National Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Shandong Collaborative Innovation Center for Fruit and Vegetable Production with High Quality and Efficiency, College of Horticulture Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai-An, Shandong, 271018, China.
National Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Shandong Collaborative Innovation Center for Fruit and Vegetable Production with High Quality and Efficiency, College of Horticulture Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai-An, Shandong, 271018, China.
Plant Sci. 2020 Feb;291:110351. doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2019.110351. Epub 2019 Nov 23.
Ethylene response factor (ERF) is a plant-specific transcription factor involved in many biological processes including root formation, hypocotyl elongation, fruit ripening, organ senescence and stress responses, as well as fruit quality formation. However, its underlying mechanism in plant pathogen defense against Botryosphaeria dothidea (B. dothidea) remains poorly understood. Here, we isolate MdERF11, an apple nucleus-localized ERF transcription factor, from apple cultivar 'Royal Gala'. qRT-PCR assays show that the expression of MdERF11 is significantly induced in apple fruits after B. dothidea infection. Overexpression of MdERF11 gene in apple calli significantly increases the resistance to B.dothidea infection, while silencing MdERF11 in apple calli results in reduced resistance. Ectopic expression of MdERF11 in Arabidopsis also exhibits enhanced resistance to B. dothidea infection compared to that of wild type. Infections in apple calli and Arabidopsis leaves by B. dothidea respectively cause an increase in endogenous levels of salicylic acid (SA) followed by induction of SA synthesis-related and signaling-related gene expression. Taken together, these findings illustrate a potential mechanism by which MdERF11 elevates plant pathogen defense against B. dothidea by regulating SA synthesis pathway.
乙烯应答因子（ERF）是一种植物特有的转录因子，参与许多生物学过程，包括根形成、下胚轴伸长、果实成熟、器官衰老和应激反应以及果实品质形成。然而，其在植物对 Botryosphaeria dothidea（B. dothidea）病原体防御中的潜在机制仍知之甚少。在这里，我们从苹果品种'Royal Gala'中分离出苹果核定位 ERF 转录因子 MdERF11。qRT-PCR 分析表明，MdERF11 在苹果果实被 B. dothidea 感染后表达显著上调。在苹果愈伤组织中过表达 MdERF11 基因显著提高了对 B.dothidea 感染的抗性，而在苹果愈伤组织中沉默 MdERF11 则导致抗性降低。MdERF11 在拟南芥中的异位表达也表现出对 B. dothidea 感染的增强抗性，与野生型相比。B. dothidea 分别在苹果愈伤组织和拟南芥叶片中的感染导致内源水杨酸（SA）水平升高，随后诱导 SA 合成相关和信号转导相关基因的表达。总之，这些发现说明了 MdERF11 通过调节 SA 合成途径提高植物对 B. dothidea 病原体防御的潜在机制。
