Open AccessRequirement of Functional Ethylene-Insensitive 2Gene for Efficient Resistance of Arabidopsis to Infection by Botrytis cinerea
Author(s) -
B.P.H.J. Thomma,
Kristel Eggermont,
Koenraad F.M.-J. Tierens,
Willem F. Broekaert
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
plant physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.554
H-Index - 312
eISSN - 1532-2548
pISSN - 0032-0889
DOI - 10.1104/pp.121.4.1093
Subject(s) - alternaria brassicicola , arabidopsis , botrytis cinerea , biology , mutant , gene , ethylene , plant disease resistance , pathosystem , microbiology and biotechnology , wild type , fungus , botrytis , pathogen , botany , genetics , biochemistry , catalysis
Inoculation of wild-type Arabidopsis plants with the fungus Alternaria brassicicola results in systemic induction of genes encoding a plant defensin (PDF1.2), a basic chitinase (PR-3), and an acidic hevein-like protein (PR-4). Pathogen-induced induction of these three genes is almost completely abolished in the ethylene-insensitive Arabidopsis mutant ein2-1. This indicates that a functional ethylene signal transduction component (EIN2) is required in this response. The ein2-1 mutants were found to be markedly more susceptible than wild-type plants to infection by two different strains of the gray mold fungus Botrytis cinerea. In contrast, no increased fungal colonization of ein2-1 mutants was observed after challenge with avirulent strains of either Peronospora parasitica or A. brassicicola. Our data support the conclusion that ethylene-controlled responses play a role in resistance of Arabidopsis to some but not all types of pathogens.