Isolation of the Gene From Maize and Its Functional Analysis in Transgenic Plants.

A gene encoding a protein similar to ethylene receptor was isolated from maize ( L.), which was named as .The gene was 1,905 bp in length with an open reading frame that encoded a protein consisting of 634 amino acids. The homologous analysis showed that shared high similarity with the ethylene receptor protein, OsERS1, from rice ( L.). grouped into the ETR1 subfamily of ethylene receptors based on its conserved domain and phylogenetic status. Tissue-specific and induced expression analyses indicated that was differentially expressed in maize tissues, predominantly in the stems and leaves, and was induced by salicylic acid (SA). Overexpression of in improved resistance against the bacterial pathogen, DC3000, by inducing the expression of SA signaling-related genes. Moreover, treatment with flg22 induced the expression of the defense-related gene, , in maize protoplasts that transiently expressed . Furthermore, the ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) analysis showed that the SA contents in -overexpressing lines were significantly higher than the control lines. Additionally, the improved resistance of -overexpressing against DC3000 was blocked after pretreatment with the SA biosynthetic inhibitor, ABT. Based on the collective findings, we hypothesize that plays an important role in disease resistance through SA-mediated signaling pathways.