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Early nuclear events in plant defence signalling: rapid gene activation by WRKY transcription factors
Author(s) -
Eulgem Thomas,
Rushton Paul J.,
Schmelzer Elmon,
Hahlbrock Klaus,
Somssich Imre E.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.1093/emboj/18.17.4689
Subject(s) - wrky protein domain , biology , gene , transcription factor , activator (genetics) , gene expression , regulation of gene expression , transcription (linguistics) , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , zinc finger , elicitor , promoter , transcriptional regulation , transcriptome , linguistics , philosophy
Parsley WRKY proteins comprise a family of plant‐specific zinc‐finger‐type factors implicated in the regulation of genes associated with pathogen defence. In vitro , these proteins bind specifically to functionally defined TGAC‐containing W box promoter elements within the Pathogenesis‐Related Class10 ( PR‐10 ) genes. Here we present in vivo data demonstrating that WRKY1 is a transcriptional activator mediating fungal elicitor‐induced gene expression by binding to W box elements. In situ RNA hybridization revealed that the WRKY1 gene is rapidly and locally activated in parsley leaf tissue around fungal infection sites. Transient expression studies in parsley protoplasts showed that a specific arrangement of W box elements in the WRKY1 promoter itself is necessary and sufficient for early activation and that WRKY1 binds to such elements. Our results demonstrate that WRKY transcription factors play an important role in the regulation of early defence‐response genes including regulation of WRKY1 .