The HrpN(ea) harpin from Erwinia amylovora triggers differential responses on the nonhost Arabidopsis thaliana cells and on the host apple cells

Effects of Harpin and Flg22 on Growth Enhancement and Pathogen Defense in Cannabis sativa Seedlings

Pathogen-associated molecular patterns, PAMPs, are a diverse group of molecules associated with pathogenic microbes and are known to activate immune response and in some cases enhance growth in plants. Two PAMPs, harpin and flg22, have shown these affects in various plant species. PAMPs are known to activate basal immunity, the ethylene signaling pathway, alter gene expression and change plant composition. Pretreatment with harpin enhanced hemp seedling resistance to Pythium aphanidermatum, while flg22 failed to induce the defense mechanism towards P. aphanidermatum. In the absence of the pathogen, both harpin and flg22 enhanced seedling growth when compared to the water control. Ethylene is a hormone involved in both plant defense signaling and growth. Both harpin and flg22 pretreatment induced certain ethylene responsive genes but not all the genes examined, indicating that harpin and flg22 act differently in ethylene and potentially defense signaling. In addition, both harpin and flg22 induced CsFRK1 and CsPR1, two marker genes for plant innate immunity. Both PAMPs can enhance growth but likely induce different defense signaling pathways.

Comparison of the response of alternative oxidase and uncoupling proteins to bacterial elicitor induced oxidative burst

Plant UCPs are proved to take part in the fine-tuning of mitochondrial ROS generation. It has emerged that mitochondrion can be an important early source of intracellular ROS during plant-pathogen interaction thus plant UCPs must also play key role in this redox fine-tuning during the early phase of plant-pathogen interaction. On the contrary of this well-established assumption, the expression of plant UCPs and their activity has not been investigated in elicitor induced oxidative burst. Thus, the level of plant UCPs both at RNA and protein level and their activity was investigated and compared to AOX as a reference in Arabidopsis thaliana cells due to bacterial harpin treatments. Similar to the expression and activity of AOX, the transcript level of UCP4, UCP5 and the UCP activity increased due to harpin treatment and the consequential oxidative burst. The expression of UCP4 and UCP5 elevated 15-18-fold after 1 h of treatment, then the activity of UCP reached its maximal value at 4h of treatment. The quite rapid activation of UCP due to harpin treatment gives another possibility to fine tune the redox balance of plant cell, furthermore explains the earlier observed rapid decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential and consequent decrease of ATP synthesis after harpin treatment.

Development of PSP1, a Biostimulant Based on the Elicitor AsES for Disease Management in Monocot and Dicot Crops

In this work, we present a novel biostimulant for sustainable crop disease management, PSP1, based on the plant defense-elicitor AsES, an extracellular protease produced by the strawberry fungal pathogen Acremonium strictum. Fungal fermentation conditions and downstream processing were determined to maximize extracellular protein production, product stability and a high plant defense-eliciting activity, as monitored by anthracnose resistance in supernatant-treated strawberry plants subsequently infected with a virulent strain of Colletotrichum acutatum. Fermentation batches were shown to reduce anthracnose development by 30-60% as compared to infected non-treated plants. Product formulation was shown to be stable for 6 months when stored at temperatures up to 45°C and toxicological tests showed that PSP1 was harmless to beneficial organisms and non-toxic to mammalian species at concentrations 50 times higher than those used in plant experiments. Furthermore, disease protection studies using dilutions of PSP1 indicated that there is a minimum threshold protease activity needed to induce pathogen defense in strawberry and that this induction effect is dose-independent. A significant characteristic of PSP1 is its broad-range protection against different diseases in various crop species. In soybean, PSP1 reduced the symptomatology by 70% of Corynespora cassiicola, etiological agent of the target spot. This protection effect was similar to the commercial inducer BION 500 WG based on BTH, and both products were shown to induce an oxidative burst and up-regulated PR1-gene expression in soybean. Furthermore, a double PSP1-treatment on greenhouse-grown sugarcane plants provided protection against bacterial red stripe disease caused by Acidovorax avenae and a double foliar application of PSP1 on field-grown wheat plants significantly increased resistance against Fusarium graminearum, causal agent of head blight disease, manifested mainly in an increased seed germination rate. In summary, these disease protection studies demonstrated an effective control against both bacterial and fungal pathogens in both monocot and dicot crop species, which together with its low production cost, effectiveness at low concentrations, long shelf-life, tolerance to high temperatures, harmlessness to non-target organisms and simple handling and application, make PSP1 a very promising candidate for effective and sustainable disease management in many crop species.

Signalling requirements for Erwinia amylovora-induced disease resistance, callose deposition and cell growth in the non-host Arabidopsis thaliana

Erwinia amylovora is the causal agent of the fire blight disease in some plants of the Rosaceae family. The non-host plant Arabidopsis serves as a powerful system for the dissection of mechanisms of resistance to E. amylovora. Although not yet known to mount gene-for-gene resistance to E. amylovora, we found that Arabidopsis activated strong defence signalling mediated by salicylic acid (SA), with kinetics and amplitude similar to that induced by the recognition of the bacterial effector avrRpm1 by the resistance protein RPM1. Genetic analysis further revealed that SA signalling, but not signalling mediated by ethylene (ET) and jasmonic acid (JA), is required for E. amylovora resistance. Erwinia amylovora induces massive callose deposition on infected leaves, which is independent of SA, ET and JA signalling and is necessary for E. amylovora resistance in Arabidopsis. We also observed tumour-like growths on E. amylovora-infected Arabidopsis leaves, which contain enlarged mesophyll cells with increased DNA content and are probably a result of endoreplication. The formation of such growths is largely independent of SA signalling and some E. amylovora effectors. Together, our data reveal signalling requirements for E. amylovora-induced disease resistance, callose deposition and cell fate change in the non-host plant Arabidopsis. Knowledge from this study could facilitate a better understanding of the mechanisms of host defence against E. amylovora and eventually improve host resistance to the pathogen.

Comparison of NaCl-induced programmed cell death in the obligate halophyte Cakile maritima and the glycophyte Arabidopsis thaliana

Salinity represents one of the most important constraints that adversely affect plants growth and productivity. In this study, we aimed at determining possible differences between salt tolerant and salt sensitive species in early salt stress response. To this purpose, we subjected suspension-cultured cells from the halophyte Cakile maritima and the glycophyte Arabidopsis thaliana, two Brassicaceae, to salt stress and compared their behavior. In both species we could observe a time and dose dependent programmed cell death requiring an active metabolism, a dysfunction of mitochondria and caspase-like activation although C. maritima cells appeared less sensitive than A. thaliana cells. This capacity to mitigate salt stress could be due to a higher ascorbate pool that could allow C. maritima reducing the oxidative stress generated in response to NaCl. It further appeared that a higher number of C. maritima cultured cells when compared to A. thaliana could efficiently manage the Na(+) accumulation into the cytoplasm through non selective cation channels allowing also reducing the ROS generation and the subsequent cell death.

Chitosan oligosaccharide induces resistance to Tobacco mosaic virus in Arabidopsis via the salicylic acid-mediated signalling pathway

Chitosan is one of the most abundant carbohydrate biopolymers in the world, and chitosan oligosaccharide (COS), which is prepared from chitosan, is a plant immunity regulator. The present study aimed to validate the effect of COS on inducing resistance to tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) in Arabidopsis and to investigate the potential defence-related signalling pathways involved. Optimal conditions for the induction of TMV resistance in Arabidopsis were COS pretreatment at 50 mg/L for 1 day prior to inoculation with TMV. Multilevel indices, including phenotype data, and TMV coat protein expression, revealed that COS induced TMV resistance in wild-type and jasmonic acid pathway- deficient (jar1) Arabidopsis plants, but not in salicylic acid pathway deficient (NahG) Arabidopsis plants. Quantitative-PCR and analysis of phytohormone levels confirmed that COS pretreatment enhanced the expression of the defence-related gene PR1, which is a marker of salicylic acid signalling pathway, and increased the amount of salicylic acid in WT and jar1, but not in NahG plants. Taken together, these results confirm that COS induces TMV resistance in Arabidopsis via activation of the salicylic acid signalling pathway.

Role of electron transport chain of chloroplasts in oxidative burst of interaction between Erwinia amylovora and host cells

Erwinia amylovora is a necrogenic bacterium, causing the fire blight disease on many rosaceous plants. Triggering oxidative burst by E. amylovora is a key response by which host plants try to restrain pathogen spread. Electron transport chain (ETC) of chloroplasts is known as an inducible source of reactive oxygen species generation in various stresses. This research was performed to assess the role of this ETC in E. amylovora-host interaction using several inhibitors of this chain in susceptible and resistant apple and pear genotypes. All ETC inhibitors delayed appearance of disease necrosis, but the effects of methyl viologen, glutaraldehyde, and DCMU were more significant. In the absence of inhibitors, resistant genotypes showed an earlier and severe H2O2 generation and early suppression of redox dependent, psbA gene. The effects of inhibitors were corresponding to the redox potential of ETC inhibitory sites. In addition, delayed necrosis appearance was associated with the decreased disease severity and delayed H2O2 generation. These results provide evidences for the involvement of this ETC in host oxidative burst and suggest that chloroplast ETC has significant role in E. amylovora-host interaction.

Ectopically expressed sweet pepper ferredoxin PFLP enhances disease resistance to Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum affected by harpin and protease-mediated hypersensitive response in Arabidopsis

Plant ferredoxin-like protein (PFLP) is a photosynthesis-type ferredoxin (Fd) found in sweet pepper. It contains an iron-sulphur cluster that receives and delivers electrons between enzymes involved in many fundamental metabolic processes. It has been demonstrated that transgenic plants overexpressing PFLP show a high resistance to many bacterial pathogens, although the mechanism remains unclear. In this investigation, the PFLP gene was transferred into Arabidopsis and its defective derivatives, such as npr1 (nonexpresser of pathogenesis-related gene 1) and eds1 (enhanced disease susceptibility 1) mutants and NAHG-transgenic plants. These transgenic plants were then infected with the soft-rot bacterial pathogen Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum (Erwinia carotovora ssp. carotovora, ECC) to investigate the mechanism behind PFLP-mediated resistance. The results revealed that, instead of showing soft-rot symptoms, ECC activated hypersensitive response (HR)-associated events, such as the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ), electrical conductivity leakage and expression of the HR marker genes (ATHSR2 and ATHSR3) in PFLP-transgenic Arabidopsis. This PFLP-mediated resistance could be abolished by inhibitors, such as diphenylene iodonium (DPI), 1-l-trans-epoxysuccinyl-leucylamido-(4-guanidino)-butane (E64) and benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone (z-VAD-fmk), but not by myriocin and fumonisin. The PFLP-transgenic plants were resistant to ECC, but not to its harpin mutant strain ECCAC5082. In the npr1 mutant and NAHG-transgenic Arabidopsis, but not in the eds1 mutant, overexpression of the PFLP gene increased resistance to ECC. Based on these results, we suggest that transgenic Arabidopsis contains high levels of ectopic PFLP; this may lead to the recognition of the harpin and to the activation of the HR and other resistance mechanisms, and is dependent on the protease-mediated pathway.

Membrane-targeted HrpNEa can modulate apple defense gene expression

Fire blight caused by Erwinia amylovora is the major bacterial disease of tribe Maleae, including apple. Among the proteins secreted by this bacterium, HrpNEa, also called harpin, is known to induce hypersensitive response in nonhost plants and to form amyloid oligomers leading to pore opening in the plasma membrane and alteration of membrane homeostasis. To better understand the physiological effects of HrpNEa in the host plant, we produced transgenic apple plants expressing HrpNEa with or without a secretion signal peptide (SP). HrpNEa expressed with a SP was found to be associated within the membrane fraction, in accordance with amyloidogenic properties and the presence of transmembrane domains revealed by in silico analysis. Expression analysis of 28 apple defense-related genes revealed gene modulations in the transgenic line expressing membrane-targeted HrpNEa. While apple transgenic trees displaying a high constitutive expression level of SP-HrpNEa showed a slight reduction of infection frequency after E. amylovora inoculation, there was no decrease in the disease severity. Thus HrpNEa seems to act as an elicitor of host defenses, when localized in the host membrane.

A highly-conserved single-stranded DNA-binding protein in Xanthomonas functions as a harpin-like protein to trigger plant immunity

Harpins are produced by gram-negative phytopathogenic bacteria and typically elicit hypersensitive response (HR) in non-host plants. The characterization of harpins in Xanthomonas species is largely unexplored. Here we demonstrate that Xanthomonas produce a highly conserved single-stranded DNA-binding protein (SSB(X)) that elicits HR in tobacco as by harpin Hpa1. SSB(X), like Hpa1, is an acidic, glycine-rich, heat-stable protein that lacks cysteine residues. SSB(X)-triggered HR in tobacco, as by Hpa1, is characterized by the oxidative burst, the expression of HR markers (HIN1, HSR203J), pathogenesis-related genes, and callose deposition. Both SSB(X)- and Hpa1-induced HRs can be inhibited by general metabolism inhibitors actinomycin D, cycloheximide, and lanthanum chloride. Furthermore, those HRs activate the expression of BAK1 and BIK1 genes that are essential for induction of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and salicylic acid pathways. Once applied to plants, SSB(X) induces resistance to the fungal pathogen Alternaria alternata and enhances plant growth. When ssb(X)was deleted in X. oryzae pv. oryzicola, the causal agent of bacterial leaf streak in rice, the resulting ssb(Xoc)mutant was reduced in virulence and bacterial growth in planta, but retained its ability to trigger HR in tobacco. Interestingly, ssb(Xoc)contains an imperfect PIP-box (plant-inducible promoter) and the expression of ssb(Xoc)is regulated by HrpX, which belongs to the AraC family of transcriptional activators. Immunoblotting evidence showed that SSB(x) secretion requires a functional type-III secretion system as Hpa1 does. This is the first report demonstrating that Xanthomonas produce a highly-conserved SSB(X) that functions as a harpin-like protein for plant immunity.

Morphological and biochemical characterization of Erwinia amylovora-induced hypersensitive cell death in apple leaves

In attached apple leaves, spot-inoculated with Erwinia amylovora, the phenotypic appearance of the hypersensitive response (HR) and the participation of ethylene, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and of vacuolar processing enzyme (VPE) (a plant caspase-1-like protease) were analysed. The HR in both the resistant and susceptible genotypes expressed a similar pattern of distinguishable micro HR lesions that progressed into confined macro HR lesions. The HR symptoms in apple were compared to those in non-host tobacco. The morphology of dead cells (protoplast shrinkage and retraction from cell wall) in apple leaves resembled necrotic programmed cell death (PCD). Lesion formation in both cv. Free Redstar (resistant) and cv. Idared (highly susceptible) was preceded by ROS accumulation and elevation of ethylene levels. Treatment of infected leaves with an inhibitor of ethylene synthesis led to a decrease of ethylene emission and suppression of lesion development in both cultivars. In the resistant but not in the susceptible apple cultivar an early and late increase in VPE gene expression was detected. This suggests that VPE might be an underlying component of the response to E. amylovora in resistant apple cultivars. The findings show that in the studied pathosystem the cell death during the HR proceeds through a signal transduction cascade in which ROS, ethylene and VPE pathways play a role.

Contribution of a harpin protein from Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri to pathogen virulence

Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (Xac), the bacterium that causes citrus canker, contains a gene in the hrp [for hypersensitive response (HR) and pathogenicity] cluster that encodes a harpin protein called Hpa1. Hpa1 produced HR in the nonhost plants tobacco, pepper and Arabidopsis, whereas, in the host plant citrus, it elicited a weak defence response with no visible phenotype. Co-infiltrations of Xac with or without the recombinant Hpa1 protein in citrus leaves produced a larger number of cankers in the presence of the protein. To characterize the effect of Hpa1 during the disease, an XacΔhpa1 mutant was constructed, and infiltration of this mutant caused a smaller number of cankers. In addition, the lack of Hpa1 hindered bacterial aggregation both in solution and in planta. Analysis of citrus leaves infiltrated with Hpa1 revealed alterations in mesophyll morphology caused by the presence of cavitations and crystal idioblasts, suggesting the binding of the harpin to plant membranes and the elicitation of signalling cascades. Overall, these results suggest that, even though Hpa1 elicits the defence response in nonhost plants and, to a lesser extent, in host plants, its main roles in citrus canker are to alter leaf mesophyll structure and to aggregate bacterial cells, and thus increase virulence and pathogen fitness. We expressed the N-terminal and C-terminal regions and found that, although both regions elicited HR in nonhost plants, only the N-terminal region showed increased virulence and bacterial aggregation, supporting the role of this region of the protein as the main active domain.

Erwinia amylovora expresses fast and simultaneously hrp/dsp virulence genes during flower infection on apple trees

BACKGROUND

Pathogen entry through host blossoms is the predominant infection pathway of the gram-negative bacterium Erwinia amylovora leading to manifestation of the disease fire blight. Like in other economically important plant pathogens, E. amylovora pathogenicity depends on a type III secretion system encoded by hrp genes. However, timing and transcriptional order of hrp gene expression during flower infections are unknown.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Using quantitative real-time PCR analyses, we addressed the questions of how fast, strong and uniform key hrp virulence genes and the effector dspA/E are expressed when bacteria enter flowers provided with the full defense mechanism of the apple plant. In non-invasive bacterial inoculations of apple flowers still attached to the tree, E. amylovora activated expression of key type III secretion genes in a narrow time window, mounting in a single expression peak of all investigated hrp/dspA/E genes around 24-48 h post inoculation (hpi). This single expression peak coincided with a single depression in the plant PR-1 expression at 24 hpi indicating transient manipulation of the salicylic acid pathway as one target of E. amylovora type III effectors. Expression of hrp/dspA/E genes was highly correlated to expression of the regulator hrpL and relative transcript abundances followed the ratio: hrpA>hrpN>hrpL>dspA/E. Acidic conditions (pH 4) in flower infections led to reduced virulence/effector gene expression without the typical expression peak observed under natural conditions (pH 7).

CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE

The simultaneous expression of hrpL, hrpA, hrpN, and the effector dspA/E during early floral infection indicates that speed and immediate effector transmission is important for successful plant invasion. When this delicate balance is disturbed, e.g., by acidic pH during infection, virulence gene expression is reduced, thus partly explaining the efficacy of acidification in fire blight control on a molecular level.

HrpZ harpins from different Pseudomonas syringae pathovars differ in molecular interactions and in induction of anion channel responses in Arabidopsis thaliana suspension cells

HrpZ, a type three secretion system helper protein from the plant-pathogen Pseudomonas syringae, can be recognized by many plants as a defence elicitor. Responses of Arabidopsis thaliana suspension cells to different HrpZ variants were studied by electrophysiological methods and cell death assay. Purified HrpZ originating from a compatible pathogen P. syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (HrpZ(Pto)) and incompatible P. syringae pv. phaseolicola (HrpZ(Pph)) both promoted Arabidopsis cell death. As an early response, both HrpZ variants induced an increase in time dependent K(+) outward rectifying current. In contrast, the effects of HrpZ proteins on anion currents were different: HrpZ(Pph) had no effect, and HrpZ(Pto) induced an anion current increase. This suggests that the observed responses of the K(+) channels and anion channels resulted from different and separable interactions and that the interaction implied in anion current modulation is host-specific. HrpZ(Pto) and HrpZ(Pph) also had a different sequence preference in phage display screen for peptide-binding. These peptides presumably represent a part of a putative target protein in the host, and HrpZ proteins of different P. syringae pathovars might have different binding specificities to match the allelic variation between plant species. Supporting the idea that the peptide-binding region of HrpZ is important for interactions with host cell components, we found that a mutation in that region changed the anion channel response of Arabidopsis cells.

Fire blight: applied genomic insights of the pathogen and host

The enterobacterial phytopathogen Erwinia amylovora causes fire blight, an invasive disease that threatens a wide range of commercial and ornamental Rosaceae host plants. The response elicited by E. amylovora in its host during disease development is similar to the hypersensitive reaction that typically leads to resistance in an incompatible host-pathogen interaction, yet no gene-for-gene resistance has been described for this host-pathogen system. Comparative genomic analysis has found an unprecedented degree of genetic uniformity among strains of E. amylovora, suggesting that the pathogen has undergone a recent genetic bottleneck. The genome of apple, an important host of E. amylovora, has been sequenced, creating new opportunities for the study of interactions between host and pathogen during fire blight development and for the identification of resistance genes. This review includes recent advances in the genomics of both host and pathogen.

Control of Tobacco mosaic virus by PopW as a result of induced resistance in tobacco under greenhouse and field conditions

In a previous study, we isolated a new harpin protein, PopW, from the bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum ZJ3721 that can induce a hypersensitive response in tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum, leaves. In the current study, we demonstrate that, in a greenhouse experiment, PopW induced tobacco-acquired resistance against the Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) with a biocontrol efficacy of 80.9 to 97.4% at a concentration as low as 25 μg/ml in both PopW-treated and neighboring leaves. The resistance induced by PopW is systemic acquired resistance mediated by salicylic acid, which was certified by the development of resistance being accompanied by the expression of the pathogenesis-related-1 gene (PR1) 8 h after PopW was sprayed onto the tobacco leaves. In addition, hydrogen peroxide began to accumulate 10 h after PopW spraying, peaking at 24 h with a maximum concentration of 1.97 μM/g fresh weight. The activities of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (EC4.3.1.5), polyphenoloxidase (EC1.14.18.1), and peroxidase (EC1.11.1.7) also increased, peaking at different times in the PopW-treated tobacco leaves. PopW also reduced the level of TMV disease in field trials with a biocontrol efficacy of 45.2%. Furthermore, PopW both increased tobacco yield (by 30.4 more than in control plants) and improved tobacco foliar quality, with an increase of 50.2% in the number of first-class tobacco leaves from treated compared with untreated plants. All of these results indicate that the new harpin protein PopW has the potential to be an effective biocontrol agent against TMV in tobacco.

Degeneration of hrpZ gene in Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci to evade tobacco defence: an arms race between tobacco and its bacterial pathogen

The HrpZ harpin of Pseudomonas syringae is known to induce a hypersensitive response (HR) in some plants. In P. syringae pv. tabaci (Pta), the harpin gene hrpZ has been spontaneously disrupted by an internal deletion in its open reading frame and a frame shift. The loss of the ability of the recombinant harpin polypeptide of Pta to induce HR despite the high sensitivity of tobacco plants to harpin led us to investigate the meaning of the disrupted hrpZ gene in the virulence of Pta 6605. The hrpZ gene from P. syringae pv. pisi was introduced into wild-type (WT) Pta. The hrpZ-complemented Pta secreted harpin into the culture medium, but failed to cause disease symptoms by both infiltration and spray inoculation. Inoculation with the hrpZ-complemented Pta induced defence responses in tobacco plants, whereas the defence responses of tobacco plants were not prominent on inoculation with WT Pta. These results indicate that an ancestor of Pta might have disrupted hrpZ by an internal deletion to evade plant defences and confer the ability to cause disease in tobacco plants.

Hydrogen peroxide is not involved in HrpN from Erwinia amylovora-induced hypersensitive cell death in maize leaves

Harpin elicits rapid and localized programmed cell death in plants, also known as the hypersensitive response (HR). Here we report that HrpN from Erwinia amylovora led to rapid cell death in maize leaves within 24 h and also induced the expression of systemic acquired resistance genes, such as ZmPR1 and ZmPR5. Surprisingly, the results of DAB staining showed that there was no H(2)O(2) accumulation in maize leaves during the HR process, and semi-quantitative RT-PCR revealed that there was also no difference in the expression of the ZmRboh genes. These results suggest that HrpN-induced cell death may be independent of H(2)O(2) accumulation in maize leaves.

The HrpN effector of Erwinia amylovora, which is involved in type III translocation, contributes directly or indirectly to callose elicitation on apple leaves

Erwinia amylovora is responsible for fire blight of apple and pear trees. Its pathogenicity depends on a type III secretion system (T3SS) mediating the translocation of effectors into the plant cell. The DspA/E effector suppresses callose deposition on apple leaves. We found that E. amylovora and Pseudomonas syringae DC3000 tts mutants or peptide flg22 do not trigger callose deposition as strongly as the dspA/E mutant on apple leaves. This suggests that, on apple leaves, callose deposition is poorly elicited by pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) such as flg22 or other PAMPs harbored by tts mutants and is mainly elicited by injected effectors or by the T3SS itself. Callose elicitation partly depends on HrpW because an hrpW-dspA/E mutant elicits lower callose deposition than a dspA/E mutant. Furthermore, an hrpN-dspA/E mutant does not trigger callose deposition, indicating that HrpN is required to trigger this plant defense reaction. We showed that HrpN plays a general role in the translocation process. Thus, the HrpN requirement for callose deposition may be explained by its role in translocation: HrpN could be involved in the translocation of other effectors inducing callose deposition. Furthermore, HrpN may also directly contribute to the elicitation process because we showed that purified HrpN induces callose deposition.

[Study on the transgenic tobacco expressing truncated wheat cold shock protein gene TA3-13 and analysis of disease resistance]

TA3-13 is a truncated gene coding for the fragment of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cold shock protein WCP1. It has been shown previously that the procaryotically expressed TA3-13 can induce resistance to Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) when sprayed onto plant leaves. In this study, we constructed an expression vector pB-3-13 by cloning TA3-13 into the bionary vector pBI121 and transformed it into Agrobacterium tumefaciense strain EHA105 via freeze-thaw method. Tobacco (Nicotiana tobacum cv. Xanthi nc.) transformation was performed using the leaf disc infection method. After screening on MS medium containing kanamycin and PCR analysis, 33 T0 plantlets were identified as transgenic. Seeds from twenty T0 plants were collected and planted as T1 lines. Two T1 lines were selected for further characterization. PCR and GUS staining analysis showed that TA3-13 was integrated into the T1 tobacco genome and expressed. When inoculated on leaves, the transgenic tobacco showed significant resistance against TMV and rot pathogen Pectobactrium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum. These results suggest that the expression of TA3-13 in tobacco can induce defense responses to pathogen infection.

Ectopic expression of MgSM1, a Cerato-platanin family protein from Magnaporthe grisea, confers broad-spectrum disease resistance in Arabidopsis

Proteins belonging to the newly identified Cerato-platanin (CP) family have been shown to have elicitor activity in inducing disease resistance responses in various plants. In this study, we characterized a gene, MgSM1, from Magnaporthe grisea, encoding a putative small protein belonging to the CP family. MgSM1 was constitutively expressed not only in different fungal growth stages but also during its infection process in rice plants. Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression of MgSM1 in Arabidopsis resulted in hypersensitive response in the infiltrated local leaves and enhanced disease resistance against Botrytis cinerea and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000 in upper leaves of plants, accompanyed by up-regulated expression of defense genes (PR-1, PR-5 and PDF1.2). Transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing MgSM1 under control of a dexamethasone (DEX)-inducible promoter were generated. Expression of MgSM1 in transgenic plants was induced by exogenous application of DEX. MgSM1-expressing plants showed normal growth with application of <10 microm DEX. After DEX induction, the MgSM1-expressing plants showed enhanced disease resistance against B. cinerea, Alternaria brassicicola and Psto DC3000 as well as up-regulated expression of some of defense genes. Moreover, accumulation of reactive oxygen species was observed in MgSM1-expressing plants. These results collectively suggest that ectopic expression of MgSM1 in transgenic plants confers broad-spectrum resistance against different types of pathogens. Our study also provides a novel strategy to generate environment-friendly crops with enhanced broad-spectrum resistance through ectopic expression of microbe-derived disease resistance-inducing proteins.

Erwinia amylovora type three-secreted proteins trigger cell death and defense responses in Arabidopsis thaliana

Erwinia amylovora is the bacterium responsible for fire blight, a necrotic disease affecting plants of the rosaceous family. E. amylovora pathogenicity requires a functional type three secretion system (T3SS). We show here that E. amylovora triggers a T3SS-dependent cell death on Arabidopsis thaliana. The plants respond by inducing T3SS-dependent defense responses, including salicylic acid (SA)-independent callose deposition, activation of the SA defense pathway, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, and part of the jasmonic acid/ethylene defense pathway. Several of these reactions are similar to what is observed in host plants. We show that the cell death triggered by E. amylovora on A. thaliana could not be simply explained by the recognition of AvrRpt2 ea by the resistance gene product RPS2. We then analyzed the role of type three-secreted proteins (T3SPs) DspA/E, HrpN, and HrpW in the induction of cell death and defense reactions in A. thaliana following infection with the corresponding E. amylovora mutant strains. HrpN and DspA/E were found to play an important role in the induction of cell death, activation of defense pathways, and ROS accumulation. None of the T3SPs tested played a major role in the induction of SA-independent callose deposition. The relative importance of T3SPs in A. thaliana is correlated with their relative importance in the disease process on host plants, indicating that A. thaliana can be used as a model to study their role.

A fragment of the Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola harpin HpaG Xooc reduces disease and increases yield of rice in extensive grower plantings

Harpins of phytopathogenic bacteria stimulate defense and plant growth in many types of plants, conferring disease resistance and enhanced yield. In a previous study, we characterized nine fragments of the harpin protein HpaG(Xooc) from Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola for plant defense elicitation and plant growth stimulation activity relative to the intact protein. In plants grown under controlled conditions, the fragment HpaG10-42 was more active in both regards than HpaG(Xooc). Here, we demonstrate that the activity of HpaG10-42 in rice under field conditions significantly exceeds that of HpaG(Xooc), stimulating resistance to three important diseases and increasing grain yield. We carried out tests in 672 experimental plots with nine cultivars of rice planted at three locations. Application protocols were optimized by testing variations in application rate, frequency, and timing with respect to rice growth stage. Of the concentrations (24, 24, 12, and 6 microg/ml), and number and timing of applications (at one to four different stages of growth) tested, HpaG10-42 at 6 microg/ml applied to plants once at nursery seedling stage and three times in the field was most effective. Bacterial blight, rice blast, and sheath blight were reduced 61.6 and 56.4, 93.6 and 76.0, and 93.2 and 55.0% in indica and japonica cultivars, respectively, relative to controls. Grain yields were 22 to 27% greater. These results are similar to results obtained with typical local management practices, including use of chemicals, to decrease disease severities and increase yield in rice. Our results demonstrate that the HpaG10-42 protein fragment can be used effectively to control diseases and increase yield of this staple food crop.

Identification of specific fragments of HpaG Xooc, a harpin from Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola, that induce disease resistance and enhance growth in plants

Harpin proteins from gram-negative plant-pathogenic bacteria can stimulate hypersensitive cell death (HCD) and pathogen defense as well as enhance growth in plants. Two of these diverse activities clearly are beneficial and may depend on particular functional regions of the proteins. Identification of beneficial and deleterious regions might facilitate the beneficial use of harpin-related proteins on crops without causing negative effects like cell death. Here, we report the identification and testing of nine functional fragments of HpaG(Xooc), a 137-amino-acid harpin protein from Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola, the pathogen that causes bacterial leaf streak of rice. Polymerase chain reaction-based mutagenesis generated nine proteinaceous fragments of HpaG(Xooc); these caused different responses following their application to Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) and Oryza sativa (rice). Fragment HpaG62-137, which spans the indicated amino acid residues of the HpaG, induced more intense HCD; in contrast, HpaG10-42 did not cause evident cell death in tobacco. However, both fragments stimulated stronger defense responses and enhanced more growth in rice than the full-length parent protein, HpaG(Xooc). Of the nine fragments, the parent protein and one deletion mutant of HpaG(Xooc) tested, HpaG10-42, stimulated higher levels of rice growth and resulted in greater levels of resistance to X. oryzae pv. oryzae and Magnaporthe grisea. These pathogens cause bacterial leaf blight and rice blast, respectively, the two most important diseases of rice world-wide. HpaG10-42 was more active than HpaG(Xooc) in inducing expression of several genes that regulate rice defense and growth processes and activating certain signaling pathways, which may explain the greater beneficial effects observed from treatment with that fragment. Overall, our results suggest that HpaG10-42 holds promise for practical agricultural use to induce disease resistance and enhance growth of rice.

Harpins and ion channels modulations: Many ways to die

Harpins are type three secretion system (TTSS) effectors. While few harpins are thought to be translocators of TTSS effectors through the host plasma membrane during plant/bacteria interactions, functions of many harpins remain for the moment mysterious. We recently showed that the HrpW(ea) harpin from Erwinia amylovora, at subnamolar concentration, was able to decrease defense responses triggered by another harpin from this bacteria, HrpN(ea). This antagonism could be the result of opposed anion channels modulations triggered by HrpW(ea) and HrpN(ea). At upper concentrations HrpW(ea) alone, or in combination with HrpN(ea), was able to induce cell death. This form of cell death involves strong ion channel activation and shares similarity with apoptosis volume decrease (AVD), a form of programmed cell death well described in animal cells. All these results suggest different ways for harpins to trigger cell death and highlight the role of ion channels during cell death processes.

Antagonistic action of harpin proteins: HrpWea from Erwinia amylovora suppresses HrpNea-induced cell death in Arabidopsis thaliana

Harpins are proteins secreted by the type-three secretion system of phytopathogenic bacteria. They are known to induce a hypersensitive response (HR) in non-host plant leaf tissue. Erwinia amylovora, the fire blight pathogen of pear and apple trees, secretes two different harpins, HrpNea and HrpWea. In the present study, we showed that an Erwinia amylovora hrpWea mutant induces stronger electrolyte leakages in Arabidopsis thaliana foliar disks than the wild-type strain, thus suggesting that HrpWea could function as a HR negative modulator. We confirmed this result by using purified HrpWea and HrpNea. HrpWea has dual effects depending on its concentration. At 200 nM, HrpWea, like HrpNea, provoked the classical defense response--active oxygen species (AOS) production and cell death. However, at 0.2 nM, HrpWea inhibited cell death and AOS production provoked by HrpNea. HrpWea probably inhibits HrpNea-induced cell death by preventing anion channel inhibition, confirming that anion channel regulation is a determinant feature of the plant response to harpins. Collectively our data show that the HrpWea harpin can act antagonistically to the classical HrpNea harpin by suppressing plant defense mechanisms.