水稻中水杨酸和茉莉酸特异诱导蛋白激酶基因OsSJMK1的分离和鉴定

裂原激活蛋白激酶（MAPK）级联系统负责把接受自胞外或胞内的信号进一步传递和放大而最终作用于特异的转录因子,从而启动或调控基因的表达。MAPK信号级联系统在细胞分裂、分化、生物胁迫和非生物胁迫等多种信号传递途径中起着十分重要的作用。该文以一个茉莉酸（JA）诱导的表达序列为基础,在水稻中分离到了一个裂原激活蛋白激酶基因OsSJMK1的全长cDNA。序列比较分析表明该基因编码498个氨基酸,蛋白质等电点为8．43,包括完整的MAPK家族的蛋白激酶结构域。OsSJMK1与所有物种的MAPK一样包括蛋白激酶的全部11个次级结构域,在Ⅶ和Ⅷ次级结构域间一个双磷酸化位点;该位点苏氨酸（T）和酪氨酸（Y）残基之间为天冬氨酸（D）,而不是其他MAPK中常见的谷氨酸（E）、脯氨酸（P）或甘氨酸（G）。除了典型的MAPK激酶功能域外,在羧基端还有一段长约150个氨基酸残基的可能参与蛋白互作的结构域。以上这些结构特征表明OsSJMK1属于植物中第v类MAPK家族成员。蛋白激酶结构域序列比较表明OsSJMK1与报道的稻瘟病菌和机械伤害诱导的BWMK1的序列相似性高达81％,而且基因内含子和外显子的组成也非常相似,属于同一亚类,但在蛋白质序列的C端差异却很大。与BWMK1不同,OsSJMK1的表达不受伤害诱导,而受稻瘟病轻微诱导,但在JA和SA（水杨酸）处理早期表达量却迅速升高。在JA处理后1h,OsSJMK1转录水平升高到最大,而12h后回落到处理前的本底水平;在SA处理后30min转录水平就开始上升,2h达到最高值,而随后开始下降到处理前的本底水平。SA类似物BTH也能诱导OsSJMK1的表达。其他一些激素处理（如ABA）和非生物胁迫（如干旱、盐胁迫）都不对基因的表达产生任何影响,而且在植物大部分组织中的表达量都非常低。这些结果说明OsSJMK1可能特异性的参与JA和SA介导的防卫反应。     

BWMK1 Responds to Multiple Environmental Stresses and Plant Hormones

Many plant mltogen-actlvated protein klnases （MAPKs） play an important role In regulating responses to both ablotlc and biotic stresses. The first reported rice MAPK gene BWMK1 Is Induced by both rice blast （Magnaporthe grisea） Infection and mechanical wounding. For further analysis of Its response to other environmental cues and plant hormones, such as jasmonlc acid （JA）, salicylic acid （SA）, and benzothladlazole （BTH）, the promoter of BWMKf was fused with the coding region of the β-glucuronldase （GUS） reporter gene. Two promoter-GUS constructs with a 1.0- and 2.5-kb promoter fragment, respectively, were generated and transformed into the Japonica rice cultIvars TP309 and Zhonghua 11. Expression of GUS was Induced in the transgenic lines by cold, drought, dark, and JA. However, light, SA, and BTH treatments suppressed GUS expression. These results demonstrate that BWMK1 Is responsive to multiple ablotlc stresses and plant hormones and may play a role In cross-talk between different signaling pathways.     

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.     

The alfalfa (Medicago sativa) TDY1 gene encodes a mitogen-activated protein kinase homolog.

Development of root nodules, specifically induction of cortical cell division for nodule initiation, requires expression of specific genes in the host and microsymbiont. A full-length cDNA clone and the corresponding genomic clone encoding a MAP (mitogen-activated protein) kinase homolog were isolated from alfalfa (Medicago sativa). The genomic clone, TDY1, encodes a 68.9-kDa protein with 47.7% identity to MMK4, a previously characterized MAP kinase homolog from alfalfa. TDY1 is unique among the known plant MAP kinases, primarily due to a 230 amino acid C-terminal domain. The putative activation motif, Thr-Asp-Tyr (TDY), also differs from the previously reported Thr-Glu-Tyr (TEY) motif in plant MAP kinases. TDY1 messages were found predominantly in root nodules, roots, and root tips. Transgenic alfalfa and Medicago truncatula containing a chimeric gene consisting of 1.8 kbp of 5' flanking sequence of the TDY1 gene fused to the beta-glucuronidase (GUS) coding sequence exhibited GUS expression primarily in the nodule parenchyma, meristem, and vascular bundles, root tips, and root vascular bundles. Stem internodes stained intensely in cortical parenchyma, cambial cells, and primary xylem. GUS activity was observed in leaf mesophyll surrounding areas of mechanical wounding and pathogen invasion. The promoter was also active in root tips and apical meristems of transgenic tobacco. Expression patterns suggest a possible role for TDY1 in initiation and development of nodules and roots, and in localized responses to wounding.     

Calmodulin-dependent activation of MAP kinase for ROS homeostasis in Arabidopsis

Rapid recognition and signal transduction of mechanical wounding through various signaling molecules, including calcium (Ca2+), protein phosphorylation, and reactive oxygen species (ROS), are necessary early events leading to stress resistance in plants. Here we report that an Arabidopsis mitogen-activated protein kinase 8 (MPK8) connects protein phosphorylation, Ca2+, and ROS in the wound-signaling pathway. MPK8 is activated through mechanical wounding, and this activation requires direct binding of calmodulins (CaMs) in a Ca2+-dependent manner. MPK8 is also phosphorylated and activated by a MAPKK MKK3 in the prototypic kinase cascade, and full activation of MPK8 needs both CaMs and MKK3 in planta. The MPK8 pathway negatively regulates ROS accumulation through controlling expression of the Rboh D gene. These findings suggest that two major activation modes in eukaryotes, Ca2+/CaMs and the MAP kinase phosphorylation cascade, converge at MPK8 to monitor or maintain an essential part of ROS homeostasis.     

A B-lectin receptor kinase gene conferring rice blast resistance

Rice blast, caused by the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe grisea, is one of the most devastating diseases in rice worldwide. The dominant resistance gene, Pi-d2 [previously named Pi-d(t)2], present in the rice variety Digu, confers gene-for-gene resistance to the Chinese blast strain, ZB15. Pi-d2 was previously mapped close to the centromere of chromosome 6. In this study, the Pi-d2 gene was isolated by a map-based cloning strategy. Pi-d2 encodes a receptor-like kinase protein with a predicted extracellular domain of a bulb-type mannose specific binding lectin (B-lectin) and an intracellular serine-threonine kinase domain. Pi-d2 is a single-copy gene that is constitutively expressed in the rice variety Digu. Transgenic plants carrying the Pi-d2 transgene confer race-specific resistance to the M. grisea strain, ZB15. The Pi-d2 protein is plasma membrane localized. A single amino acid difference at position 441 of Pi-d2 distinguishes resistant and susceptible alleles of rice blast resistance gene Pi-d2. Because of its novel extracellular domain, Pi-d2 represents a new class of plant resistance genes.     

Molecular characterization and expression analysis of a rice protein phosphatase 2C gene, OsBIPP2C1, and overexpression in transgenic tobacco conferred enhanced disease resistance and abiotic tolerance

A full-length cDNA of a rice protein phosphatase 2C gene, OsBIPP2C1 , was cloned and identified. OsBIPP2C1 is predicted to encode a 569 amino acid protein that contains phosphatase domain at its C-terminal and a relatively long N-terminal extension. Expression profiles of OsBIPP2C1 in rice seedlings upon treatments with disease resistance inducers, pathogen infection, and mechanical wounding as well as various environmental stress conditions were analyzed. Expression of OsBIPP2C1 was activated upon treatments with benzothiadiazole (BTH), salicylic acid, and hydrogen peroxide, which are signal molecules in plant disease resistance responses, and was induced during the first 48 h after inoculation with Magnaporthe grisea in BTH-treated rice seedlings. OsBIPP2C1 was also upregulated upon mechanical wounding and treatments with abscisic acid, high salt, low temperature, and drought stress. Transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing OsBIPP2C1 gene showed enhanced disease resistance against tobacco mosaic virus and Phytophthora paratisca and increased tolerance against salt and osmotic stresses. These results suggest that OsBIPP2C1 may play important roles in responses to biotic and abiotic stresses.     

Pathogen-induced production of the antifungal AFP protein from Aspergillus giganteus confers resistance to the blast fungus Magnaporthe grisea in transgenic rice

Rice blast, caused by Magnaporthe grisea, is the most important fungal disease of cultivated rice worldwide. We have developed a strategy for creating disease resistance to M. grisea whereby pathogen-induced expression of the afp (antifungal protein) gene from Aspergillus giganteus occurs in transgenic rice plants. Here, we evaluated the activity of the promoters from three maize pathogenesis-related (PR) genes, ZmPR4, mpi, and PRms, in transgenic rice. Chimeric gene fusions were prepared between the maize promoters and the beta-glucuronidase reporter gene (gus A). Histochemical assays of GUS activity in transgenic rice revealed that the ZmPR4 promoter is strongly induced in response to fungal infection, treatment with fungal elicitors, and mechanical wounding. The ZmPR4 promoter is not active in the seed endosperm. The mpi promoter also proved responsiveness to fungal infection and wounding but not to treatment with elicitors. In contrast, no activity of the PRms promoter in leaves of transgenic rice was observed. Transgenic plants expressing the afp gene under the control of the ZmPR4 promoter were generated. Transformants showed resistance to M. grisea at various levels. Our results suggest that pathogen-inducible expression of the afp gene in rice plants may be a practical way for protection against the blast fungus. Most agricultural crop species suffer from a vast array of fungal diseases that cause severe yield losses all over the world. Rice blast, caused by the fungus Magnaporthe grisea (Herbert) Barr (anamorph Pyricularia grisea), is the most devastating disease of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.), due to its     

Molecular cloning and characterization of a tobacco MAP kinase kinase that interacts with SIPK

A tobacco MAP kinase termed SIPK (Salicylic acid-Induced Protein Kinase) is activated in response to a variety of stress signals, including pathogen attack and wounding (S. Zhang and D.F. Klessig, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95:7225-7230, 1998; S. Zhang and D.F. Klessig, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95:7433-7438, 1998). Using the yeast two-hybrid system, we have identified a gene encoding a protein that interacts with SIPK but not the wounding induced protein kinase (WIPK), which is another tobacco MAP kinase. Sequence analysis indicated that this SIPK-interacting protein is a member of the MAP kinase kinase family; thus, it was named SIPK kinase (SIPKK). Co-immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated that SIPKK and SIPK interact in vitro. Consistent with its putative function as a kinase, SIPKK phosphorylated myelin basic protein in vitro. Interestingly, SIPKK was induced at the mRNA level after Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) infection or wounding, albeit with kinetics that are too slow to account for the activation of SIPK following these stimuli.     

Molecular cloning and differential expression of an γ-aminobutyrate transaminase gene, OsGABA-T, in rice (Oryza sativa) leaves infected with blast fungus

γ-Aminobutyrate transaminase (GABA-T) catalyzes the conversion of GABA to succinic semialdehyde. Using differential display PCR and cDNA library screening, a full-length GABA-T cDNA (OsGABA-T) was isolated from rice (Oryza sativa) leaves infected with an incompatible race of Magnaporthe grisea. The deduced amino acid sequence comprises 483 amino acid residues and shares 85–69% identity with GABA-T sequences from other plants. OsGABA-T expression is induced by blast fungus infection, mechanical wounding and ultraviolet radiation in rice leaves and is not detected in normal rice organs. This gene is also induced by defense signal molecules such as salicylic acid and abscisic acid, but not by jasmonic acid. Our data suggest that OsGABA-T (GABA shunt) may play a role in restricting the levels of cell death during the host–pathogen interaction.