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Metabolic flux towards the (iso)flavonoid pathway in lignin modified alfalfa lines induces resistance against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. medicaginis
Author(s) -
Gill Upinder S.,
Uppalapati Srinivasa R.,
GallegoGiraldo Lina,
Ishiga Yasuhiro,
Dixon Richard A.,
Mysore Kirankumar S.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
plant, cell and environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.646
H-Index - 200
eISSN - 1365-3040
pISSN - 0140-7791
DOI - 10.1111/pce.13093
Subject(s) - fusarium oxysporum , fusarium wilt , biology , flavonoid , o methyltransferase , botany , chemistry , biochemistry , methyltransferase , gene , methylation , antioxidant
Downregulation of lignin in alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) is associated with increased availability of cell wall polysaccharides in plant cells. We tested transgenic alfalfa plants downregulated for Caffeoyl‐CoA O‐methyltransferase ( CCoAOMT ) against an economically important fungal disease of alfalfa, Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. medicaginis , and found it more resistant to this disease. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses indicated that the improved disease resistance against Fusarium wilt is due to increased accumulation and/or spillover of flux towards the (iso)flavonoid pathway. Some (iso)flavonoids and their pathway intermediate compounds showed strong accumulation in CCoAOMT downregulated plants after F. oxysporum f. sp. medicaginis inoculation. The identified (iso)flavonoids, including medicarpin and 7,4′‐dihydroxyflavone, inhibited the in vitro growth of F. oxysporum f. sp. medicaginis . These results suggested that the increased accumulation and/or shift/spillover of flux towards the (iso)flavonoid pathway in CCoAOMT downregulated plants is associated with induced disease resistance.