Fumonisin B1-induced cell death in arabidopsis protoplasts requires jasmonate-, ethylene-, and salicylate-dependent signaling pathways

The Two Classes of Ceramide Synthases Play Different Roles in Plant Immunity and Cell Death

Ceramide synthases (CSs) produce ceramides from long-chain bases (LCBs). However, how CSs regulate immunity and cell death in Arabidopsis thaliana remains unclear. Here, we decipher the roles of two classes of CS, CSI (LAG1 HOMOLOG 2, LOH2) and CSII (LOH1/3), in these processes. The loh1-2 and loh1-1 loh3-1 mutants were resistant to the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv maculicola (Psm) DG3 and exhibited programmed cell death (PCD), along with increased LCBs and ceramides, at later stages. In loh1-2, the Psm resistance, PCD, and sphingolipid accumulation were mostly suppressed by inactivation of the lipase-like proteins ENHANCED DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY 1 (EDS1) and PHYTOALEXIN DEFICIENT 4 (PAD4), and partly suppressed by loss of SALICYLIC ACID INDUCTION DEFICIENT 2 (SID2). The LOH1 inhibitor fumonisin B1 (FB1) triggered EDS1/PAD4-independent LCB accumulation, and EDS1/PAD4-dependent cell death, resistance to Psm, and C16 Cer accumulation. Loss of LOH2 enhances FB1-, and sphinganine-induced PCD, indicating that CSI negatively regulates the signaling triggered by CSII inhibition. Like Cer, LCBs mediate cell death and immunity signaling, partly through the EDS1/PAD4 pathway. Our results show that the two classes of ceramide synthases differentially regulate EDS1/PAD4-dependent PCD and immunity via subtle control of LCBs and Cers in Arabidopsis.

Fumonisin B1: A Tool for Exploring the Multiple Functions of Sphingolipids in Plants

Fumonisin toxins are produced by Fusarium fungal pathogens. Fumonisins are structural analogs of sphingosine and potent inhibitors of ceramide synthases (CerSs); they disrupt sphingolipid metabolism and cause disease in plants and animals. Over the past three decades, researchers have used fumonisin B1 (FB1), the most common fumonisin, as a probe to investigate sphingolipid metabolism in yeast and animals. Although the physiological effects of FB1 in plants have yet to be investigated in detail, forward and reverse genetic approaches have revealed many genes involved in these processes. In this review, we discuss the intricate network of signaling pathways affected by FB1, including changes in sphingolipid metabolism and the effects of these changes, with a focus on our current understanding of the multiple effects of FB1 on plant cell death and plant growth. We analyze the major findings that highlight the connections between sphingolipid metabolism and FB1-induced signaling, and we point out where additional research is needed to fill the gaps in our understanding of FB1-induced signaling pathways in plants.

Plant Pathogenic Fungi

Fungi are among the dominant causal agents of plant diseases. To colonize plants and cause disease, pathogenic fungi use diverse strategies. Some fungi kill their hosts and feed on dead material (necrotrophs), while others colonize the living tissue (biotrophs). For successful invasion of plant organs, pathogenic development is tightly regulated and specialized infection structures are formed. To further colonize hosts and establish disease, fungal pathogens deploy a plethora of virulence factors. Depending on the infection strategy, virulence factors perform different functions. While basically all pathogens interfere with primary plant defense, necrotrophs secrete toxins to kill plant tissue. In contrast, biotrophs utilize effector molecules to suppress plant cell death and manipulate plant metabolism in favor of the pathogen. This article provides an overview of plant pathogenic fungal species and the strategies they use to cause disease.

Global Plant Stress Signaling: Reactive Oxygen Species at the Cross-Road

Current technologies have changed biology into a data-intensive field and significantly increased our understanding of signal transduction pathways in plants. However, global defense signaling networks in plants have not been established yet. Considering the apparent intricate nature of signaling mechanisms in plants (due to their sessile nature), studying the points at which different signaling pathways converge, rather than the branches, represents a good start to unravel global plant signaling networks. In this regard, growing evidence shows that the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is one of the most common plant responses to different stresses, representing a point at which various signaling pathways come together. In this review, the complex nature of plant stress signaling networks will be discussed. An emphasis on different signaling players with a specific attention to ROS as the primary source of the signaling battery in plants will be presented. The interactions between ROS and other signaling components, e.g., calcium, redox homeostasis, membranes, G-proteins, MAPKs, plant hormones, and transcription factors will be assessed. A better understanding of the vital roles ROS are playing in plant signaling would help innovate new strategies to improve plant productivity under the circumstances of the increasing severity of environmental conditions and the high demand of food and energy worldwide.

Ethylene Modulates Sphingolipid Synthesis in Arabidopsis

Sphingolipids have essential structural and bioactive functions in membranes and in signaling. However, how plants regulate sphingolipid biosynthesis in the response to stress remains unclear. Here, we reveal that the plant hormone ethylene can modulate sphingolipid synthesis. The fungal toxin Fumonisin B1 (FB1) inhibits the activity of ceramide synthases, perturbing sphingolipid homeostasis, and thus inducing cell death. We used FB1 to test the role of ethylene signaling in sphingolipid synthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. The etr1-1 and ein2 mutants, which have disrupted ethylene signaling, exhibited hypersensitivity to FB1; by contrast, the eto1-1 and ctr1-1 mutants, which have enhanced ethylene signaling, exhibited increased tolerance to FB1. Gene expression analysis showed that during FB1 treatment, transcripts of genes involved in de novo sphingolipid biosynthesis were down-regulated in ctr1-1 mutants but up-regulated in ein2 mutants. Strikingly, under normal conditions, ctr1-1 mutants contained less ceramides and hydroxyceramides, compared with wild type. After FB1 treatment, ctr1-1 and ein2 mutants showed a significant improvement in sphingolipid contents, except the ctr1-1 mutants showed little change in hydroxyceramide levels. Treatment of wild-type seedlings with the ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid down-regulated genes involved in the sphingolipid de novo biosynthesis pathway, thus reducing sphingolipid contents and partially rescuing FB1-induced cell death. Taking these results together, we propose that ethylene modulates sphingolipids by regulating the expression of genes related to the de novo biosynthesis of sphingolipids.

Allocation of Fe and ferric chelate reductase activities in mesophyll cells of barley and sorghum under Fe-deficient conditions

Although the photosynthetic apparatus requires large amounts of Fe, the adaptive mechanisms of mesophyll cells for Fe acquisition under Fe-deficient conditions are unknown. Barley and sorghum, which are tolerant and susceptible to Fe deficiency, respectively, have similar Fe and chlorophyll contents in their leaves. However, the Fe-deficient barley photosynthetic apparatus was functional while that of sorghum was not. We show that barley preferentially allocates Fe to thylakoid membranes under Fe-deficient conditions. On the other hand, in sorghum, the proportion of leaf Fe allocated to thylakoids was not altered by Fe deficiency. The relationship between the maintenance of photosynthesis and light-dependent ferric chelate reductase activity on plasma membranes and chloroplast envelopes is also discussed.

The outcomes of concentration-specific interactions between salicylate and jasmonate signaling include synergy, antagonism, and oxidative stress leading to cell death

Salicylic acid (SA) has been proposed to antagonize jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthesis and signaling. We report, however, that in salicylate hydroxylase-expressing tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants, where SA levels were reduced, JA levels were not elevated during a hypersensitive response elicited by Pseudomonas syringae pv phaseolicola. The effects of cotreatment with various concentrations of SA and JA were assessed in tobacco and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). These suggested that there was a transient synergistic enhancement in the expression of genes associated with either JA (PDF1.2 [defensin] and Thi1.2 [thionin]) or SA (PR1 [PR1a-beta-glucuronidase in tobacco]) signaling when both signals were applied at low (typically 10-100 microm) concentrations. Antagonism was observed at more prolonged treatment times or at higher concentrations. Similar results were also observed when adding the JA precursor, alpha-linolenic acid with SA. Synergic effects on gene expression and plant stress were NPR1- and COI1-dependent, SA- and JA-signaling components, respectively. Electrolyte leakage and Evans blue staining indicated that application of higher concentrations of SA + JA induced plant stress or death and elicited the generation of apoplastic reactive oxygen species. This was indicated by enhancement of hydrogen peroxide-responsive AoPR10-beta-glucuronidase expression, suppression of plant stress/death using catalase, and direct hydrogen peroxide measurements. Our data suggests that the outcomes of JA-SA interactions could be tailored to pathogen/pest attack by the relative concentration of each hormone.

Pathogen-responsive expression of glycosyltransferase genes UGT73B3 and UGT73B5 is necessary for resistance to Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato in Arabidopsis

The genome sequencing of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) has revealed that secondary metabolism plant glycosyltransferases (UGTs) are encoded by an unexpectedly large multigenic family of 120 members. Very little is known about their actual function in planta, in particular during plant pathogen interactions. Among them, members of the group D are of particular interest since they are related to UGTs involved in stress-inducible responses in other plant species. We provide here a detailed analysis of the expression profiles of this group of Arabidopsis UGTs following infection with Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato or after treatment with salicylic acid, methyljasmonate, and hydrogen peroxide. Members of the group D displayed distinct induction profiles, indicating potential roles in stress or defense responses notably for UGT73B3 and UGT73B5. Analysis of UGT expression in Arabidopsis defense-signaling mutants further revealed that their induction is methyljasmonate independent, but partially salicylic acid dependent. T-DNA tagged mutants (ugt73b3 and ugt73b5) exhibited decreased resistance to P. syringae pv tomato-AvrRpm1, indicating that expression of the corresponding UGT genes is necessary during the hypersensitive response. These results emphasize the importance of plant secondary metabolite UGTs in plant-pathogen interactions and provide foundation for future understanding of the exact role of UGTs during the hypersensitive response.