State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
Plant Sci. 2024 Oct;347:112179. doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2024.112179. Epub 2024 Jul 14.
Ethylene response factor (ERF) is a class of plant-specific transcription factors that play an important role in plant growth, development, and stress response. However, the underlying mechanism of strawberry ERFs in pathogenic responses against Botrytis cinerea (B. cinerea) remains largely unclear. In this study, we isolated FaERF2, a nucleus-localized ERF transcription factor from Fragaria x ananassa. Transiently overexpressing FaERF2 in strawberry fruits significantly enhances their resistant ability to B. cinerea, while silencing FaERF2 in strawberry fruits enhances their susceptibility to B. cinerea. In addition, we found that FaERF2 could directly bind to the cis-acting element GCC box in the promoters of two β-1,3-glucanase genes, FaBG-1 and FaBG-2, and activate their expression. Finally, both strawberry fruits transient expression followed by B. cinerea inoculation assays and recombinant protein incubation tests collectively substantiated the inhibitory effect of FaBG-1 and FaBG-2 on B. cinerea mycelium growth. These results revealed the molecular regulation mechanism of FaERF2 in response to B. cinerea and laid foundations for creating disease-resistance strawberry cultivar through genome editing approach.
乙烯应答因子（ERF）是一类植物特有的转录因子，在植物的生长、发育和应激反应中发挥着重要作用。然而，草莓 ERFs 在对灰葡萄孢（Botrytis cinerea）（B. cinerea）的致病反应中的潜在机制在很大程度上仍不清楚。在本研究中，我们从 Fragaria x ananassa 中分离出 FaERF2，这是一种定位于细胞核的 ERF 转录因子。瞬时过表达 FaERF2 可显著增强草莓果实对 B. cinerea 的抗性能力，而沉默 FaERF2 则增强了草莓果实对 B. cinerea 的敏感性。此外，我们发现 FaERF2 可以直接结合到两个β-1,3-葡聚糖酶基因 FaBG-1 和 FaBG-2 启动子中的顺式作用元件 GCC 盒，并激活它们的表达。最后，草莓果实瞬时表达后进行 B. cinerea 接种试验和重组蛋白孵育试验共同证实了 FaBG-1 和 FaBG-2 对 B. cinerea 菌丝生长的抑制作用。这些结果揭示了 FaERF2 对 B. cinerea 反应的分子调控机制，并为通过基因组编辑方法创建抗病害草莓品种奠定了基础。
