Physiological changes in suspension-cultured soybean cells elicited by treatment with chitosan

Application of Chitosan and Its Derivatives Against Plant Viruses

Chitosan is a natural biopolymer that is industrially produced from chitin via deacetylation. Due to its unique properties and a plethora of biological activities, chitosan has found application in diverse areas from biomedicine to agriculture and the food sector. Chitosan is regarded as a biosafe, biodegradable, and biocompatible compound that was demonstrated to stimulate plant growth and to induce a general plant defense response, enhancing plant resistance to various pathogens, including bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and viruses. Here, we focus on chitosan application as an antiviral agent for plant protection. We review both the pioneer studies and recent research that report the effect of plant treatment with chitosan and its derivatives on viral infection. Special attention is paid to aspects that affect the biological activity of chitosan: polymer length and, correspondingly, its molecular weight; concentration; deacetylation degree and charge; application protocol; and experimental set-up. Thus, we compare the reported effects of various forms and derivatives of chitosan as well as chitosan-based nanomaterials, focusing on the putative mechanisms underlying chitosan-induced plant resistance to plant viruses.

A novel glycoprotein from Streptomyces sp. triggers early responses of plant defense

GP-1, a novel glycoprotein from Streptomyces sp. ZX01 has a plant immunity-inducing effect. GP-1-treated plants exhibited enhanced systemic resistance with a significant reduction in TMV lesions on tobacco leaves, but its antiviral mechanism remains unclear. In this study, early plant defense-related responses, such as Ca2+ influx, callose apposition, oxidative burst, hypersensitive response, programmed cell death, increase in nitric oxide (NO), and stomatal closure, were investigated under GP-1 treatment, and the mechanism of how GP-1 induces viral resistance in Nicotiana benthamiana was studied. Results showed that GP-1 induced [Ca2+]cyt rapidly in tobacco leaves and suspended cells, followed by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and NO elevation. Transcriptome analysis showed significant differences in expression levels between the GP-1-treated N. benthamiana and the control and showed significantly upregulated and enriched pathways including defense and immune reaction. Similar to typical pathogen-associated molecular patterns, GP-1 induced callose deposition and stomatal closure to form defense barriers against pathogen invasion. The expression of defense-related genes further confirmed the above conclusions. By analyzing transcriptome in N. benthamiana and the contents of salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA), GP-1 enhanced viral resistance of tobacco by improving the SA and JA contents, strengthening plant secondary metabolites activities, promoting systemic accumulation of pathogenesis-related proteins in TMV- inoculated tobacco there by producing antiviral activity.

Genomic and transcriptomic characterization of the transcription factor family R2R3-MYB in soybean and its involvement in the resistance responses to Phakopsora pachyrhizi

Myb genes constitute one of the largest transcription factor families in the plant kingdom. Soybean MYB transcription factors have been related to the plant response to biotic stresses. Their involvement in response to Phakopsora pachyrhizi infection has been reported by several transcriptional studies. Due to their apparently highly diverse functions, these genes are promising targets for developing crop varieties resistant to diseases. In the present study, the identification and phylogenetic analysis of the soybean R2R3-MYB (GmMYB) transcription factor family was performed and the expression profiles of these genes under biotic stress were determined. GmMYBs were identified from the soybean genome using bioinformatic tools, and their putative functions were determined based on the phylogenetic tree and classified into subfamilies using guides AtMYBs describing known functions. The transcriptional profiles of GmMYBs upon infection with different pathogen were revealed by in vivo and in silico analyses. Selected target genes potentially involved in disease responses were assessed by RT-qPCR after different times of inoculation with P. pachyrhizi using different genetic backgrounds related to resistance genes (Rpp2 and Rpp5). R2R3-MYB transcription factors related to lignin synthesis and genes responsive to chitin were significantly induced in the resistant genotypes.

Magnaporthe oryzae cell wall hydrolysate induces ROS and fungistatic VOCs in rice cell cultures

Plants react to microbial attack with a number of defense mechanisms, including the synthesis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These responses are triggered by elicitors derived from either the cell surface of pathogens or the incomplete hydrolysis of the plant cell wall. Here we show the response of rice (Oryza sativa L., cv Gigante Vercelli) cell cultures following treatment with cell wall hydrolysates prepared from the rice blast Magnaporthe oryzae. Elicitation prompted the production of several plant VOCs, which were analyzed by stir bar sorptive extraction from both the liquid and head-space phase (SBSE and HSSE, respectively) and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. VOCs included alkanes, alkenes and long-chain alcohols as well as cinnamyl alcohol, myristicin, a sesquiterpene alcohol (caryolan-1-ol), 1-butanamide and 2-pentylfuran. The major released compounds, 1-octanol and 1-decanol, were found to induce ROS production in both elicited and non-elicited rice cells and showed fungistatic activity against the pathogen M. oryzae. The possible role of induced VOCs and ROS production in the plant-pathogen interaction is discussed.

Transcript profiling of chitosan-treated Arabidopsis seedlings

In nature, plants can recognize potential pathogens, thus activating intricate networks of defense signals and reactions. Inducible defense is often mediated by the detection of microbe or pathogen associated molecular pattern elicitors, such as flagellin and chitin. Chitosan, the deacetylated form of chitin, plays a role in inducing protection against pathogens in many plant species. We evaluated the ability of chitosan to confer resistance to Botrytis cinerea in Arabidopsis leaves. We subsequently treated Arabidopsis seedlings with chitosan and carried out a transcript profiling analysis using both ATH1 GeneChip microarrays and quantitative RT-PCR. The results showed that defense response genes, including camalexin biosynthesis genes, were up-regulated by chitosan, both in wild-type and in the chitin-insensitive cerk1 mutant, indicating that chitosan is perceived through a CERK1-independent pathway.

Ergosterol triggers characteristic elicitation steps in Beta vulgaris leaf tissues

This study investigates the role of the fungal sterol ergosterol as a general elicitor in the triggering of plant innate immunity in sugar beet. Evidence for this specific function of ergosterol is provided by careful comparison with cholesterol and three plant sterols (stigmasterol, campesterol, sitosterol), which do not enable the integrity of responses leading to elicitation. Our results demonstrate the modification of H(+) flux by ergosterol, due to the direct inhibition of the H(+)-ATPase activity on plasma membrane vesicles purified from leaves. The ergosterol-induced oxidative burst is related to enhanced NADPH-oxidase and superoxide dismutase activities. The similar effects obtained with the fungal elicitor chitosan further reinforce the particular role of ergosterol in the induced defences. The involvement of salicylic acid and/or jasmonic acid signalling in the ergosterol-enhanced plant non-host resistance is also studied. The possible link between ergosterol-triggered plant innate immunity and its putative impact on the structural organization of plant plasma membrane are discussed in terms of the ability of this fungal sterol to promote the formation of lipid rafts.

Chitosan in plant protection

Chitin and chitosan are naturally-occurring compounds that have potential in agriculture with regard to controlling plant diseases. These molecules were shown to display toxicity and inhibit fungal growth and development. They were reported to be active against viruses, bacteria and other pests. Fragments from chitin and chitosan are known to have eliciting activities leading to a variety of defense responses in host plants in response to microbial infections, including the accumulation of phytoalexins, pathogen-related (PR) proteins and proteinase inhibitors, lignin synthesis, and callose formation. Based on these and other proprieties that help strengthen host plant defenses, interest has been growing in using them in agricultural systems to reduce the negative impact of diseases on yield and quality of crops. This review recapitulates the properties and uses of chitin, chitosan, and their derivatives, and will focus on their applications and mechanisms of action during plant-pathogen interactions.

Accumulation of phenylpropanoid derivatives in chitosan-induced cell suspension culture of Cocos nucifera

Chitosan-induced elicitation responses of dark-incubated Cocos nucifera (coconut) endosperm cell suspension cultures led to the rapid formation of phenylpropanoid derivatives, which essentially mimics the defense-induced biochemical changes in coconut palm as observed under in vivo conditions. An enhanced accumulation of p-hydroxybenzoic acid as the major wall-bound phenolics was evident. This was followed by p-coumaric acid and ferulic acid. Along with enhanced peroxidases activities in elicited lines, the increase in activities of the early phenylpropanoid pathway enzymes such as, phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), p-coumaroyl-CoA ligase (4CL) and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde dehydrogenase (HBD) in elicited cell cultures were also observed. Furthermore, supplementation of specific inhibitors of PAL, C4H and 4CL in elicited cell cultures led to suppressed accumulation of p-hydroxybenzoic acid, which opens up interesting questions regarding the probable route of the biosynthesis of this phenolic acid in C. nucifera.

Early changes in membrane permeability, production of oxidative burst and modification of PAL activity induced by ergosterol in cotyledons of Mimosa pudica

Ergosterol (a fungal membrane component) was shown to induce transient influx of protons and membrane hyperpolarization in cotyledonary cells of Mimosa pudica L. By contrast, chitosan (a fungal wall component with known elicitor properties) triggered membrane depolarization. In the processes induced by ergosterol, a specific desensitization was observed, since cells did not react to a second ergosterol application but did respond to a chitosan treatment. This comparative study correspondingly shows that ergosterol and chitosan were perceived in a distinct manner by plant cells. Generation of O2*-, visualized by infiltration with nitroblue tetrazolium, was displayed in organs treated with ergosterol and chitosan. This AOS production was preceded by an increase in activity of NADPH oxidase measured in protein extracts of treated cotyledons. In all the previously described processes, cholesterol had no effect, thereby indicating that ergosterol specifically induced these physiological changes known to participate in the reaction chain activated by characteristic elicitors. Contrary to chitosan, ergosterol did not greatly activate secondary metabolism as shown by the small change in content of free phenolics and by the low modification in activity of PAL, the key enzyme of this metabolic pathway. Therefore, future studies have to clarify the signalling cascade triggered by ergosterol recognition.

Effect of chitosan on the biological properties of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)

The effect of the treatment of chitosan at various concentrations (0.01%, 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.5%, and 1%) upon sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) before seeding and transplanting was investigated in aspects of the amount of phenolic and terpenic compounds, antioxidant activity, and growth of the basil, as well as the phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity. The total amount of the phenolic and terpenic compounds increased after the chitosan treatment. Especially, the amounts of rosmarinic acid (RA) and eugenol increased 2.5 times and 2 times, respectively, by 0.1% and 0.5% chitosan treatment. Due to the significant induction of phenolic compounds, especially RA, the corresponding antioxidant activity assayed by the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging test increased at least 3.5-fold. Also, the activity of PAL, a key regulatory enzyme for the phenylpropanoid pathway, increased 32 times by 0.5% chitosan solution. Moreover, after the elicitor chitosan treatment, the growth in terms of the weight and height of the sweet basil significantly increased about 17% and 12%, respectively. Our study demonstrates that an elicitor such as chitosan can effectively induce phytochemicals in plants, which might be another alternative and effective means instead of genetic modification.

Specific perception of ergosterol by plant cells

Ergosterol (a fungal membrane component) induced modification of proton fluxes and membrane hyperpolarization in motor cells of Mimosa pudica. These reactions appear specific since they were not induced by the other sterols tested. A specific desensitization was observed, since cells did not react to a second ergosterol application. Exposed at first to other sterols, cells remained reactive to ergosterol. Comparatively, chitosan (a fungal wall component with known elicitor properties) triggered a membrane depolarization and also induced specific desensitization. This comparative study shows that ergosterol and chitosan are distinctly perceived by plant cells and induced different early events at the plasma membrane level.

Early Events During Quiescent Infection Development by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides in Unripe Avocado Fruits

Inoculation of avocado pericarp tissue with Colletotrichum gloeospori-oides and treatment of avocado cell cultures with the cell wall elicitor of C. gloeosporioidesboth increased the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, whereas the production of ROS could be detected within minutes in avocado cell suspensions, it was detected only after 2 h following inoculation of pericarp tissue. Protein kinase inhibitors such as K-252a and staurosporine and the phosphatase inhibitor microcystin-LR inhibited the release of H(2)O(2) from avocado cell suspensions. When 1 mM H(2)O(2) was exogenously applied to pericarp tissue, it enhanced ROS, phenyl-alanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity, and epicatechin levels. But, when H(2)O(2) treatment was applied following staurosporine treatment, PAL activity was no longer induced. The uninduced ROS production in pericarp tissue of freshly harvested, unripe, resistant fruit was twice as high as in ripe, susceptible fruit. Challenge inoculation of resistant fruit further increased the ROS level; however, this increase did not occur in susceptible fruits. The current findings are consistent with the hypothesis that production of ROS is induced by fungal infection of unripe fruits and, consequently, may modulate resistance, resulting in the inhibition of fungal development and quiescence.

The degrees of polymerization and N-acetylation of chitosan determine its ability to elicit callose formation in suspension cells and protoplasts of Catharanthus roseus

Partially and fully deacetylated chitosan fragments and oligomers were compared for their potency to elicit formation of the 1.3-β-glucan callose in suspension-cultured cells and protoplasts of Catharanthus roseus (line 385). Chitosan oligomers induced little callose formation, while callose synthesis increased with the degree of polymerization of chitosan up to several thousand corresponding to a molecular mass near 10(6) Da. At a comparable degree of polymerization, partially N-acetylated chitosan fragments were less effective. Colloidal chitin and chitin oligomers induced only trace callose synthesis in protoplasts. These results indicate that the primary interaction involved the amino groups of chitosan and numerous negative charges at the surface of the plasma membrane with spacing in the nanometer range and occurring regularly over micrometer stretches. Charged phospholipid head-groups may fulfill these requirements. The resulting alteration of membrane fluidity may lead to the changes in ion transport known to be associated with the induction of callose formation.

Chitosan-elicited synthesis of callose and of coumarin derivatives in parsley cell suspension cultures

In suspension cultured cells of parsley (Petroselinum crispum), chitosan elicited a rapid deposition of the 1,3-ß-glucan callose on the cell wall and a slower formation of coumarins. With cells remaining in conditioned growth medium, fully N-deacetylated chitosans and partially N-acetylated chitosans were about equally active, the potency increased with the degree of polymerization up to several thousand and addition of reduced glutathione increased the sensitivity of the cells. These results indicate common initial events in the induction of callose and coumarin synthesis although two fully independent metabolic pathways are involved. When the cells were suspended in fresh growth medium, less chitosan was required, and fully N-deacetylated chitosan became the best callose elicitor.

Systemic induction of proteinase-inhibitor-II gene expression in potato plants by wounding

The systemic induction of expression of the gene for proteinase inhibitor II after wounding different parts of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plants was analysed at the RNA level. Wounding of either leaves or tubers led to an induction of expression of this gene in non-wounded upper and lower leaves as well as in the upper stem segment, whereas no expression was observed in nonwounded roots or in the lower stem segment. The signal mediating the systemic induction in nonwounded tissue must therefore be able to move both acropetally and basipetally. The systemic wound response is specific for the expression of the proteinase-inhibitor-II gene as no influence was observed for the expression of genes encoding the small subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase and the tuber storage protein patatin which were examined in parallel with the proteinase-inhibitor-II gene.

Race cultivar-specific differences in callose deposition in soybean roots following infection with Phytophthora megasperma f.sp. glycinea

Primary roots of soybean (Glycine max (L.), Merrill, cv. Harosoy 63) seedlings were inoculated with zoospores from either race 1 (incompatible, host resistant) or race 3 (compatible, host susceptible) of Phytophthora megasperma f.sp. glycinea and total callose was determined at various times after inoculation. From 4 h onward, total callose was significantly higher in roots showing the resistant rather than the susceptible response. Local callose deposition in relation to location of fungal hyphae was determined in microtome sections by its specific fluorescence with sirofluor and was quantified on paper prints with an image-analysis system. Callose deposition, which occurs adjacent to hyphae, was found soon after inoculation (2, 3 and 4 h post inoculation) only in roots displaying the resistant response, and was also higher at 5 and 6 h after inoculation in these resistant roots than in susceptible roots. Early callose deposition in the incompatible root-fungus reaction could be a factor in resistance of soybean against P. megasperma.

Chitin oligosaccharides as elicitors of chitinase activity in melon plants

Chitin oligosaccharides elicited chitinase activity in melon plants. Hexamer to nonamer were the most efficient elicitors: hexamer for maximal stimulation of colorimetrically assessed chitinase activity, heptamer for maximal stimulation of radiochemically assessed chitinase activity. Chitinase elicitation was a rapid response to these elicitors: it occurred within 6 hours after treatment and was maximal at 12-24 hours. In addition, chitinase induction in melon plants by these oligosaccharides was both local and systemic.