Peroxidase isoenzymes in the defense response of Capsicum annuum to Phytophthora capsici

Quantitative and qualitative changes in isoperoxidase patterns from stems of three cultivars of pepper ( Capsicum annuum L.). one susceptible, one intermediate and one resistant, were found upon inoculation with Phytophthora capsici using a decapitation method. The peroxidase activity was determined in the intercellular fluid as well as in the cytosolic fraction of the necrotic, healthy and intermediate zones of stems of the three cultivars, 6 days after inoculation. In the intercellular fluid, peroxidase activity of the susceptible cv. Yolo Wonder increased somewhat from 4.7 (healthy zone) to 12.9 (intermediate zone) μmol mg⁻¹ protein min⁻¹, whereas in the intermediate cv. Americano, the peroxidase activity decreased from 123 (healthy zone) to 78 (intermediate zone) μmol mg⁻¹ protein min⁻¹. The most dramatic increase (5.7 to 662 μmol mg⁻¹ protein min⁻¹) in intercellular peroxidase activity was found in the resistant cv. Smith-5. This, in conjunction with the appearance of an additional acidic isoperoxidase (pI 4.4) specific for the cv. Smith-5, could be the reason for the resistance of this cultivar against the fungus attack. The release of peroxidase into the intercellular space as a defense reaction was confirmed by histochemical analysis, showing that peroxidase activity occurred in the intercellular spaces of those stems of the resistant cultivar that had not yet been invaded by the fungus, but was detected neither in the other cultivars nor in the intercellular spaces of such stems of the intermediate and susceptible cultivars that contained growing mycelium of P. capsici. The lack of staining in the intercellular spaces of the susceptible cultivars could be attributed to their low content in peroxidase.     

Capsidiol: Its role in the resistance of Capsicum annuum to Phytophthora capsici

Inoculation of the stems of three Capsicum annuum L. cultivars showing different degrees of sensitivity to the fungal pathogen Phytophthora capsici , resulted in a hypersensitive reaction being expressed along the stems. One of the peppers (cv. Smith-5) showed resistance by total inhibition of fungal growth. Capsidiol, a phytoalexin, which accumulates in the area of necrosis appears to be involved in this resistance. Capsidiol accumulation was analyzed by gas chromatography and was correlated with the restricted growth of P. capsici , in vivo and in vitro, confirming the former's fungistatic and fungitoxic properties. The capacity to inhibit pathogenic growth was evident only when capsidiol production exceeded 1 204 μg ml^-1, a level reached in the resistant variety after 6 days of incubation. Experiments on induced resistance showed that a second inoculation of the stems of the three cultivars also resulted in necrosis and in an accumulation of capsidiol, although to a lesser extent than in the first inoculation. The greater accumulation of capsidiol in the stems of cv. Smith-5 is in accordance with the resistance shown by this cultivar to P. capsici , and confirms the implication of capsidiol in the disease resistance of this cultivar to fungal pathogens. Capsidiol has a fungistatic character at a mean concentration of 3.75 mM, and is fungitoxic at levels above 5 mM. This level must be exceeded and all the growing hyphae must be affected for capsidiol to qualify from being fungistatic to being fungitoxic.     

A common plant cell-wall protein HyPRP1 has dual roles as a positive regulator of cell death and a negative regulator of basal defense against pathogens

Although hybrid proline-rich proteins (HyPRPs) are ubiquitous in plants, little is known about their roles other than as cell-wall structural proteins. We identified the gene HyPRP1 in Capsicum annuum and Nicotiana benthamiana, which encodes a protein containing proline-rich domain and eight-cysteine motif (8CM) that is constitutively expressed in various organs, mostly in the root, but is down-regulated upon inoculation with either incompatible or compatible pathogens. Ectopic expression of HyPRP1 in plants accelerated cell death, showing developmental abnormality with down-regulation of ROS-scavenging genes, and enhanced pathogen susceptibility suppressing expression of defense-related genes. Conversely, silencing of HyPRP1 suppressed pathogen-induced cell death, but enhanced disease resistance, with up-regulation of defense-related genes and inhibition of in planta growth of bacterial pathogens independently of signal molecule-mediated pathways. Furthermore, the secreted 8CM was sufficient for these HyPRP1 functions. Together, our results suggest that a common plant cell-wall structural protein, HyPRP1, performs distinct dual roles in positive regulation of cell death and negative regulation of basal defense against pathogen.     

漾濞大泡核桃WRKY转录因子基因JsWRKY1的克隆及表达特性分析

WRKY转录因子普遍存在于植物体内,在植物的抗病防御反应中起重要作用。本实验基于漾濞大泡核桃（Juglans sigillata）中编码WRKY转录因子的EST序列设计引物,采用快速扩增cDNA末端技术,克隆得到一个新的脓Ky基因的全长cDNA序列,命名为JsWRKY1（KJ170895）。JsWRKY1的cDNA全长为1012bp,含有564bp的开放阅读框,154bp 5’-非翻译区以及294bp的3＇-非翻译区,编码具有187个氨基酸的蛋白质。JsWRKY1编码的氨基酸序列与已知植物WRKY家族成员间的同源性和聚类分析表明JsWRKY1与来源于可可树（Theobroma cacao）和大豆（Glycinemax）中的wRKY相似性较高,属于IIc类wRKY。qRT-PCR分析结果显示,信号分子水杨酸、茉莉酸、H2O2和乙烯处理可以不同程度地诱导漾濞大泡核桃叶片中JsWRKY1的表达。此外,接种胶孢炭疽菌后JsWRKY1的表达量迅速上升,在接种后4h时达到最高水平,之后表达量逐渐下降,暗示JsWRKY1参与漾濞大泡核桃抗胶孢炭疽菌的防卫反应。     

Maize metacaspases modulate the defense response mediated by the NLR protein Rp1-D21 likely by affecting its subcellular localization

Plants usually employ resistance (R) genes to defend against the infection of pathogens, and most R genes encode intracellular nucleotide-binding, leucine-rich repeat (NLR) proteins. The recognition between R proteins and their cognate pathogens often triggers a rapid localized cell death at the pathogen infection sites, termed the hypersensitive response (HR). Metacaspases (MCs) belong to a cysteine protease family, structurally related to metazoan caspases. MCs play crucial roles in plant immunity. However, the underlying molecular mechanism and the link between MCs and NLR-mediated HR are not clear. In this study, we systematically investigated the MC gene family in maize and identified 11 ZmMCs belonging to two types. Further functional analysis showed that the type I ZmMC1 and ZmMC2, but not the type II ZmMC9, suppress the HR-inducing activity of the autoactive NLR protein Rp1-D21 and of its N-terminal coiled-coil (CC_D21) signaling domain when transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana. ZmMC1 and ZmMC2 physically associate with CC_D21 in vivo. We further showed that ZmMC1 and ZmMC2, but not ZmMC9, are predominantly localized in a punctate distribution in both N. benthamiana and maize (Zea mays) protoplasts. Furthermore, the co-expression of ZmMC1 and ZmMC2 with Rp1-D21 and CC_D21 causes their re-distribution from being uniformly distributed in the nucleocytoplasm to a punctate distribution co-localizing with ZmMC1 and ZmMC2. We reveal a novel role of plant MCs in modulating the NLR-mediated defense response and derive a model to explain it.     

大麦黄花叶病相关基因WRKY55的克隆及功能研究

大麦黄花叶病是我国长江中下游地区大麦种植区域的主要病毒病害,由大麦黄花叶病毒(BaYMV,Barley yellow mosaic virus)及大麦和性花叶病毒(BaMMV,Barley mild mosaic virus)引起,自然条件下病毒寄生于禾谷多黏菌中,通过感染大麦根部导致病害发生。本研究通过分析RNA-seq数据,获得感染BaMMV后上调表达的基因HORVU1Hr1G069640(WRKY55)。荧光定量PCR分析发现WRKY55在感病品种中的表达水平极显著高于抗病材料,说明WRKY55参与到大麦感染黄花叶病的过程。WRKY55全长870 bp,在415～594位核苷酸之间含有WRKY保守结构域,系统进化分析显示该基因位于独立的进化分枝。组织表达分析发现该基因主要在根部和幼嫩组织中表达,而其他成熟部位表达较少甚至没有。农杆菌介导的烟草亚细胞定位实验发现WRKY55位于整个细胞。酵母转录因子活性分析实验未检测到转录激活活性,酵母双杂交实验未检测到WRKY55与感病基因编码蛋白eIF4E和PDIL5-1存在物理相互作用。这些结果显示WRKY55参与到大麦黄花叶病感染。     

The RPM1 plant disease resistance gene facilitates a rapid and sustained increase in cytosolic calcium that is necessary for the oxidative burst and hypersensitive cell death

Early events occurring during the hypersensitive resistance response (HR) were examined using the avrRpm1/RPM1 gene-for-gene interaction in Arabidopsis challenged by Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. Increases in cytosolic Ca2+ were measured in whole leaves using aequorin-mediated bioluminescence. During the HR a sustained increase in Ca2+ was observed which was dependent on the presence of both a functional RPM1 gene product and delivery of the cognate avirulence gene product AvrRpm1. The sequence-unrelated avirulence gene avrB, which also interacts with RPM1, generated a significantly later but similarly prolonged increase in cytosolic Ca2+. Accumulation of H2O2 at reaction sites, as revealed by electron microscopy, occurred within the same time frame as the changes in cytosolic Ca2+. The NADPH oxidase inhibitor diphenylene iodonium chloride did not affect the calcium signature, but did block H2O2 accumulation and the HR. By contrast, the calcium-channel blocker LaCl3 suppressed the increase in cytosolic Ca2+ as well as H2O2 accumulation and the HR, placing calcium elevation upstream of the oxidative burst.     

Assessment of Gene Flow from Genetically Modified Anthracnose-Resistant Chili Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) to a Conventional Crop

We conducted a 2-year field assessment of the gene flow from genetically modified (GM) chili pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), containing the PepEST (pepper esterase) gene, to a non-GM control line “WT512” and two commercial hybrid cultivars, “Manidda” and “Cheongpung Myeongwol (CM).” After seeds were collected from the pollen-recipient non-GM plants, hybrids between them and the GM peppers were screened by a hygromycin assay. PCR with the targeting hpt gene was performed to confirm the presence of transgenes in hygromycin-resistant seedlings. Out of 7,071 “WT512” seeds and 6,854 “Manidda” seeds collected in 2006, eight and 12 hybrids, respectively, were detected. In 2007, 33 hybrids from 3,456 “WT512” seeds and 50 hybrids from 3,457 “CM” seeds were found. The highest frequency of gene flow, 6.19%, was observed in that 2007 trial. These results suggest that a limited isolation distance would be sufficient to prevent gene flow from GM to conventionally bred chili peppers.     

Suppression of CaCYP1, a novel cytochrome P450 gene, compromises the basal pathogen defense response of pepper plants

A putative cytochrome P450 gene from chili pepper, Capsicum annuum L. Bukang cytochrome P450 (CaCYP1), was identified using cDNA microarray analysis of gene expression following induction of the leaf hypersensitive response by inoculation of pepper plants with the non-host pathogen Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. glycines 8ra. The full-length cDNA of CaCYP1 encoded a protein of 514 amino acid residues, which contained a putative hydrophobic membrane anchoring domain in the N-terminal region, and a heme-binding motif in the C-terminal region. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence of CaCYP1 revealed that it has high homology to Arabidopsis CYP89A5, the function of which is unknown. Expression of CaCYP1 was preferentially increased in pepper plants in response to non-host pathogen inoculation and also during the host resistance response. CaCYP1 expression also increased following treatment with salicylic acid and abscisic acid, while treatment with ethylene had a mild effect. Using a virus-induced gene silencing-based reverse genetics approach, we demonstrated that suppression of CaCYP1 results in enhanced susceptibility to bacterial pathogens. Interestingly, gene silencing of CaCYP1 in pepper plants resulted in the reduced expression of the defense-related genes CaLTP1, CaSIG4, and Cadhn. Our results indicated that CaCYP1, a novel cytochrome P450 in pepper plants, may play a role in plant defense response pathways that involve salicylic acid and abscisic acid signaling pathways.