Effect of Ethylene Action Inhibitors upon Wound-Induced Gene Expression in Tomato Pericarp

The contribution of wound-ethylene to wound-induced gene expression was investigated in unripe tomato pericarp using inhibitors of ethylene action. Wounded unripe tomato pericarp was treated with 2,5-norbornadiene or silver thiosulfate to inhibit specifically the induction of ethylene-dependent mRNA species. Poly(A)⁺ RNAs isolated from these tissues after 12 hours of wounding were translated in vitro in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate system and [³⁵S]methionine-labeled polypeptides were compared to unwounded controls after separation by one and two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Results show that mechanical wounding induces a dramatic shift in gene expression (over 50 mRNA species) but expression of less than 15% of these genes is affected by the treatment with ethylene action inhibitors. A selective decrease in mRNAs coding for a 37 kilodalton doublet and 75 kilodalton polypeptides is observed in 2,5-norbornadiene and silver thiosulfate treated wounded pericarp. Levels of hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein mRNAs induced in wounded tissue were not influenced by inhibitors of ethylene action.     

Involvement of ethylene biosynthesis and perception in the susceptibility of citrus fruits to Penicillium digitatum infection and the accumulation of defence-related mRNAs

Citrus fruits infected with the fungus Penicillium digitatum substantially increase the production of the plant hormone ethylene. In this study, the regulation of ethylene biosynthesis in Citrus sinensis-infected fruits and its putative involvement in an active defence response against P. digitatum infection is examined. Ethylene production is demonstrated as being the result of the co-ordinated and differential up-regulation of at least three ethylene biosynthetic genes: ACS1, ACS2, and ACO. Blocking ethylene perception by 1-MCP resulted in an increased ethylene production and ACS2 expression during infection and mechanical wounding, suggesting that this gene is negatively regulated by ethylene. ACO expression was induced by ethylene in the absence of wounding or infection, although further results indicate that its induction during the course of infection may not be primarily mediated by ethylene. Treatment with 1-MCP also increased susceptibility to Penicillium decay, showing an involvement of ethylene perception in promoting defence responses in citrus fruits. The changes in the expression of two defence-related genes up-regulated during infection were also studied: the ones coding for phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and an acidic class II chitinase (ACR311). The onset of PAL expression after mechanical wounding or inoculation was not changed in 1-MCP-pretreated fruits, while its later increase during the course of infection was abolished. Chitinase gene induction was more related to mechanical damage and was partially repressed by ethylene. These studies indicate distinct possible regulatory mechanisms of plant fruit defence genes in the context of fungal infection and ethylene perception.     

高羊茅FaChit1基因启动子的功能分析

用含有不同长度FaChitl基因启动子区域与GUS基因融合构建植物表达载体pFaChitlP—I、pFaChitlP-Ⅱ以及pFaChitlP-Ⅲ并分别对烟草进行转化,经真菌激发子、干旱、机械损伤以及乙烯等多种胁迫处理后测定GUS活性。启动子缺失分析实验结果显示,真菌激发子对FaChitl基因启动子所介导的GUS诱导表达效果最强,而机械损伤只能微弱地诱导GL靥基因表达;FaChitl基因启动子-651bp以内的序列均能介导GUS基因的诱导表达,同时-935bp与-233bp之间的区域是该启动子响应真菌激发子、乙烯以及机械损伤胁迫所必需的。表明FaChitl启动子是一个多胁迫诱导型启动子。     

Roles of ethylene and jasmonic acid in systemic induced defense in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) against Helicoverpa zea

Inducible defenses that provide enhanced resistance to insect attack are nearly universal in plants. The defense-signaling cascade is mediated by the synthesis, movement, and perception of jasmonate (JA) and the interaction of this signaling molecule with other plant hormones and messengers. To explore how the interaction of JA and ethylene influences induced defenses, we employed the never-ripe (Nr) tomato mutant, which exhibits a partial block in ethylene perception, and the defenseless (def1) mutant, which is deficient in JA biosynthesis. The defense gene proteinase inhibitor (PIN2) was used as marker to compare plant responses. The Nr mutant showed a normal wounding response with PIN2 induction, but the def1 mutant did not. As expected, methyl JA (MeJA) treatment restored the normal wound response in the def1 mutant. Exogenous application of MeJA increased resistance to Helicoverpa zea, induced defense gene expression, and increased glandular trichome density on systemic leaves. Exogenous application of ethephon, which penetrates tissues and decomposes to ethylene, resulted in increased H. zea growth and interfered with the wounding response. Ethephon treatment also increased salicylic acid in systemic leaves. These results indicate that while JA plays the main role in systemic induced defense, ethylene acts antagonistically in this system to regulate systemic defense.     

Expression of the ipomoelin gene from sweet potato is regulated by dephosphorylated proteins, calcium ion and ethylene

A wound‐inducible cDNA, ipomoelin (IPO) was isolated from the subtraction library of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas cv. Tainung 57) and used as a molecular probe to investigate the transduction pathway of wounding signal within plant cells. Following mechanical wounding of the leaves of sweet potato, IPO mRNA accumulation peaked at 6 h and then continuously declined. However, IPO gene expression in the apical unwounded leaves began at 6 h after wounding and continued for a further 10 h. Besides mechanical wounding, methyl jasmonate (MeJA) was identified as a signal transducer leading to the accumulation of IPO mRNA. Treatment with salicylic acid reduced the production of IPO mRNA, further supporting the involvement of the octadecanoid pathway in the signal transduction of wounding in sweet potato. In addition, ethylene was involved in the signal pathway and induced the expression of the IPO gene. Furthermore, the application of okadaic acid, a protein phosphatase inhibitor, blocked the accumulation of IPO mRNA induced by MeJA or ethylene, indicating that activation of the IPO gene by both MeJA and ethylene was via dephosphorylated proteins. The presence of a calcium ion chelator or channel blockers also inhibited the expression of the IPO gene after wounding. However, investigation by confocal scanning microscopy further pointed out that mechanical wounding rather than the application of MeJA induced the accumulation of the calcium ion. These results may indicate that the calcium ion is also involved in the activation of IPO mRNA. In addition, wounding signals the accumulation of calcium ion first and then stimulates the biosynthesis of MeJA in sweet potato. Hence, the reaction sequence of signal transducers, including the calcium ion, MeJA and protein kinase/phosphatase, in the wounding signalling pathway of sweet potato is suggested in this report.