Ethylene Response Factor ERF11 Activates Transcription to Regulate Immunity to .

, a major hemibiotrophic bacterial pathogen, causes many devastating plant diseases. However, the transcriptional regulation of plant defense responses to remains largely unknown. Here, we found that gain-of-function of () enhanced the resistance of Arabidopsis () to DC3000 ( pv. DC3000). Disruption of also weakened the salicylic acid (SA)-induced defense response to DC3000 in mutants. Further investigation indicated that, under infection, transcription of is modulated by components of both the SA and ethylene (ET) signaling pathways. Intriguingly, the specific binding elements of ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR (ERF) proteins, including dehydration responsive/C-repeat elements and the GCC box, were found in the putative promoter of Based on publicly available microarray data and transcriptional confirmation, we determined that is inducible by salicylic acid and DC3000 and is modulated by the SA and ET signaling pathways. Consistent with the function of , loss-of-function of weakened Arabidopsis resistance to DC3000 and the SA-induced defense response. Biochemical and molecular assays revealed that ERF11 binds specifically to the GCC box of the promoter to activate its transcription. Genetic studies further revealed that the -regulated Arabidopsis defense response to DC3000 functions directly downstream of ERF11. Our findings indicate that transcriptional activation of by ERF11 is a key step in SA/ET-regulated plant resistance against DC3000, enhancing our understanding of plant defense responses to hemibiotrophic bacterial pathogens.