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Zelman AK, Ma Y, Berkowitz GA. Pathogen elicitor peptide (pep), systemin, and their receptors in tomato: sequence analysis sheds light on standing disagreements about biotic stress signaling components. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 24:728. [PMID: 39080569 PMCID: PMC11289955 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-024-05403-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
Peps are endogenous damage-associated polypeptides that evoke defense responses in plants. Like other damage-associated molecular patterns, Pep signals are transduced by receptors. PEPRs are the receptors that transduce Pep danger signals. This paper identifies new putative Peps in the Solanaceae (including Solanum spp., Nicotiana spp., and Petunia spp.) and Coffea and explores their properties. Using these newly identified Peps we derive sequence logos that present a refinement of the current understanding of the importance of specific residues in the Pep signaling molecules in Solanaceae, including several arginines, prolines that restrict peptide's conformations, and C-terminal asparagine. We examine the degree of disorder in Pep, which is likely important to the mechanism of Pep perception. This work also calls into question some of the evolutionary relationships between Peps in Solanaceae and specific Arabidopsis Peps published in previous literature, culminating in a conclusion that SlPep should not be named SlPep6 due to the lack of conservation of protein sequences in AtPROPEP6 and SlPROPEP, and that SlPep probably does not have two receptors in tomato, based on phylogenetic analysis. Our analyses advance understanding of the Pep signaling system in Solanaceae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Kira Zelman
- Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
| | - Yi Ma
- Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
| | - Gerald Alan Berkowitz
- Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA.
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Zhang C, Wang D, Li Y, Wang Z, Wu Z, Zhang Q, Jia H, Dong X, Qi L, Shi J, Shang Z. Gibberellin Positively Regulates Tomato Resistance to Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV). PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:1277. [PMID: 38732492 PMCID: PMC11085062 DOI: 10.3390/plants13091277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 04/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is a prominent viral pathogen that adversely affects tomato plants. Effective strategies for mitigating the impact of TYLCV include isolating tomato plants from the whitefly, which is the vector of the virus, and utilizing transgenic lines that are resistant to the virus. In our preliminary investigations, we observed that the use of growth retardants increased the rate of TYLCV infection and intensified the damage to the tomato plants, suggesting a potential involvement of gibberellic acid (GA) in the conferring of resistance to TYLCV. In this study, we employed an infectious clone of TYLCV to inoculate tomato plants, which resulted in leaf curling and growth inhibition. Remarkably, this inoculation also led to the accumulation of GA3 and several other phytohormones. Subsequent treatment with GA3 effectively alleviated the TYLCV-induced leaf curling and growth inhibition, reduced TYLCV abundance in the leaves, enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzymes, and lowered the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in the leaves. Conversely, the treatment with PP333 exacerbated TYLCV-induced leaf curling and growth suppression, increased TYLCV abundance, decreased antioxidant enzyme activity, and elevated ROS levels in the leaves. The analysis of the gene expression profiles revealed that GA3 up-regulated the genes associated with disease resistance, such as WRKYs, NACs, MYBs, Cyt P450s, and ERFs, while it down-regulated the DELLA protein, a key agent in GA signaling. In contrast, PP333 induced gene expression changes that were the opposite of those caused by the GA3 treatment. These findings suggest that GA plays an essential role in the tomato's defense response against TYLCV and acts as a positive regulator of ROS scavenging and the expression of resistance-related genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenwei Zhang
- Shijiazhuang Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050041, China; (C.Z.); (D.W.); (Y.L.); (Z.W.); (Q.Z.); (H.J.); (L.Q.)
- Hebei Collaboration Innovation Center for Cell Signaling and Environmental Adaptation, Hebei Research Center of the Basic Discipline of Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
- Modern Agricultural Science and Technology Laboratory, Shijiazhuang University, Shijiazhuang 050035, China
| | - Dandan Wang
- Shijiazhuang Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050041, China; (C.Z.); (D.W.); (Y.L.); (Z.W.); (Q.Z.); (H.J.); (L.Q.)
| | - Yan Li
- Shijiazhuang Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050041, China; (C.Z.); (D.W.); (Y.L.); (Z.W.); (Q.Z.); (H.J.); (L.Q.)
| | - Zifan Wang
- Shijiazhuang Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050041, China; (C.Z.); (D.W.); (Y.L.); (Z.W.); (Q.Z.); (H.J.); (L.Q.)
| | - Zhiming Wu
- Institute of Cash Crops, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050031, China;
| | - Qingyin Zhang
- Shijiazhuang Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050041, China; (C.Z.); (D.W.); (Y.L.); (Z.W.); (Q.Z.); (H.J.); (L.Q.)
| | - Hongwei Jia
- Shijiazhuang Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050041, China; (C.Z.); (D.W.); (Y.L.); (Z.W.); (Q.Z.); (H.J.); (L.Q.)
- College of Agricultural and Forestry Technology, Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou 075000, China;
| | - Xiaoxu Dong
- College of Agricultural and Forestry Technology, Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou 075000, China;
| | - Lianfen Qi
- Shijiazhuang Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050041, China; (C.Z.); (D.W.); (Y.L.); (Z.W.); (Q.Z.); (H.J.); (L.Q.)
| | - Jianhua Shi
- Shijiazhuang Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050041, China; (C.Z.); (D.W.); (Y.L.); (Z.W.); (Q.Z.); (H.J.); (L.Q.)
| | - Zhonglin Shang
- Hebei Collaboration Innovation Center for Cell Signaling and Environmental Adaptation, Hebei Research Center of the Basic Discipline of Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
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Skripnikov A. Bioassays for Identifying and Characterizing Plant Regulatory Peptides. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1795. [PMID: 38136666 PMCID: PMC10741408 DOI: 10.3390/biom13121795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Plant peptides are a new frontier in plant biology, owing to their key regulatory roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses. Synthetic peptides are promising biological agents that can be used to improve crop growth and protection in an environmentally sustainable manner. Plant regulatory peptides identified in pioneering research, including systemin, PSK, HypSys, RALPH, AtPep1, CLV3, TDIF, CLE, and RGF/GLV/CLEL, hold promise for crop improvement as potent regulators of plant growth and defense. Mass spectrometry and bioinformatics are greatly facilitating the discovery and identification of new plant peptides. The biological functions of most novel plant peptides remain to be elucidated. Bioassays are an essential part in studying the biological activity of identified and putative plant peptides. Root growth assays and cultivated plant cell cultures are widely used to evaluate the regulatory potential of plant peptides during growth, differentiation, and stress reactions. These bioassays can be used as universal approaches for screening peptides from different plant species. Development of high-throughput bioassays can facilitate the screening of large numbers of identified and putative plant peptides, which have recently been discovered but remain uncharacterized for biological activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Skripnikov
- Shemyakin—Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Miklukho-Maklaya St. 16/10, 119997 Moscow, Russia;
- Department of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia
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Zelman AK, Berkowitz GA. Plant Elicitor Peptide (Pep) Signaling and Pathogen Defense in Tomato. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:2856. [PMID: 37571010 PMCID: PMC10421127 DOI: 10.3390/plants12152856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
Endogenous signaling compounds are intermediaries in signaling pathways that plants use to respond to the perception of harmful and beneficial organisms. The plant elicitor peptides (Peps) of plants are important endogenous signaling molecules that induce elements of defense responses such as hormone production, increased expression of defensive genes, the activation of phosphorelays, and the induction of cell secondary messenger synthesis. The processes by which Peps confer resistance to pathogenic microorganisms have been extensively studied in Arabidopsis but are less known in crop plants. Tomato and many other solanaceous plants have an endogenous signaling polypeptide, systemin, that is involved in the defense against herbivorous insects and necrotrophic pathogens. This paper explores the similarity of the effects and chemical properties of Pep and systemin in tomato. Additionally, the relationship of the Pep receptor and systemin receptors is explored, and the identification of a second tomato Pep receptor in the literature is called into question. We suggest future directions for research on Pep signaling in solanaceous crops during interactions with microbes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gerald Alan Berkowitz
- Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA;
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Malambane G, Madumane K, Sewelo LT, Batlang U. Drought stress tolerance mechanisms and their potential common indicators to salinity, insights from the wild watermelon (Citrullus lanatus): A review. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 13:1074395. [PMID: 36815012 PMCID: PMC9939662 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1074395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Climate change has escalated the effect of drought on crop production as it has negatively altered the environmental condition. Wild watermelon grows abundantly in the Kgalagadi desert even though the environment is characterized by minimal rainfall, high temperatures and intense sunshine during growing season. This area is also characterized by sandy soils with low water holding capacity, thus bringing about drought stress. Drought stress affects crop productivity through its effects on development and physiological functions as dictated by molecular responses. Not only one or two physiological process or genes are responsible for drought tolerance, but a combination of various factors do work together to aid crop tolerance mechanism. Various studies have shown that wild watermelon possess superior qualities that aid its survival in unfavorable conditions. These mechanisms include resilient root growth, timely stomatal closure, chlorophyll fluorescence quenching under water deficit as key physiological responses. At biochemical and molecular level, the crop responds through citrulline accumulation and expression of genes associated with drought tolerance in this species and other plants. Previous salinity stress studies involving other plants have identified citrulline accumulation and expression of some of these genes (chloroplast APX, Type-2 metallothionein), to be associated with tolerance. Emerging evidence indicates that the upstream of functional genes are the transcription factor that regulates drought and salinity stress responses as well as adaptation. In this review we discuss the drought tolerance mechanisms in watermelons and some of its common indicators to salinity at physiological, biochemical and molecular level.
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Zhou Y, Zhai H, Xing S, Wei Z, He S, Zhang H, Gao S, Zhao N, Liu Q. A novel small open reading frame gene, IbEGF, enhances drought tolerance in transgenic sweet potato. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:965069. [PMID: 36388596 PMCID: PMC9660231 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.965069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Small open reading frames (sORFs) can encode functional polypeptides or act as cis-translational regulators in stress responses in eukaryotes. Their number and potential importance have only recently become clear in plants. In this study, we identified a novel sORF gene in sweet potato, IbEGF, which encoded the 83-amino acid polypeptide containing an EGF_CA domain. The expression of IbEGF was induced by PEG6000, H2O2, abscisic acid (ABA), methyl-jasmonate (MeJA) and brassinosteroid (BR). The IbEGF protein was localized to the nucleus and cell membrane. Under drought stress, overexpression of IbEGF enhanced drought tolerance, promoted the accumulation of ABA, MeJA, BR and proline and upregulated the genes encoding superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) in transgenic sweet potato. The IbEGF protein was found to interact with IbCOP9-5α, a regulator in the phytohormone signalling pathways. These results suggest that IbEGF interacting with IbCOP9-5α enhances drought tolerance by regulating phytohormone signalling pathways, increasing proline accumulation and further activating reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging system in transgenic sweet potato.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanyuan Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Sweetpotato Biology and Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/ Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement/Laboratory of Crop Heterosis and Utilization, Ministry of Education, College of Agronomy & Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Hong Zhai
- Key Laboratory of Sweetpotato Biology and Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/ Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement/Laboratory of Crop Heterosis and Utilization, Ministry of Education, College of Agronomy & Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Shihan Xing
- Key Laboratory of Sweetpotato Biology and Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/ Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement/Laboratory of Crop Heterosis and Utilization, Ministry of Education, College of Agronomy & Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Zihao Wei
- Key Laboratory of Sweetpotato Biology and Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/ Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement/Laboratory of Crop Heterosis and Utilization, Ministry of Education, College of Agronomy & Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Shaozhen He
- Key Laboratory of Sweetpotato Biology and Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/ Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement/Laboratory of Crop Heterosis and Utilization, Ministry of Education, College of Agronomy & Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Huan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Sweetpotato Biology and Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/ Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement/Laboratory of Crop Heterosis and Utilization, Ministry of Education, College of Agronomy & Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Shaopei Gao
- Key Laboratory of Sweetpotato Biology and Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/ Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement/Laboratory of Crop Heterosis and Utilization, Ministry of Education, College of Agronomy & Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Ning Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Sweetpotato Biology and Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/ Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement/Laboratory of Crop Heterosis and Utilization, Ministry of Education, College of Agronomy & Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Qingchang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Sweetpotato Biology and Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/ Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement/Laboratory of Crop Heterosis and Utilization, Ministry of Education, College of Agronomy & Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
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