Open AccessRESISTANCE TO POWDERY MILDEW 8.1 boosts pattern‐triggered immunity against multiple pathogens in Arabidopsis and rice
Author(s) -
Li Yan,
Zhang Yong,
Wang QingXia,
Wang TingTing,
Cao XiaoLong,
Zhao ZhiXue,
Zhao ShengLi,
Xu YongJu,
Xiao ZhiYuan,
Li JinLu,
Fan Jing,
Yang Hui,
Huang Fu,
Xiao Shunyuan,
Wang WenMing
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
plant biotechnology journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.525
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1467-7652
pISSN - 1467-7644
DOI - 10.1111/pbi.12782
Subject(s) - biology , arabidopsis , powdery mildew , xanthomonas oryzae , plant disease resistance , oomycete , ectopic expression , pseudomonas syringae , genetics , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , botany , mutant
Summary The Arabidopsis gene RESISTANCE TO POWDERY MILDEW 8.1 ( RPW 8.1 ) confers resistance to virulent fungal and oomycete pathogens that cause powdery mildew and downy mildew, respectively. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we show that ectopic expression of RPW 8.1 boosts pattern‐triggered immunity ( PTI ) resulting in enhanced resistance against different pathogens in both Arabidopsis and rice. In Arabidopsis, transcriptome analysis revealed that ectopic expression of RPW 8.1‐ YFP constitutively up‐regulates expression of many pathogen‐associated molecular pattern ( PAMP ‐)‐inducible genes. Consistently, upon PAMP application, the transgenic line expressing RPW 8.1‐ YFP exhibited more pronounced PTI responses such as callose deposition, production of reactive oxygen species, expression of defence‐related genes and hypersensitive response‐like cell death. Accordingly, the growth of a virulent bacterial pathogen was significantly inhibited in the transgenic lines expressing RPW 8.1‐ YFP . Conversely, impairment of the PTI signalling pathway from PAMP cognition to the immediate downstream relay of phosphorylation abolished or significantly compromised RPW 8.1 ‐boosted PTI responses. In rice, heterologous expression of RPW 8.1‐ YFP also led to enhanced resistance to the blast fungus Pyricularia oryzae (syn. Magnaporthe oryzae ) and the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). Taken together, our data suggest a surprising mechanistic connection between RPW 8.1 function and PTI , and demonstrate the potential of RPW 8.1 as a transgene for engineering disease resistance across wide taxonomic lineages of plants.