poorly understood. Here, we isolated and characterized a novel ERF transcription factor, designated ZmERF061, from maize. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that ZmERF061 is a member of B3 group in the ERF family. qRT-PCR assays showed that the expression of ZmERF061 is significantly induced by E. turcicum inoculation and hormone treatments with salicylic acid (SA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA). ZmERF061 was proved to function as a nucleus-localized transcription activator and specifically bind to the GCC-box element. zmerf061 mutant lines resulted in enhanced susceptibility to E. turcicum via decreasing the expression of ZmPR10.1 and ZmPR10.2 and the activity of antioxidant defense system. zmerf061 mutant lines increased the expression of the SA signaling-related gene ZmPR1a and decreased the expression of the jasmonic acid (JA) signaling-related gene ZmLox1 after infection with E. turcicum. In addition, ZmERF061 could interact with ZmMPK6-1. These results suggested that ZmERF061 plays an important role in response to E. turcicum and may be useful in genetic engineering breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenyuan Zang
- College of Agriculture, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
| | - Zhen Wang
- College of Agriculture, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
| | - Fuxing Zhao
- College of Agriculture, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
| | - Wei Yang
- College of Agriculture, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
| | - Jiabin Ci
- College of Agriculture, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
| | - Xuejiao Ren
- College of Agriculture, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
| | - Liangyu Jiang
- College of Agriculture, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
- Crop Science Post-doctoral Station, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
- *Correspondence: Liangyu Jiang,
| | - Weiguang Yang
- College of Agriculture, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
- Weiguang Yang,
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