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Editing of an effector gene promoter sequence impacts plant‐ Phytophthora interaction
Author(s) -
Ochola Sylvans,
Huang Jie,
Ali Haider,
Shu Haidong,
Shen Danyu,
Qiu Min,
Wang Liyuan,
Li Xi,
Chen Han,
Kange Alex,
Qutob Dinah,
Dong Suomeng
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of integrative plant biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.734
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1744-7909
pISSN - 1672-9072
DOI - 10.1111/jipb.12883
Subject(s) - effector , biology , gene , phytophthora sojae , gene expression , phytophthora , r gene , genetics , plant disease resistance , promoter , regulation of gene expression , microbiology and biotechnology , botany
Pathogen avirulence (Avr) effectors interplay with corresponding plant resistance (R) proteins and activate robust plant immune responses. Although the expression pattern of Avr genes has been tied to their functions for a long time, it is still not clear how Avr gene expression patterns impact plant‐microbe interactions. Here, we selected PsAvr3b , which shows a typical effector gene expression pattern from a soybean root pathogen Phytophthora sojae . To modulate gene expression, we engineered PsAvr3b promoter sequences by in situ substitution with promoter sequences from Actin (constitutive expression), PsXEG1 (early expression), and PsNLP1 (later expression) using the CRISPR/Cas9. PsAvr3b driven by different promoters resulted in distinct expression levels across all the tested infection time points. Importantly, those mutants with low PsAvr3b expression successfully colonized soybean plants carrying the cognate R gene Rps3b . To dissect the difference in plant responses to the PsAvr3b expression level, we conducted RNA‐sequencing of different infection samples at 24 h postinfection and found soybean immune genes, including a few previously unknown genes that are associated with resistance. Our study highlights that fine‐tuning in Avr gene expression impacts the compatibility of plant disease and provides clues to improve crop resistance in disease control management.