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An Arabidopsis NAC transcription factor NAC4 promotes pathogen‐induced cell death under negative regulation by microRNA164
Author(s) -
Lee MyoungHoon,
Jeon Hwi Seong,
Kim Hye Gi,
Park Ohkmae K.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/nph.14371
Subject(s) - wrky protein domain , biology , chromatin immunoprecipitation , programmed cell death , arabidopsis , transcription factor , arabidopsis thaliana , gene expression , microbiology and biotechnology , mutant , gene , genetics , promoter , apoptosis
Summary Hypersensitive response ( HR ) is a form of programmed cell death ( PCD ) and the primary immune response that prevents pathogen invasion in plants. Here, we show that a micro RNA miR164 and its target gene NAC 4 (At5g07680), encoding a NAC transcription factor, play essential roles in the regulation of HR PCD in Arabidopsis thaliana . Cell death symptoms were noticeably enhanced in NAC 4 ‐overexpressing ( 35S: NAC 4 ) and mir164 mutant plants in response to avirulent bacterial pathogens. NAC 4 expression was induced by pathogen infection and negatively regulated by miR164 expression. NAC 4‐binding DNA sequences were determined by in vitro binding site selection using random oligonucleotide sequences. Microarray, chromatin immunoprecipitation and quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction ( qRT ‐ PCR ) analyses, followed by cell death assays in protoplasts, led to the identification of NAC 4 target genes LURP 1 , WRKY 40 and WRKY 54 , which act as negative regulators of cell death. Our results suggest that NAC 4 promotes hypersensitive cell death by suppressing its target genes and this immune process is fine‐tuned by the negative action of miR164 .