Hou Yingjun, Yu Xinyi, Chen Weiping, Zhuang Weibing, Wang Sanhong, Sun Chao, Cao Lifang, Zhou Tingting, Qu Shenchun
College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
Hortic Res. 2021 Oct 11;8(1):225. doi: 10.1038/s41438-021-00701-0.
The Alternaria alternata apple pathotype adversely affects apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) cultivation. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying enhanced resistance to this pathogen in apple remain poorly understood. We have previously reported that MdWRKY75 expression is upregulated by A. alternata infection in 'Sushuai' apples. In this study, we discovered that overexpression of MdWRKY75e increased the resistance of transgenic apple lines to A. alternata infection, whereas silencing this gene enhanced susceptibility to A. alternata infection. Furthermore, we found that MdWRKY75e directly binds to the MdLAC7 promoter to regulate the biosynthesis of laccase and increase the biosynthesis of lignin during A. alternata infection. Moreover, the thickening of the cell wall enhanced the mechanical defense capabilities of apple. In addition, we found that jasmonic acid remarkably induced MdWRKY75e expression, and its levels in transgenic apple lines were elevated. These results indicate that MdWRKY75e confers resistance to the A. alternata apple pathotype mainly via the jasmonic acid pathway and that pathogenesis-related genes and antioxidant-related enzyme activity are involved in the disease resistance of MdWRKY75e transgenic plants. In conclusion, our findings provide insights into the importance of MdWRKY75e for resistance to A. alternata infection in apples.
链格孢苹果致病型对苹果(Malus domestica Borkh.)栽培产生不利影响。然而,苹果中增强对这种病原菌抗性的分子机制仍知之甚少。我们之前报道过,在‘酥帅’苹果中,链格孢感染会使MdWRKY75的表达上调。在本研究中,我们发现MdWRKY75e的过表达增强了转基因苹果株系对链格孢感染的抗性,而沉默该基因则增强了对链格孢感染的易感性。此外,我们发现MdWRKY75e直接结合到MdLAC7启动子上,以调控漆酶的生物合成,并在链格孢感染期间增加木质素的生物合成。此外,细胞壁增厚增强了苹果的机械防御能力。另外,我们发现茉莉酸显著诱导MdWRKY75e的表达,并且其在转基因苹果株系中的水平有所升高。这些结果表明,MdWRKY75e主要通过茉莉酸途径赋予对链格孢苹果致病型的抗性,并且病程相关基因和抗氧化相关酶活性参与了MdWRKY75e转基因植物的抗病性。总之,我们的研究结果揭示了MdWRKY75e对苹果抗链格孢感染的重要性。