Suppression of the rice fatty-acid desaturase gene OsSSI2 enhances resistance to blast and leaf blight diseases in rice

Double-Stranded RNAs in Plant Protection Against Pathogenic Organisms and Viruses in Agriculture

Recent studies have shown that plants are able to express the artificial genes responsible for the synthesis of double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) and hairpin double-stranded RNAs (hpRNAs), as well as uptake and process exogenous dsRNAs and hpRNAs to suppress the gene expression of plant pathogenic viruses, fungi, or insects. Both endogenous and exogenous dsRNAs are processed into small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that can spread locally and systemically through the plant, enter pathogenic microorganisms, and induce RNA interference-mediated pathogen resistance in plants. There are numerous examples of the development of new biotechnological approaches to plant protection using transgenic plants and exogenous dsRNAs. This review summarizes new data on the use of transgenes and exogenous dsRNAs for the suppression of fungal and insect virulence genes, as well as viruses to increase the resistance of plants to these pathogens. We also analyzed the current ideas about the mechanisms of dsRNA processing and transport in plants.

Time-resolved dissection of the molecular crosstalk driving Fusarium head blight in wheat provides new insights into host susceptibility determinism

Fungal plant diseases are controlled by a complex molecular dialogue that involves pathogen effectors able to manipulate plant susceptibility factors at the earliest stages of the interaction. By probing the wheat-Fusarium graminearum pathosystem, we profiled the coregulations of the fungal and plant proteins shaping the molecular responses of a 96-hr-long infection's dynamics. Although no symptoms were yet detectable, fungal biomass swiftly increased along with an extremely diverse set of secreted proteins and candidate effectors supposed to target key plant organelles. Some showed to be early accumulated during the interaction or already present in spores, otherwise stored in germinating spores and detectable in an in vitro F. graminearum exudate. Wheat responses were swiftly set up and were evidenced before any visible symptom. Significant wheat protein abundance changes co-occurred along with the accumulation of putative secreted fungal proteins and predicted effectors. Regulated wheat proteins were closely connected to basal cellular processes occurring during spikelet ontogeny, and particular coregulation patterns were evidenced between chloroplast proteins and fungal proteins harbouring a predicted chloroplast transit peptide. The described plant and fungal coordinated responses provide a resourceful set of data and expand our understanding of the wheat-F. graminearum interaction.

Transcriptional Regulation of Stearoyl-Acyl Carrier Protein Desaturase Genes in Response to Abiotic Stresses Leads to Changes in the Unsaturated Fatty Acids Composition of Olive Mesocarp

In higher plants, the stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase (SAD) catalyzes the first desaturation step leading to oleic acid, which can be further desaturated to linoleic and α-linolenic acids. Therefore, SAD plays an essential role in determining the overall content of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA). We have investigated how SAD genes expression and UFA composition are regulated in olive (Olea europaea) mesocarp tissue from Picual and Arbequina cultivars in response to different abiotic stresses. The results showed that olive SAD genes are transcriptionally regulated by temperature, darkness and wounding. The increase in SAD genes expression levels observed in Picual mesocarp exposed to low temperature brought about a modification in the UFA content of microsomal membrane lipids. In addition, darkness caused the down-regulation of SAD genes transcripts, together with a decrease in the UFA content of chloroplast lipids. The differential role of olive SAD genes in the wounding response was also demonstrated. These data point out that different environmental stresses can modify the UFA composition of olive mesocarp through the transcriptional regulation of SAD genes, affecting olive oil quality.

RNA Interference Technology

RNA interference (RNAi) is the biological process of mRNA degradation induced by complementary sequences double-stranded (ds) small interfering RNAs (siRNA) and suppression of target gene expression. Exogenous siRNAs (perfectly paired dsRNAs of ∼21–25 nt in length) play an important role in host defense against RNA viruses and in transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene regulation in plants and other eukaryotes. Using RNAi technology by transfecting synthetic siRNAs into eukaryotic cells to silence genes has become an indispensable tool to investigate gene functions, and siRNA-based therapy is being developed to knockdown genes implicated in diseases. Other examples of RNAi technology include method of producing highly potent and purified siRNAs directly from Escherichiacoli cells, based on an unexpected discovery that ectopic expression of p19, a plant viral siRNA-binding protein, stabilizes a cryptic siRNA-like RNA species in bacteria. Those siRNAs, named as pro-siRNA for “prokaryotic siRNA”, are bacterial RNase III products that have chemical and functional properties that like eukaryotic siRNAs.

Cas9/sgRNA-based genome editing and other reverse genetic approaches for functional genomic studies in rice

One of the important and direct ways of investigating the function of a gene is to characterize the phenotypic consequences associated with loss or gain-of-function of the corresponding gene. These mutagenesis strategies have been successfully deployed in Arabidopsis, and subsequently extended to crop species including rice. Researchers have made vast advancements in the area of rice genomics and functional genomics, as it is a diploid plant with a relatively smaller genome size unlike other cereals. The advent of rice genome research and the annotation of high-quality genome sequencing along with the developments in databases and computer searches have enabled the functional characterization of unknown genes in rice. Further, with the improvements in the efficiency of regeneration and transformation protocols, it has now become feasible to produce sizable mutant populations in indica rice varieties also. In this review, various mutagenesis methods, the current status of the mutant resources, limitations and strengths of insertional mutagenesis approaches and also results obtained with suitable screens for stress tolerance in rice are discussed. In addition, targeted genome editing using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) or Cas9/single-guide RNA system and its potential applications in generating transgene-free rice plants through genome engineering as an efficient alternative to classical transgenic technology are also discussed.

A proteomic insight into the MSP1 and flg22 induced signaling in Oryza sativa leaves

Previously, we reported a novel Magnaporthe oryzae- secreted protein MSP1, which triggers cell death and pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)-triggered immune (PTI) responses in rice. To investigate the MSP1 induced defense response in rice at the protein level, we employed a label-free quantitative proteomic approach, in parallel with flg22 treatment, which is a well-known elicitor. Exogenous application of MSP1 to rice leaves induced an oxidative burst, MAPK3/6 activation, and activation of pathogenesis-related genes (DUF26, PBZ, and PR-10). MaxQuant based label free proteome analysis led to the identification of 4167 protein groups of which 433 showed significant differences in response to MSP1 and/or flg22 treatment. Functional annotation of the differential proteins showed that majority of the proteins related to primary, secondary, and lipid metabolism were decreased, while proteins associated mainly with the stress response, post-translational modification and signaling were increased in abundance. Moreover, several peroxidases and receptor kinases were induced by both the elicitors, highlighting their involvement in MSP1 and flg22 induced signaling in rice. Taken together, the results reported here contribute to our understanding of MSP1 and flg22 triggered immune responses at the proteome level, thereby increasing our overall understanding of PTI signaling in rice. BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: MSP1 is a M. oryzae secreted protein, which triggers defense responses in rice. Previous reports have shown that MSP1 is required for the pathogenicity of rice blast fungus, however, the exact mechanism of its action and its downstream targets in rice are currently unknown. Identification of the downstream targets is required in order to understand the MSP1 induced signaling in rice. Moreover, key proteins identified could also serve as potential candidates for the generation of disease resistance crops by modulating stress signaling pathways. Therefore, here we employed, for the first time, a label-free quantitative proteomic approach to investigate the MSP1 induced signaling in rice together with flg22. Functional annotation of the differential proteins showed that majority of the proteins related to primary, secondary, and lipid metabolism were decreased, while proteins related to the defense response, signaling and ROS detoxification were majorly increased. Thus, as an elicitor, recombinant MSP1 proteins could be utilized to inducing broad pathogen resistance in crops by priming the local immune responses.

Rhizosphere-associated Alcaligenes and Bacillus strains that induce resistance against blast and sheath blight diseases, enhance plant growth and improve mineral content in rice

AIMS

To examine the biocontrol activities of five rhizobacterial strains (i.e. Alcaligenes faecalis strains Bk1 and P1, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain Bk7 and Brevibacillus laterosporus stains B4 and S5), to control the rice blast and sheath blight diseases in greenhouse and to study their possible modes of action.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Five potential plant growth-promoting rhizobacterial (PGPR) strains isolated from rice rhizospheres were tested for in vitro antifungal activities against Magnaporthe oryzae, Rhizoctonia solani, Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium graminearum. In vitro trials showed that three strains, Bk1, P1 and Bk7, were able to unanimously suppress the mycelial growth of the target pathogens. In greenhouse, the application of these three PGPR strains significantly suppressed the incidences of rice blast and sheath blight diseases. At 2 weeks after pathogen inoculation, the highest percentages of disease suppression were noted for Alc. faecalis strain Bk1 (72%) for rice blast, Alc. faecalis strain P1 (71%) for sheath blight, followed by B. amyloliquefaciens strain Bk7. Moreover, these strains significantly improved the plant growth, enriched the content of mineral nutrients in seedlings and increased the expression of major defence-related rice genes. All three strains were marked positive for phosphate solubilization, the production of indoleacetic acid, ammonia and siderophores and catalase activity. In addition, these strains were able to form biofilms and carried multiple lipopeptide biosynthetic genes as revealed by multiplex PCR.

CONCLUSION

This study reports new potential biocontrol agents for blast and sheath blight diseases of rice.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This study contributes to better understanding of the mechanisms involved in interaction between beneficial rhizobacteria, fungal pathogens and host plants.

Mutation in Rice Abscisic Acid2 Results in Cell Death, Enhanced Disease-Resistance, Altered Seed Dormancy and Development

Lesion mimic mutants display spontaneous cell death, and thus are valuable for understanding the molecular mechanism of cell death and disease resistance. Although a lot of such mutants have been characterized in rice, the relationship between lesion formation and abscisic acid (ABA) synthesis pathway is not reported. In the present study, we identified a rice mutant, lesion mimic mutant 9150 (lmm9150), exhibiting spontaneous cell death, pre-harvest sprouting, enhanced growth, and resistance to rice bacterial and blast diseases. Cell death in the mutant was accompanied with excessive accumulation of H₂O₂. Enhanced disease resistance was associated with cell death and upregulation of defense-related genes. Map-based cloning identified a G-to-A point mutation resulting in a D-to-N substitution at the amino acid position 110 of OsABA2 (LOC_Os03g59610) in lmm9150. Knock-out of OsABA2 through CRISPR/Cas9 led to phenotypes similar to those of lmm9150. Consistent with the function of OsABA2 in ABA biosynthesis, ABA level in the lmm9150 mutant was significantly reduced. Moreover, exogenous application of ABA could rescue all the mutant phenotypes of lmm9150. Taken together, our data linked ABA deficiency to cell death and provided insight into the role of ABA in rice disease resistance.

Application of CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing Technology for the Improvement of Crops Cultivated in Tropical Climates: Recent Progress, Prospects, and Challenges

The world population is expected to increase from 7.3 to 9.7 billion by 2050. Pest outbreak and increased abiotic stresses due to climate change pose a high risk to tropical crop production. Although conventional breeding techniques have significantly increased crop production and yield, new approaches are required to further improve crop production in order to meet the global growing demand for food. The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 (CRISPR-associated protein9) genome editing technology has shown great promise for quickly addressing emerging challenges in agriculture. It can be used to precisely modify genome sequence of any organism including plants to achieve the desired trait. Compared to other genome editing tools such as zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) and transcriptional activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), CRISPR/Cas9 is faster, cheaper, precise and highly efficient in editing genomes even at the multiplex level. Application of CRISPR/Cas9 technology in editing the plant genome is emerging rapidly. The CRISPR/Cas9 is becoming a user-friendly tool for development of non-transgenic genome edited crop plants to counteract harmful effects from climate change and ensure future food security of increasing population in tropical countries. This review updates current knowledge and potentials of CRISPR/Cas9 for improvement of crops cultivated in tropical climates to gain resiliency against emerging pests and abiotic stresses.

Stunted Growth Caused by Blast Disease in Rice Seedlings Is Associated with Changes in Phytohormone Signaling Pathways

In response to pathogen attack, plants prioritize defense reactions generally at the expense of plant growth. In this work, we report that changes in phytohormone signaling pathways are associated with the stunted plant growth caused by blast disease in rice seedlings. Infection of rice seedlings with blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae (race 007.0) at the four-leaf stage (three true leaves) resulted in considerable inhibition of the growth of the upper uninfected distal leaves; the length of leaf blade and leaf sheath of the sixth and seventh leaf was reduced by 27 and 82%, and 88 and 72%, respectively, compared to that in the uninoculated plant control. Interestingly, cutting off the blast-infected fourth leaf blade within 2 days post inoculation (dpi) significantly rescued the inhibition of leaf growth, implying that an inhibitory substance(s) and/or signal was generated in the blast-infected leaves (fourth leaf) and transmitted to the upper distal leaves (sixth and seventh) during the 2-dpi period that induced growth inhibition. Expression analysis of marker genes for phytohormone pathways revealed acute activation of the jasmonate (JA) and abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathways, and repression of auxin, gibberellic acid (GA) and salicylic acid (SA) signaling pathways, in the sixth leaf. The genes related to cell wall expansion were also significantly downregulated. In the blast-infected fourth leaf, JA pathway was activated within 2 dpi, followed by activation of ABA pathway 3 dpi. Further, leaf inhibition caused by blast infection was partially rescued in the rice mutant line coleoptile photomorphogenesis 2 (cpm2), which is defective in the gene encoding allene oxide cyclase (OsAOC). These results indicate that the JA signaling pathway is at least partly involved in the growth inhibition processes. Collectively, our data suggest that, upon pathogen attack, rice seedlings prioritize defense reactions against the infecting pathogen by temporarily ceasing plant growth through the systemic control of phytohormone pathways.

Fatty Acid- and Lipid-Mediated Signaling in Plant Defense

Fatty acids and lipids, which are major and essential constituents of all plant cells, not only provide structural integrity and energy for various metabolic processes but can also function as signal transduction mediators. Lipids and fatty acids can act as both intracellular and extracellular signals. In addition, cyclic and acyclic products generated during fatty acid metabolism can also function as important chemical signals. This review summarizes the biosynthesis of fatty acids and lipids and their involvement in pathogen defense.

Spectroscopic and molecular docking study on the interaction between salicylic acid and the induced disease-resistant protein OsAAA1 of rice

The interaction between salicylic acid (SA) and the induced disease-resistant protein OsAAA1 in rice was studied using spectroscopy and molecular docking. Ultraviolet (UV) absorption spectroscopy demonstrated an interaction between OsAAA1 protein and SA. Spectroscopy showed that this interaction was a dynamic quenching process. Synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (SFS) further revealed that this interaction caused changes in the microenvironment of tyrosine and tryptophan and that the interaction site was closer to the tryptophan residue. The structural model of protein OsAAA1 was determined by homology modeling method, and the molecular docking simulation diagram of OsAAA1 with SA was obtained. These models, in combination with a Ramachandran plot analysis, showed amino acid residues ranging from position 240 to position 420 as the possible site interacting with SA. Among them, Gly389, Lys257 and Glu425 might be three key amino acids that can form hydrogen bonds with SA.

LMM5.1 and LMM5.4, two eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1A-like gene family members, negatively affect cell death and disease resistance in rice

Lesion mimic mutant (LMM) genes, stimulating lesion formation in the absence of pathogens, play significant roles in immune response. In this study, we characterized a rice lesion mimic mutant, lmm5, which displayed light-dependent spontaneous lesions. Additionally, lmm5 plants exhibited enhanced resistance to all of the tested races of Magnaporthe oryzae and Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) by increasing the expression of defense-related genes and the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide. Genetic analysis showed that the lesion mimic phenotype of lmm5 was controlled by two genes, lmm5.1 and lmm5.4, which were isolated with a map-based cloning strategy. Remarkably, LMM5.1 and LMM5.4 share a 97.4% amino acid sequence identity, and they each encode a eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1A (eEF1A)-like protein. Besides, LMM5.1 and LMM5.4 were expressed in a tissue-specific and an indica-specific manner, respectively. In addition, high-throughput mRNA sequencing analysis confirmed that the basal immunity was constitutively activated in the lmm5 mutant. Taken together, these results suggest that the homologous eEF1A-like genes, LMM5.1 and LMM5.4, negatively affect cell death and disease resistance in rice.

Transcription Factor WRKY62 Plays a Role in Pathogen Defense and Hypoxia-Responsive Gene Expression in Rice

WRKY62 is a transcriptional repressor regulated downstream of WRKY45, a central transcription factor of the salicylic acid signaling pathway in rice. Previously, WRKY62 was reported to regulate defense negatively. However, our expressional analysis using WRKY62-knockdown rice indicated that WRKY62 positively regulates defense genes, including diterpenoid phytoalexin biosynthetic genes and their transcriptional regulator DPF. Blast and leaf blight resistance tests also showed that WRKY62 is a positive defense regulator. Yeast two-hybrid, co-immunoprecipitation and gel-shift assays showed that WRKY45 and WRKY62 can form a heterodimer, as well as homodimers, that bind to W-boxes in the DPF promoter. In transient assays in rice sheaths, the simultaneous introduction of WRKY45 and WRKY62 as effectors resulted in a strong activation of the DPF promoter:hrLUC reporter gene, whereas the activity declined with excessive WRKY62. Thus, the WRKY45-WRKY62 heterodimer acts as a strong activator, while the WRKY62 homodimer acts as a repressor. While benzothiadiazole induced equivalent numbers of WRKY45 and WRKY62 transcripts, consistent with heterodimer formation and DPF activation, submergence and nitrogen replacement induced only WRKY62 transcripts, consistent with WRKY62 homodimer formation and DPF repression. Moreover, WRKY62 positively regulated hypoxia genes, implying a role forWRKY62 in the modulation of the 'trade-off' between defense and hypoxia responses.

A novel mutant allele of SSI2 confers a better balance between disease resistance and plant growth inhibition on Arabidopsis thaliana

BACKGROUND

Resistance and growth are opposing characteristics in plants. SA INSENSITIVITY OF npr1-5 (SSI2) encodes a stearoyl-ACP desaturase (S-ACP DES) that has previously been reported to simultaneously enhance resistance and repress growth.

RESULTS

Here, we characterize ssi2-2, a novel mutant allele of SSI2 that has two amino acid substitutions. Compared with wild-type and two other mutants of SSI2, ssi2-2 showed intermediate phenotypes in growth size, punctate necrosis, resistance to the bacterial pathogen Pst DC3000, salicylic acid (SA) content, pathogenesis-related (PR) gene levels and 18:1 content. These results indicate that ssi2-2 is a weak mutant of SSI2. Additionally, by using ssi2-2 as an intermediate control, a number of differentially expressed genes were identified in transcriptome profiling analysis. These results suggest that constitutive expression of defense-related genes and repression of IAA signaling-associated genes is present in all SSI2 mutants.

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, our results suggest that the weak ssi2-2 mutant maintains a better balance between plant immunity and vegetative growth than other mutants, consequently providing a basis to genetically engineer disease resistance in crop plants.

Application of Glycerol for Induced Powdery Mildew Resistance in Triticum aestivum L

Previous work has demonstrated that glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) and oleic acid (18:1) are two important signal molecules associated with plant resistance to fungi. In this article, we provide evidence that a 3% glycerol spray application 1-2 days before powdery mildew infection and subsequent applications once every 4 days was sufficient to stimulate the plant defense responses without causing any significant damage to wheat leaves. We found that G3P and oleic acid levels were markedly induced by powdery mildew infection. In addition, TaGLI1 (encoding a glycerol kinase) and TaSSI2 (encoding a stearoylacyl carrier protein fatty acid desaturase), two genes associated with the glycerol and fatty acid (FA) pathways, respectively, were induced by powdery mildew infection, and their promoter regions contain some fungal response elements. Moreover, exogenous application of glycerol increased the G3P level and decreased the level of oleic acid (18:1). Glycerol application induced the expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes (TaPR-1, TaPR-2, TaPR-3, TaPR-4, and TaPR-5), induced the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) before powdery mildew infection, and induced salicylic acid (SA) accumulation in wheat leaves. Further, we sprayed glycerol in a wheat field and found that it significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the severity of powdery mildew disease and lessened disease-associated kernel weight loss, all without causing any noticeable degradation in wheat seed quality.

The Multivesicular Bodies (MVBs)-Localized AAA ATPase LRD6-6 Inhibits Immunity and Cell Death Likely through Regulating MVBs-Mediated Vesicular Trafficking in Rice

Previous studies have shown that multivesicular bodies (MVBs)/endosomes-mediated vesicular trafficking may play key roles in plant immunity and cell death. However, the molecular regulation is poorly understood in rice. Here we report the identification and characterization of a MVBs-localized AAA ATPase LRD6-6 in rice. Disruption of LRD6-6 leads to enhanced immunity and cell death in rice. The ATPase activity and homo-dimerization of LRD6-6 is essential for its regulation on plant immunity and cell death. An ATPase inactive mutation (LRD6-6^E315Q) leads to dominant-negative inhibition in plants. The LRD6-6 protein co-localizes with the MVBs marker protein RabF1/ARA6 and interacts with ESCRT-III components OsSNF7 and OsVPS2. Further analysis reveals that LRD6-6 is required for MVBs-mediated vesicular trafficking and inhibits the biosynthesis of antimicrobial compounds. Collectively, our study shows that the AAA ATPase LRD6-6 inhibits plant immunity and cell death most likely through modulating MVBs-mediated vesicular trafficking in rice.

Plants have evolved sophistical immunity system in fighting against pathogenic micro-organisms including bacteria, fungi and oomycetes. Upon perception of pathogens, the immune system activates rapid cell death, characterized as a form of hypersensitive response typically in and around the infection sites to restrict pathogen invasion and prevent disease development. Recent studies have suggested that MVBs-mediated vesicular trafficking might play key roles in plant immunity and cell death. However, the molecular regulation is poorly known. By using the lesion resembling disease (lrd) mutant, lrd6-6, which exhibits autoimmunity and spontaneous cell death, we characterized LRD6-6 as a MVBs-localized AAA ATPase. We found that the ATPase LRD6-6 was required for MVBs-mediated vesicular trafficking and inhibited the biosynthesis of antimicrobial compounds for immune response in rice. Both the ATPase activity and homo-dimerization of LRD6-6 were essential for its inhibition on immunity and cell death. The catalytically inactive ATPase, LRD6-6^E315Q, played dominant-negative effect on inhibition of immunity in plants. In addition, the LRD6-6 protein co-localized with the MVBs-spread marker protein RabF1/ARA6 and also interacted with ESCRT-III components OsSNF7 and OsVPS2. In summary, our study has shown that the AAA ATPase LRD6-6 inhibits plant immunity and cell death most likely through modulating MVBs-mediated vesicular trafficking in rice.

Enhanced Rice Blast Resistance by CRISPR/Cas9-Targeted Mutagenesis of the ERF Transcription Factor Gene OsERF922

Rice blast is one of the most destructive diseases affecting rice worldwide. The adoption of host resistance has proven to be the most economical and effective approach to control rice blast. In recent years, sequence-specific nucleases (SSNs) have been demonstrated to be powerful tools for the improvement of crops via gene-specific genome editing, and CRISPR/Cas9 is thought to be the most effective SSN. Here, we report the improvement of rice blast resistance by engineering a CRISPR/Cas9 SSN (C-ERF922) targeting the OsERF922 gene in rice. Twenty-one C-ERF922-induced mutant plants (42.0%) were identified from 50 T0 transgenic plants. Sanger sequencing revealed that these plants harbored various insertion or deletion (InDel) mutations at the target site. We showed that all of the C-ERF922-induced allele mutations were transmitted to subsequent generations. Mutant plants harboring the desired gene modification but not containing the transferred DNA were obtained by segregation in the T1 and T2 generations. Six T2 homozygous mutant lines were further examined for a blast resistance phenotype and agronomic traits, such as plant height, flag leaf length and width, number of productive panicles, panicle length, number of grains per panicle, seed setting percentage and thousand seed weight. The results revealed that the number of blast lesions formed following pathogen infection was significantly decreased in all 6 mutant lines compared with wild-type plants at both the seedling and tillering stages. Furthermore, there were no significant differences between any of the 6 T2 mutant lines and the wild-type plants with regard to the agronomic traits tested. We also simultaneously targeted multiple sites within OsERF922 by using Cas9/Multi-target-sgRNAs (C-ERF922S1S2 and C-ERF922S1S2S3) to obtain plants harboring mutations at two or three sites. Our results indicate that gene modification via CRISPR/Cas9 is a useful approach for enhancing blast resistance in rice.

OsKASI, a β-ketoacyl-[acyl carrier protein] synthase I, is involved in root development in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

The involvement of OsKASI in FA synthesis is found to play a critical role in root development of rice. The root system plays important roles in plant nutrient and water acquisition. However, mechanisms of root development and molecular regulation in rice are still poorly understood. Here, we characterized a rice (Oryza sativa L.) mutant with shortened roots due to a defect in cell elongation. Map-based cloning revealed that the mutation occurred in a putative 3-oxoacyl-synthase, an ortholog of β-ketoacyl-[acyl carrier protein] synthase I (KASI) in Arabidopsis, thus designated as OsKASI. OsKASI was found to be ubiquitously expressed in various tissues throughout the plant and OsKASI protein was localized in the plastid. In addition, OsKASI deficiency resulted in reduced fertility and a remarkable change in fatty acid (FA) composition and contents in roots and seeds. Our results demonstrate that involvement of OsKASI in FA synthesis is required for root development in rice.

Small RNAs in plants: recent development and application for crop improvement

The phenomenon of RNA interference (RNAi) which involves sequence-specific gene regulation by small non-coding RNAs, i.e., small interfering RNA (siRNA) and microRNA (miRNA) has emerged as one of most powerful approaches for crop improvement. RNAi based on siRNA is one of the widely used tools of reverse genetics which aid in revealing gene functions in many species. This technology has been extensively applied to alter the gene expression in plants with an aim to achieve desirable traits. RNAi has been used for enhancing the crop yield and productivity by manipulating the gene involved in biomass, grain yield and enhanced shelf life of fruits and vegetables. It has also been applied for developing resistance against various biotic (bacteria, fungi, viruses, nematodes, insects) and abiotic stresses (drought, salinity, cold, etc.). Nutritional improvements of crops have also been achieved by enriching the crops with essential amino acids, fatty acids, antioxidants and other nutrients beneficial for human health or by reducing allergens or anti-nutrients. microRNAs are key regulators of important plant processes like growth, development, and response to various stresses. In spite of similarity in size (20-24 nt), miRNA differ from siRNA in precursor structures, pathway of biogenesis, and modes of action. This review also highlights the miRNA based genetic modification technology where various miRNAs/artificial miRNAs and their targets can be utilized for improving several desirable plant traits. microRNA based strategies are much efficient than siRNA-based RNAi strategies due to its specificity and less undesirable off target effects. As per the FDA guidelines, small RNA (sRNA) based transgenics are much safer for consumption than those over-expressing proteins. This review thereby summarizes the emerging advances and achievement in the field of sRNAs and its application for crop improvement.

Application of glycerol as a foliar spray activates the defence response and enhances disease resistance of Theobroma cacao

Previous work has implicated glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) as a mobile inducer of systemic immunity in plants. We tested the hypothesis that the exogenous application of glycerol as a foliar spray might enhance the disease resistance of Theobroma cacao through the modulation of endogenous G3P levels. We found that exogenous application of glycerol to cacao leaves over a period of 4 days increased the endogenous level of G3P and decreased the level of oleic acid (18:1). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were produced (a marker of defence activation) and the expression of many pathogenesis-related genes was induced. Notably, the effects of glycerol application on G3P and 18:1 fatty acid content, and gene expression levels, in cacao leaves were dosage dependent. A 100 mm glycerol spray application was sufficient to stimulate the defence response without causing any observable damage, and resulted in a significantly decreased lesion formation by the cacao pathogen Phytophthora capsici; however, a 500 mm glycerol treatment led to chlorosis and cell death. The effects of glycerol treatment on the level of 18:1 and ROS were constrained to the locally treated leaves without affecting distal tissues. The mechanism of the glycerol-mediated defence response in cacao and its potential use as part of a sustainable farming system are discussed.

Characterization of a stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase gene family from chocolate tree, Theobroma cacao L

In plants, the conversion of stearoyl-ACP to oleoyol-ACP is catalyzed by a plastid-localized soluble stearoyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) desaturase (SAD). The activity of SAD significantly impacts the ratio of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, and is thus a major determinant of fatty acid composition. The cacao genome contains eight putative SAD isoforms with high amino acid sequence similarities and functional domain conservation with SAD genes from other species. Sequence variation in known functional domains between different SAD family members suggested that these eight SAD isoforms might have distinct functions in plant development, a hypothesis supported by their diverse expression patterns in various cacao tissues. Notably, TcSAD1 is universally expressed across all the tissues, and its expression pattern in seeds is highly correlated with the dramatic change in fatty acid composition during seed maturation. Interestingly, TcSAD3 and TcSAD4 appear to be exclusively and highly expressed in flowers, functions of which remain unknown. To test the function of TcSAD1 in vivo, transgenic complementation of the Arabidopsis ssi2 mutant was performed, demonstrating that TcSAD1 successfully rescued all AtSSI2 related phenotypes further supporting the functional orthology between these two genes. The identification of the major SAD gene responsible for cocoa butter biosynthesis provides new strategies for screening for novel genotypes with desirable fatty acid compositions, and for use in breeding programs to help pyramid genes for quality and other traits such as disease resistance.

A stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase, NbSACPD-C, is critical for ovule development in Nicotiana benthamiana

Stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase (SACPD) activity is essential for production of the major unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) in plant lipids. We report here the characterization of three SACPD genes from Nicotiana benthamiana, NbSACPD-A, -B, and -C. All three genes share high similarity to AtSSI2/FAB2 (Suppressor of Salicylic acid-Insensitivity2/Fatty Acid Biosynthesis2), the primary SACPD isoform in Arabidopsis. Knocking down the expression of individual or combinations of NbSACPDs by an artificial microRNA approach resulted in significantly reduced accumulation of 18C UFAs and elevated levels of 18:0-FA (Fatty acids) in leaves, indicating that all three genes participated in fatty acid desaturation. The triple knockdown (KD) plants displayed severe growth phenotypes, including spontaneous cell death and dwarfing. While no vegetative morphologic abnormality was observed in NbSACPD-A, -B, or -C KD plants, strikingly, NbSACPD-C KD plants produced small fruits with aborted ovules. Reciprocal crosses with wild-type and NbSACPD-C KD plants revealed that knocking down NbSACPD-C expression caused female, but not male, sterility. Furthermore, arrested ovule development and significantly altered lipid composition in ovaries were observed in NbSACPD-C KD plants, consistent with the predominant NbSACPD-C expression in ovules. The ovule development defect was fully complemented by coexpressing an amiRNA-resistant NbSACPD-C variant in the NbSACPD-C KD background, further supporting a specific requirement for NbSACPD-C in female fertility. Our results thus indicated that NbSACPD-C plays a critical role maintaining membrane lipid composition in ovule development for female fertility in N. benthamiana, complementing and extending prior understanding on the well-demonstrated roles of SACPDs in biotic and abiotic stresses.

RNA Interference (RNAi) Induced Gene Silencing: A Promising Approach of Hi-Tech Plant Breeding

RNA interference (RNAi) is a promising gene regulatory approach in functional genomics that has significant impact on crop improvement which permits down-regulation in gene expression with greater precise manner without affecting the expression of other genes. RNAi mechanism is expedited by small molecules of interfering RNA to suppress a gene of interest effectively. RNAi has also been exploited in plants for resistance against pathogens, insect/pest, nematodes, and virus that cause significant economic losses. Keeping beside the significance in the genome integrity maintenance as well as growth and development, RNAi induced gene syntheses are vital in plant stress management. Modifying the genes by the interference of small RNAs is one of the ways through which plants react to the environmental stresses. Hence, investigating the role of small RNAs in regulating gene expression assists the researchers to explore the potentiality of small RNAs in abiotic and biotic stress management. This novel approach opens new avenues for crop improvement by developing disease resistant, abiotic or biotic stress tolerant, and high yielding elite varieties.

WRKY45-dependent priming of diterpenoid phytoalexin biosynthesis in rice and the role of cytokinin in triggering the reaction

Plant activators such as benzothiadiazole (BTH) protect plants against diseases by priming the salicylic acid (SA) signaling pathway. In rice, the transcription factor WRKY45 plays a central role in this process. To investigate the mechanism involved in defense-priming by BTH and the role of WRKY45 in this process, we analyzed the transcripts of biosynthetic genes for diterpenoid phytoalexins (DPs) during the rice-Magnaporthe oryzae interaction. The DP biosynthetic genes were barely upregulated in BTH-treated rice plants, but were induced rapidly after M. oryzae infection in a WRKY45-dependent manner. These results indicate that the DP biosynthetic genes were primed by BTH through WRKY45. Rapid induction of the DP biosynthetic genes was also observed after M. oryzae infection to WRKY45-overexpressing (WRKY45-ox) plants. The changes in gene transcription resulted in accumulation of DPs in WRKY45-ox and BTH-pretreated rice after M. oryzae infection. Previously, we reported that cytokinins (CKs), especially isopentenyladenines, accumulated in M. oryzae-infected rice. Here, we show that DP biosynthetic genes are regulated by the SA/CK synergism in a WRKY45-dependent manner. Together, we propose that CK plays a role in mediating the signal of M. oryzae infection to trigger the induction of DP biosynthetic genes in BTH-primed plants.

Susceptibility genes 101: how to be a good host

To confer resistance against pathogens and pests in plants, typically dominant resistance genes are deployed. However, because resistance is based on recognition of a single pathogen-derived molecular pattern, these narrow-spectrum genes are usually readily overcome. Disease arises from a compatible interaction between plant and pathogen. Hence, altering a plant gene that critically facilitates compatibility could provide a more broad-spectrum and durable type of resistance. Here, such susceptibility (S) genes are reviewed with a focus on the mechanisms underlying loss of compatibility. We distinguish three groups of S genes acting during different stages of infection: early pathogen establishment, modulation of host defenses, and pathogen sustenance. The many examples reviewed here show that S genes have the potential to be used in resistance breeding. However, because S genes have a function other than being a compatibility factor for the pathogen, the side effects caused by their mutation demands a one-by-one assessment of their usefulness for application.

Making sense of hormone-mediated defense networking: from rice to Arabidopsis

Phytohormones are not only essential for plant growth and development but also play central roles in triggering the plant immune signaling network. Historically, research aimed at elucidating the defense-associated role of hormones has tended to focus on the use of experimentally tractable dicot plants such as Arabidopsis thaliana. Emerging from these studies is a picture whereby complex crosstalk and induced hormonal changes mold plant health and disease, with outcomes largely dependent on the lifestyle and infection strategy of invading pathogens. However, recent studies in monocot plants are starting to provide additional important insights into the immune-regulatory roles of hormones, often revealing unique complexities. In this review, we address the latest discoveries dealing with hormone-mediated immunity in rice, one of the most important food crops and an excellent model for molecular genetic studies in monocots. Moreover, we highlight interactions between hormone signaling, rice defense and pathogen virulence, and discuss the differences and similarities with findings in Arabidopsis. Finally, we present a model for hormone defense networking in rice and describe how detailed knowledge of hormone crosstalk mechanisms can be used for engineering durable rice disease resistance.

Development of disease-resistant rice using regulatory components of induced disease resistance

Infectious diseases cause huge crop losses annually. In response to pathogen attacks, plants activate defense systems that are mediated through various signaling pathways. The salicylic acid (SA) signaling pathway is the most powerful of these pathways. Several regulatory components of the SA signaling pathway have been identified, and are potential targets for genetic manipulation of plants' disease resistance. However, the resistance associated with these regulatory components is often accompanied by fitness costs; that is, negative effects on plant growth and crop yield. Chemical defense inducers, such as benzothiadiazole and probenazole, act on the SA pathway and induce strong resistance to various pathogens without major fitness costs, owing to their 'priming effect.' Studies on how benzothiadiazole induces disease resistance in rice have identified WRKY45, a key transcription factor in the branched SA pathway, and OsNPR1/NH1. Rice plants overexpressing WRKY45 were extremely resistant to rice blast disease caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae and bacterial leaf blight disease caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), the two major rice diseases. Disease resistance is often accompanied by fitness costs; however, WRKY45 overexpression imposed relatively small fitness costs on rice because of its priming effect. This priming effect was similar to that of chemical defense inducers, although the fitness costs were amplified by some environmental factors. WRKY45 is degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome system, and the dual role of this degradation partly explains the priming effect. The synergistic interaction between SA and cytokinin signaling that activates WRKY45 also likely contributes to the priming effect. With a main focus on these studies, I review the current knowledge of SA-pathway-dependent defense in rice by comparing it with that in Arabidopsis, and discuss potential strategies to develop disease-resistant rice using signaling components.

Long-term growth under elevated CO2 suppresses biotic stress genes in non-acclimated, but not cold-acclimated winter wheat

This study compared the photosynthetic performance and the global gene expression of the winter hardy wheat Triticum aestivum cv Norstar grown under non-acclimated (NA) or cold-acclimated (CA) conditions at either ambient CO2 or elevated CO2. CA Norstar maintained comparable light-saturated and CO2-saturated rates of photosynthesis but lower quantum requirements for PSII and non-photochemical quenching relative to NA plants even at elevated CO2. Neither NA nor CA plants were sensitive to feedback inhibition of photosynthesis at elevated CO2. Global gene expression using microarray combined with bioinformatics analysis revealed that genes affected by elevated CO2 were three times higher in NA (1,022 genes) compared with CA (372 genes) Norstar. The most striking effect was the down-regulation of genes involved in the plant defense responses in NA Norstar. In contrast, cold acclimation reversed this down-regulation due to the cold induction of genes involved in plant pathogenesis resistance; and cellular and chloroplast protection. These results suggest that elevated CO2 has less impact on plant performance and productivity in cold-adapted winter hardy plants in the northern climates compared with warmer environments. Selection for cereal cultivars with constitutively higher expression of biotic stress defense genes may be necessary under elevated CO2 during the warm growth period and in warmer climates.

Hormone defense networking in rice: tales from a different world

Recent advances in plant immunity research underpin the pivotal role of small-molecule hormones in regulating the plant defense signaling network. Although most of our understanding comes from studies of dicot plants such as Arabidopsis thaliana, new studies in monocots are providing additional insights into the defense-regulatory role of phytohormones. Here, we review the roles of both classical and more recently identified stress hormones in regulating immunity in the model monocot rice (Oryza sativa) and highlight the importance of hormone crosstalk in shaping the outcome of rice-pathogen interactions. We also propose a defense model for rice that does not support a dichotomy between the pathogen lifestyle and the effectiveness of the archetypal defense hormones salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA).

Suppression of DS1 phosphatidic acid phosphatase confirms resistance to Ralstonia solanacearum in Nicotiana benthamiana

Nicotianabenthamiana is susceptible to Ralstonia solanacearum. To analyze molecular mechanisms for disease susceptibility, we screened a gene-silenced plant showing resistance to R. solanacearum, designated as DS1 (Disease suppression 1). The deduced amino acid sequence of DS1 cDNA encoded a phosphatidic acid phosphatase (PAP) 2. DS1 expression was induced by infection with a virulent strain of R. solanacearum in an hrp-gene-dependent manner. DS1 rescued growth defects of the temperature-sensitive ∆lpp1∆dpp1∆pah1 mutant yeast. Recombinant DS1 protein showed Mg(2+)-independent PAP activity. DS1 plants showed reduced PAP activity and increased phosphatidic acid (PA) content. After inoculation with R. solanacearum, DS1 plants showed accelerated cell death, over-accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and hyper-induction of PR-4 expression. In contrast, DS1-overexpressing tobacco plants showed reduced PA content, greater susceptibility to R. solanacearum, and reduced ROS production and PR-4 expression. The DS1 phenotype was partially compromised in the plants in which both DS1 and NbCoi1 or DS1 and NbrbohB were silenced. These results show that DS1 PAP may affect plant immune responses related to ROS and JA cascades via regulation of PA levels. Suppression of DS1 function or DS1 expression could rapidly activate plant defenses to achieve effective resistance against Ralstonia solanacearum.

Proteomic and virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) Analyses reveal that gossypol, brassinosteroids, and jasmonic acid contribute to the resistance of cotton to Verticillium dahliae

Verticillium wilt causes massive annual losses of cotton yield, but the mechanism of cotton resistance to Verticillium dahliae is complex and poorly understood. In this study, a comparative proteomic analysis was performed in resistant cotton (Gossypium barbadense cv7124) on infection with V. dahliae. A total of 188 differentially expressed proteins were identified by mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF) analysis and could be classified into 17 biological processes based on Gene Ontology annotation. Most of these proteins were implicated in stimulus response, cellular processes and metabolic processes. Based on the proteomic analysis, several genes involved in secondary metabolism, reactive oxygen burst and phytohormone signaling pathways were identified for further physiological and molecular analysis. The roles of the corresponding genes were further characterized by employing virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS). Based on the results, we suggest that the production of gossypol is sufficient to affect the cotton resistance to V. dahliae. Silencing of GbCAD1, a key enzyme involving in gossypol biosynthesis, compromised cotton resistance to V. dahliae. Reactive oxygen species and salicylic acid signaling may be also implicated as regulators in cotton responsive to V. dahliae according to the analysis of GbSSI2, an important regulator in the crosstalk between salicylic acid and jasmonic acid signal pathways. Moreover, brassinosteroids and jasmonic acid signaling may play essential roles in the cotton disease resistance to V. dahliae. The brassinosteroids signaling was activated in cotton on inoculation with V. dahliae and the disease resistance of cotton was enhanced after exogenous application of brassinolide. Meanwhile, jasmonic acid signaling was also activated in cotton after inoculation with V. dahliae and brassinolide application. These data provide highlights in the molecular basis of cotton resistance to V. dahliae.

SLL1, which encodes a member of the stearoyl-acyl carrier protein fatty acid desaturase family, is involved in cell elongation in lateral roots via regulation of fatty acid content in rice

We have identified a gene, SHORT LATERAL ROOT LENGTH1 (SLL1), which is important for the elongation of lateral roots in rice. An sll1 mutant has decreased lateral root growth due to a defect in the cell elongation. The SLL1 gene encodes a member of the stearoyl-acyl carrier protein fatty acid desaturase family that is the key regulator of overall fatty acid desaturation in plants. We measured the fatty acid content and found that the 18:0 content in the sll1 mutant root was approximately 4 times that in the wild-type root. When the sll1 mutant was grown at 33 °C, it complemented the mutant phenotype to a moderate level, which reflects the importance of the low 18:0 content in maintaining the cell membrane structure. The SLL1 gene was expressed at the lateral root tip, whereas SLL1 expression was not detected in the elongation zone of the crown roots. These results indicate that the lateral root specific defect in sll1 mutant is caused by the different expression patterns of SLL1 in lateral and crown roots. In addition, SLL1 over-expressers produced significantly longer lateral roots compared to the wild-type, and thus SLL1 gene would be very useful for improving rice root architecture.

OsWRKY28, a PAMP-responsive transrepressor, negatively regulates innate immune responses in rice against rice blast fungus

WRKY transcription factors form a large family of plant-specific transcription factors and participate in plant defense responses either as positive or negative regulators. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the role of one of the group IIa WRKY transcription factors in rice, OsWRKY28, in the regulation of basal defense responses to a compatible race of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, strain Ina86-137. The expression analyses of the group IIa WRKY transcription factors in rice revealed that OsWRKY28, together with OsWRKY71, exhibit an early-induced expression prior to the late-induced expressions of OsWRKY62 and OsWRKY76. The GFP-OsWRKY28 fusion protein localized mainly in the nuclei of onion epidermal cells, and the maltose-binding protein-fused OsWRKY28 recombinant protein specifically bound to W-box elements. A transient reporter gene assay clearly showed that OsWRKY28 functions as a transcriptional repressor. Overexpression of OsWRKY28 in rice plants resulted in enhanced susceptibility to Ina86-137. Finally, transcriptome analysis revealed that the induction of several defense-related genes in the wild type after Ina86-137 infection was counteracted in OsWRKY28-overexpressing rice plants. These results strongly suggest that OsWRKY28 is a negative regulator of basal defense responses against Ina86-137 and acts as a modulator to maintain the responses at an appropriate level by attenuating the activation of defense-related gene expression levels.

Overexpression of a wheat stearoyl-ACP desaturase (SACPD) gene TaSSI2 in Arabidopsis ssi2 mutant compromise its resistance to powdery mildew

Fatty acids and their derivatives play important roles in plant defense responses. It has been shown that a mutation in a gene encoding one of stearoyl acyl carrier protein fatty acid desaturase isoforms (ssi2 mutant) enhances the resistance of Arabidopsis to multiple pathogens, and similar results were obtained in rice and soybean. However, it is unknown whether the ssi2 mutant is also resistant to powdery mildew (Golovinomyces cichoracearum). In this study, the ssi2 mutant showed enhanced resistance to powdery mildew. Furthermore, we described the cloning and characterization of the TaSSI2 gene (ortholog of AtSSI2) from wheat. Functional analysis of TaSSI2 was performed by overexpressing TaSSI2 in ssi2 mutant of Arabidopsis. The result indicated that ectopic expression of TaSSI2 restored the WT like morphology in the ssi2 background, the 35S:TaSSI2/ssi2 plants accumulated WT-like levels of oleic acid (18:1) and the transcript levels of R genes were significantly lower than that in ssi2 plants. In contrast to the constitutive PR gene expression in ssi2 plants, the transcript accumulation of PR1 and PR2 was similar in the 35S:TaSSI2/ssi2 and wild type both before and after inoculation. Trypan blue staining showed that extensive fungal hyphae and conidiophores were produced in wild-type and 35S:TaSSI2/ssi2 leaves while no visible powdery mildew growth was observed, but dramatic lesions developed at the infection sites in the ssi2 mutant leaves. Our results demonstrated that TaSSI2 is involved in the negative regulation of defense responses in powdery mildew infection, similar to its counterparts in Arabidopsis, indicating a highly conserved function of SSI2 gene in diverse plants.

Molecular strategies to improve rice disease resistance

Rice diseases such as blast (Magnaporthe oryzae), sheath blight (Rhizoctonia solani) and bacterial blight (Xanthomonas oryzae pv oryzae) are a major obstacle to achieving optimal yields. To complement conventional breeding method, molecular and transgenic method represents an increasingly important approach for genetic improvement of disease resistance and reduction of pesticide usage. During the past two decades, a wide variety of genes and mechanisms involved in rice defense response have been identified and elucidated. These include components of pathogen recognition, signal transduction, downstream defense-related proteins, and crosstalk among different signaling pathways. In addition, various molecular strategies including use of specialized promoters, modification of target protein structures have been studied and proposed to improve the effectiveness of transgenes. While genetically improving rice for enhanced disease resistance, it is important to consider potential effects of the transgene on rice yield, tolerance to abiotic stresses, and defense against other pathogens.

Cytokinins act synergistically with salicylic acid to activate defense gene expression in rice

Hormone crosstalk is pivotal in plant-pathogen interactions. Here, we report on the accumulation of cytokinins (CK) in rice seedlings after infection of blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae and its potential significance in rice-M. oryzae interaction. Blast infection to rice seedlings increased levels of N(6)-(Δ(2)-isopentenyl) adenine (iP), iP riboside (iPR), and iPR 5'-phosphates (iPRP) in leaf blades. Consistent with this, CK signaling was activated around the infection sites, as shown by histochemical staining for β-glucuronidase activity driven by a CK-responsive OsRR6 promoter. Diverse CK species were also detected in the hyphae (mycelium), conidia, and culture filtrates of blast fungus, indicating that M. oryzae is capable of production as well as hyphal secretion of CK. Co-treatment of leaf blades with CK and salicylic acid (SA), but not with either one alone, markedly induced pathogenesis-related genes OsPR1b and probenazole-induced protein 1 (PBZ1). These effects were diminished by RNAi-knockdown of OsNPR1 or WRKY45, the key regulators of the SA signaling pathway in rice, indicating that the effects of CK depend on these two regulators. Taken together, our data imply a coevolutionary rice-M. oryzae interaction, wherein M. oryzae probably elevates rice CK levels for its own benefits such as nutrient translocation. Rice plants, on the other hand, sense it as an infection signal and activate defense reactions through the synergistic action with SA.

Loss of function of FATTY ACID DESATURASE7 in tomato enhances basal aphid resistance in a salicylate-dependent manner

We report here that disruption of function of the ω-3 FATTY ACID DESATURASE7 (FAD7) enhances plant defenses against aphids. The suppressor of prosystemin-mediated responses2 (spr2) mutation in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), which eliminates the function of FAD7, reduces the settling behavior, survival, and fecundity of the potato aphid (Macrosiphum euphorbiae). Likewise, the antisense suppression of LeFAD7 expression in wild-type tomato plants reduces aphid infestations. Aphid resistance in the spr2 mutant is associated with enhanced levels of salicylic acid (SA) and mRNA encoding the pathogenesis-related protein P4. Introduction of the Naphthalene/salicylate hydroxylase transgene, which suppresses SA accumulation, restores wild-type levels of aphid susceptibility to spr2. Resistance in spr2 is also lost when we utilize virus-induced gene silencing to suppress the expression of NONEXPRESSOR OF PATHOGENESIS-RELATED PROTEINS1 (NPR1), a positive regulator of many SA-dependent defenses. These results indicate that FAD7 suppresses defenses against aphids that are mediated through SA and NPR1. Although loss of function of FAD7 also inhibits the synthesis of jasmonate (JA), the effects of this desaturase on aphid resistance are not dependent on JA; other mutants impaired in JA synthesis (acx1) or perception (jai1-1) show wild-type levels of aphid susceptibility, and spr2 retains aphid resistance when treated with methyl jasmonate. Thus, FAD7 may influence JA-dependent defenses against chewing insects and SA-dependent defenses against aphids through independent effects on JA synthesis and SA signaling. The Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mutants Atfad7-2 and Atfad7-1fad8 also show enhanced resistance to the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) compared with wild-type controls, indicating that FAD7 influences plant-aphid interactions in at least two plant families.

Rice WRKY45 plays important roles in fungal and bacterial disease resistance

Plant 'activators', such as benzothiadiazole (BTH), protect plants from various diseases by priming the plant salicylic acid (SA) signalling pathway. We have reported previously that a transcription factor identified in rice, WRKY45 (OsWRKY45), plays a pivotal role in BTH-induced disease resistance by mediating SA signalling. Here, we report further functional characterization of WRKY45. Different plant activators vary in their action points, either downstream (BTH and tiadinil) or upstream (probenazole) of SA. Rice resistance to Magnaporthe grisea, induced by both types of plant activator, was markedly reduced in WRKY45-knockdown (WRKY45-kd) rice, indicating a universal role for WRKY45 in chemical-induced resistance. Fungal invasion into rice cells was blocked at most attempted invasion sites (pre-invasive defence) in WRKY45-overexpressing (WRKY45-ox) rice. Hydrogen peroxide accumulated within the cell wall underneath invading fungus appressoria or between the cell wall and the cytoplasm, implying a possible role for H(2)O(2) in pre-invasive defence. Moreover, a hypersensitive reaction-like reaction was observed in rice cells, in which fungal growth was inhibited after invasion (post-invasive defence). The two levels of defence mechanism appear to correspond to Type I and II nonhost resistances. The leaf blast resistance of WRKY45-ox rice plants was much higher than that of other known blast-resistant varieties. WRKY45-ox plants also showed strong panicle blast resistance. BTH-induced resistance to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae was compromised in WRKY45-kd rice, whereas WRKY45-ox plants were highly resistant to this pathogen. However, WRKY45-ox plants were susceptible to Rhizoctonia solani. These results indicate the versatility and limitations of the application of this gene.

Transcriptome analysis of H2O2-treated wheat seedlings reveals a H2O2-responsive fatty acid desaturase gene participating in powdery mildew resistance

Hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) plays important roles in plant biotic and abiotic stress responses. However, the effect of H(2)O(2) stress on the bread wheat transcriptome is still lacking. To investigate the cellular and metabolic responses triggered by H(2)O(2), we performed an mRNA tag analysis of wheat seedlings under 10 mM H(2)O(2) treatment for 6 hour in one powdery mildew (PM) resistant (PmA) and two susceptible (Cha and Han) lines. In total, 6,156, 6,875 and 3,276 transcripts were found to be differentially expressed in PmA, Han and Cha respectively. Among them, 260 genes exhibited consistent expression patterns in all three wheat lines and may represent a subset of basal H(2)O(2) responsive genes that were associated with cell defense, signal transduction, photosynthesis, carbohydrate metabolism, lipid metabolism, redox homeostasis, and transport. Among genes specific to PmA, 'transport' activity was significantly enriched in Gene Ontology analysis. MapMan classification showed that, while both up- and down- regulations were observed for auxin, abscisic acid, and brassinolides signaling genes, the jasmonic acid and ethylene signaling pathway genes were all up-regulated, suggesting H(2)O(2)-enhanced JA/Et functions in PmA. To further study whether any of these genes were involved in wheat PM response, 19 H(2)O(2)-responsive putative defense related genes were assayed in wheat seedlings infected with Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (Bgt). Eight of these genes were found to be co-regulated by H(2)O(2) and Bgt, among which a fatty acid desaturase gene TaFAD was then confirmed by virus induced gene silencing (VIGS) to be required for the PM resistance. Together, our data presents the first global picture of the wheat transcriptome under H(2)O(2) stress and uncovers potential links between H(2)O(2) and Bgt responses, hence providing important candidate genes for the PM resistance in wheat.

An effective virus-based gene silencing method for functional genomics studies in common bean

BACKGROUND

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a crop of economic and nutritious importance in many parts of the world. The lack of genomic resources have impeded the advancement of common bean genomics and thereby crop improvement. Although concerted efforts from the "Phaseomics" consortium have resulted in the development of several genomic resources, functional studies have continued to lag due to the recalcitrance of this crop for genetic transformation.

RESULTS

Here we describe the use of a bean pod mottle virus (BPMV)-based vector for silencing of endogenous genes in common bean as well as for protein expression. This BPMV-based vector was originally developed for use in soybean. It has been successfully employed for both protein expression and gene silencing in this species. We tested this vector for applications in common bean by targeting common bean genes encoding nodulin 22 and stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase for silencing. Our results indicate that the BPMV vector can indeed be employed for reverse genetics studies of diverse biological processes in common bean. We also used the BPMV-based vector for expressing the green fluorescent protein (GFP) in common bean and demonstrate stable GFP expression in all common bean tissues where BPMV was detected.

CONCLUSIONS

The availability of this vector is an important advance for the common bean research community not only because it provides a rapid means for functional studies in common bean, but also because it does so without generating genetically modified plants. Here we describe the detailed methodology and provide essential guidelines for the use of this vector for both gene silencing and protein expression in common bean. The entire VIGS procedure can be completed in 4-5 weeks.

Low oleic acid-derived repression of jasmonic acid-inducible defense responses requires the WRKY50 and WRKY51 proteins

Signaling induced upon a reduction in oleic acid (18:1) levels simultaneously up-regulates salicylic acid (SA)-mediated responses and inhibits jasmonic acid (JA)-inducible defenses, resulting in enhanced resistance to biotrophs but increased susceptibility to necrotrophs. SA and the signaling component Enhanced Disease Susceptibility1 function redundantly in this low-18:1-derived pathway to induce SA signaling but do not function in the repression of JA responses. We show that repression of JA-mediated signaling under low-18:1 conditions is mediated via the WRKY50 and WRKY51 proteins. Knockout mutations in WRKY50 and WRKY51 lowered SA levels but did not restore pathogenesis-related gene expression or pathogen resistance to basal levels in the low-18:1-containing Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mutant, suppressor of SA insensitivity2 (ssi2). In contrast, both JA-inducible PDF1.2 (defensin) expression and basal resistance to Botrytis cinerea were restored. Simultaneous mutations in both WRKY genes (ssi2 wrky50 wrky51) did not further enhance the JA or Botrytis-related responses. The ssi2 wrky50 and ssi2 wrky51 plants contained high levels of reactive oxygen species and exhibited enhanced cell death, the same as ssi2 plants. This suggested that high reactive oxygen species levels or increased cell death were not responsible for the enhanced susceptibility of ssi2 plants to B. cinerea. Exogenous SA inhibited JA-inducible PDF1.2 expression in the wild type but not in wrky50 or wrky51 mutant plants. These results show that the WRKY50 and WRKY51 proteins mediate both SA- and low-18:1-dependent repression of JA signaling.

All hands on deck—the role of chloroplasts, endoplasmic reticulum, and the nucleus in driving plant innate immunity

Plant innate immunity is mediated by cell membrane and intracellular immune receptors that function in distinct and overlapping cell-signaling pathways to activate defense responses. It is becoming increasingly evident that immune receptors rely on components from multiple organelles for the generation of appropriate defense responses. This review analyzes the defense-related functions of the chloroplast, nucleus, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) during plant innate immunity. It details the role of the chloroplasts in synthesizing defense-specific second messengers and discusses the retrograde signal transduction pathways that exist between the chloroplast and nucleus. Because the activities of immune modulators are regulated, in part, by their subcellular localization, the review places special emphasis on the dynamics and nuclear&#x2013;cytoplasmic transport of immune receptors and regulators and highlights the importance of this process in generating orderly events during an innate immune response. The review also covers the recently discovered contributions of the ER quality-control pathways in ensuring the signaling competency of cell surface immune receptors or immune regulators.

The glabra1 mutation affects cuticle formation and plant responses to microbes

Systemic acquired resistance (SAR) is a form of defense that provides resistance against a broad spectrum of pathogens in plants. Previous work indicates a role for plastidial glycerolipid biosynthesis in SAR. Specifically, mutations in FATTY ACID DESATURASE7 (FAD7), which lead to reduced trienoic fatty acid levels and compromised plastidial lipid biosynthesis, have been associated with defective SAR. We show that the defective SAR in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) fad7-1 plants is not associated with a mutation in FAD7 but rather with a second-site mutation in GLABRA1 (GL1), a gene well known for its role in trichome formation. The compromised SAR in gl1 plants is associated with impairment in their cuticles. Furthermore, mutations in two other components of trichome development, GL3 and TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA1, also impaired cuticle development and SAR. This suggests an overlap in the biochemical pathways leading to cuticle and trichome development. Interestingly, exogenous application of gibberellic acid (GA) not only enhanced SAR in wild-type plants but also restored SAR in gl1 plants. In contrast to GA, the defense phytohoromes salicylic acid and jasmonic acid were unable to restore SAR in gl1 plants. GA application increased levels of cuticular components but not trichome formation on gl1 plants, thus implicating cuticle, but not trichomes, as an important component of SAR. Our findings question the prudence of using mutant backgrounds for genetic screens and underscore a need to reevaluate phenotypes previously studied in the gl1 background.

Abscisic acid interacts antagonistically with salicylic acid signaling pathway in rice-Magnaporthe grisea interaction

Plant hormones play pivotal signaling roles in plant-pathogen interactions. Here, we report characterization of an antagonistic interaction of abscisic acid (ABA) with salicylic acid (SA) signaling pathways in the rice-Magnaporthe grisea interaction. Exogenous application of ABA drastically compromised the rice resistance to both compatible and incompatible M. grisea strains, indicating that ABA negatively regulates both basal and resistance gene-mediated blast resistance. ABA markedly suppressed the transcriptional upregulation of WRKY45 and OsNPR1, the two key components of the SA signaling pathway in rice, induced by SA or benzothiadiazole or by blast infection. Overexpression of OsNPR1 or WRKY45 largely negated the enhancement of blast susceptibility by ABA, suggesting that ABA acts upstream of WRKY45 and OsNPR1 in the rice SA pathway. ABA-responsive genes were induced during blast infection in a pattern reciprocal to those of WRKY45 and OsPR1b in the compatible rice-blast interaction but only marginally in the incompatible one. These results suggest that the balance of SA and ABA signaling is an important determinant for the outcome of the rice-M. grisea interaction. ABA was detected in hyphae and conidia of M. grisea as well as in culture media, implying that blast-fungus-derived ABA could play a role in triggering ABA signaling at host infection sites.

Enhanced disease susceptibility 1 and salicylic acid act redundantly to regulate resistance gene-mediated signaling

Resistance (R) protein-associated pathways are well known to participate in defense against a variety of microbial pathogens. Salicylic acid (SA) and its associated proteinaceous signaling components, including enhanced disease susceptibility 1 (EDS1), non-race-specific disease resistance 1 (NDR1), phytoalexin deficient 4 (PAD4), senescence associated gene 101 (SAG101), and EDS5, have been identified as components of resistance derived from many R proteins. Here, we show that EDS1 and SA fulfill redundant functions in defense signaling mediated by R proteins, which were thought to function independent of EDS1 and/or SA. Simultaneous mutations in EDS1 and the SA-synthesizing enzyme SID2 compromised hypersensitive response and/or resistance mediated by R proteins that contain coiled coil domains at their N-terminal ends. Furthermore, the expression of R genes and the associated defense signaling induced in response to a reduction in the level of oleic acid were also suppressed by compromising SA biosynthesis in the eds1 mutant background. The functional redundancy with SA was specific to EDS1. Results presented here redefine our understanding of the roles of EDS1 and SA in plant defense.

Fatty Acid-derived signals in plant defense

Fatty acids (FAs) consist of long hydrophobic, often unbranched chains of hydrocarbons, with hydrophilic carboxylic acid groups at one end. They are an important source of reserve energy and essential components of membrane lipids in all living organisms. In plants, FA metabolic pathways play significant roles in pathogen defense. Historically, FAs were only assigned passive roles in plant defense such as biosynthetic precursors for cuticular components or the phytohormone jasmonic acid. However, recent discoveries demonstrate more direct roles for FAs and their breakdown products in inducing various modes of plant defenses. Both 16- and 18-carbon FAs participate in defense to modulate basal, effector-triggered, and systemic immunity in plants. Studies of FA metabolic mutants also reveal an active signaling role for the cuticle in plant defense. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the involvement of FAs, FA-derived oxylipins, and enzymes catalyzing FA metabolism in plant defense.