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Elicitors and defense gene induction in plants with altered lignin compositions
Author(s) -
GallegoGiraldo Lina,
Posé Sara,
Pattathil Sivakumar,
Peralta Angelo Gabriel,
Hahn Michael G.,
Ayre Brian G.,
Sunuwar Janak,
Hernandez Jonathan,
Patel Monika,
Shah Jyoti,
Rao Xiaolan,
Knox J. Paul,
Dixon Richard A.
Publication year - 2018
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.15258
Subject(s) - lignin , cell wall , glycome , elicitor , biology , plant defense against herbivory , arabidopsis , gene , polysaccharide , biochemistry , botany , chemistry , glycoprotein , mutant , glycan
Summary A reduction in the lignin content in transgenic plants induces the ectopic expression of defense genes, but the importance of altered lignin composition in such phenomena remains unclear. Two Arabidopsis lines with similar lignin contents, but strikingly different lignin compositions, exhibited different quantitative and qualitative transcriptional responses. Plants with lignin composed primarily of guaiacyl units overexpressed genes responsive to oomycete and bacterial pathogen attack, whereas plants with lignin composed primarily of syringyl units expressed a far greater number of defense genes, including some associated with cis ‐jasmone‐mediated responses to aphids; these plants exhibited altered responsiveness to bacterial and aphid inoculation. Several of the defense genes were differentially induced by water‐soluble extracts from cell walls of plants of the two lines. Glycome profiling, fractionation and enzymatic digestion studies indicated that the different lignin compositions led to differential extractability of a range of heterogeneous oligosaccharide epitopes, with elicitor activity originating from different cell wall polymers. Alteration of lignin composition affects interactions with plant cell wall matrix polysaccharides to alter the sequestration of multiple latent defense signal molecules with an impact on biotic stress responses.