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17 pages, 5658 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Histone Marks Signature in Exonic and Intronic Regions Is Relevant in Early Response of Tomato Genes to Botrytis cinerea and in miRNA Regulation

by Óscar Crespo-Salvador, Lorena Sánchez-Giménez, Mª José López-Galiano, Emma Fernández-Crespo, Loredana Scalschi, Inmaculada García-Robles, Carolina Rausell, M Dolores Real and Carmen González-Bosch

Plants 2020, 9(3), 300; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9030300 - 01 Mar 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2957

Abstract

Research into the relationship between epigenetic regulation and resistance to biotic stresses provides alternatives for plant protection and crop improvement. To unravel the mechanisms underlying tomato responses to Botrytis cinerea, we performed a chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis showing the increase in H3K9ac [...] Read more.

Research into the relationship between epigenetic regulation and resistance to biotic stresses provides alternatives for plant protection and crop improvement. To unravel the mechanisms underlying tomato responses to Botrytis cinerea, we performed a chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis showing the increase in H3K9ac mark along the early induced genes SlyDES, SlyDOX1, and SlyLoxD encoding oxylipin-pathway enzymes, and SlyWRKY75 coding for a transcriptional regulator of hormonal signaling. This histone mark showed a more distinct distribution than the previously studied H3K4me3. The RNAPol-ChIP analysis reflected the actual gene transcription associated with increased histone modifications. A different pattern of marks in the oxylipin-related genes against P. syringae supported a pathogen-specific profile, while no significant differences occurred in SlyWRKY75. The epigenetic regulation of SlyWRKY75 by the intron-binding miR1127-3p was supported by the presence of SlyWRKY75 pre-mRNA in control plants. Interestingly, mRNA was found to be accumulated in response to B. cinerea and P. syringae, while reduction in miRNA only occurred against B. cinerea. The intronic region presented a similar pattern of marks than the rest of the gene in both pathosystems, except for H3K4me3 in the miRNA binding site upon B. cinerea. We located the gene encoding Sly-miR1127-3p, which presented reduced H3K4me3 on its promoter against B. cinerea. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Induced Resistance (IR) of Plants)

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16 pages, 1265 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Foliar Application of Polyamines Modulates Winter Oilseed Rape Responses to Increasing Cold

by Elžbieta Jankovska-Bortkevič, Virgilija Gavelienė, Vaidevutis Šveikauskas, Rima Mockevičiūtė, Jurga Jankauskienė, Dessislava Todorova, Iskren Sergiev and Sigita Jurkonienė

Plants 2020, 9(2), 179; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9020179 - 01 Feb 2020

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3157

Abstract

Cold stress is one of the most common abiotic stresses experienced by plants and is caused by low temperature extremes and variations. Polyamines (PAs) have been reported to contribute in abiotic stress defense processes in plants. The present study investigates the survival and [...] Read more.

Cold stress is one of the most common abiotic stresses experienced by plants and is caused by low temperature extremes and variations. Polyamines (PAs) have been reported to contribute in abiotic stress defense processes in plants. The present study investigates the survival and responses of PA-treated non-acclimated (N) and acclimated (A) winter oilseed rape to increasing cold conditions. The study was conducted under controlled conditions. Seedlings were foliarly sprayed with spermidine (Spd), spermine (Spm), and putrescine (Put) solutions (1 mM) and exposed to four days of cold acclimation (4 °C) and two days of increasing cold (from −1 to −3 °C). Two cultivars with different cold tolerance were used in this study. The recorded traits included the percentage of survival, H⁺-ATPase activity, proline accumulation, and ethylene emission. Exogenous PA application improved cold resistance, maintained the activity of plasma membrane H⁺-ATPase, increased content of free proline, and delayed stimulation of ethylene emission under increasing cold. The results of the current study on winter oilseed rape revealed that foliar application of PAs may activate a defensive response (act as elicitor to trigger physiological processes), which may compensate the negative impact of cold stress. Thus, cold tolerance of winter oilseed rape can be enhanced by PA treatment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Induced Resistance (IR) of Plants)

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15 pages, 1363 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Role of Jasmonic Acid Pathway in Tomato Plant-Pseudomonas syringae Interaction

by Loredana Scalschi, Eugenio Llorens, Pilar García-Agustín and Begonya Vicedo

Plants 2020, 9(2), 136; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9020136 - 22 Jan 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3878

Abstract

The jasmonic acid pathway has been considered as the backbone of the response against necrotrophic pathogens. However, a hemi-biotrophic pathogen, such as Pseudomonas syringae, has taken advantage of the crosstalk between the different plant hormones in order to manipulate the responses for [...] Read more.

The jasmonic acid pathway has been considered as the backbone of the response against necrotrophic pathogens. However, a hemi-biotrophic pathogen, such as Pseudomonas syringae, has taken advantage of the crosstalk between the different plant hormones in order to manipulate the responses for its own interest. Despite that, the way in which Pseudomonas syringae releases coronatine to activate jasmonic acid-derived responses and block the activation of salicylic acid-mediated responses is widely known. However, the implication of the jasmonic intermediates in the plant-Pseudomonas interaction is not studied yet. In this work, we analyzed the response of both, plant and bacteria using SiOPR3 tomato plants. Interestingly, SiOPR3 plants are more resistant to infection with Pseudomonas. The gene expression of bacteria showed that, in SiOPR3 plants, the activation of pathogenicity is repressed in comparison to wild type plants, suggesting that the jasmonic acid pathway might play a role in the pathogenicity of the bacteria. Moreover, treatments with JA restore the susceptibility as well as activate the expression of bacterial pathogenicity genes. The observed results suggest that a complete jasmonic acid pathway is necessary for the susceptibility of tomato plants to Pseudomonas syringae. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Induced Resistance (IR) of Plants)

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18 pages, 3908 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preventive Effects of Fluoro-Substituted Benzothiadiazole Derivatives and Chitosan Oligosaccharide against the Rice Seedling Blight Induced by Fusarium oxysporum

by Bo Ma, Junhe Wang, Chuanzeng Liu, Jifang Hu, Kefei Tan, Fuyang Zhao, Ming Yuan, Junhua Zhang and Zhijia Gai

Plants 2019, 8(12), 538; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8120538 - 24 Nov 2019

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3562

Abstract

Rice seedling blight, caused by Fusarium oxysporum, significantly affects global rice production levels. Fluoro-substituted benzothiadiazole derivatives (FBT) and chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) are elicitors that can enhance plant resistance to pathogen infection. However, there is a lack of information regarding FBT and COS [...] Read more.

Rice seedling blight, caused by Fusarium oxysporum, significantly affects global rice production levels. Fluoro-substituted benzothiadiazole derivatives (FBT) and chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) are elicitors that can enhance plant resistance to pathogen infection. However, there is a lack of information regarding FBT and COS used as elicitors in rice seedlings blight. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of FBT and COS treatments on rice seedling blight and elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the two elicitors for inducing resistance using proteomic technique. Results indicated that FBT and COS significantly reduced the disease incidence and index, and relived the root growth inhibition caused by F. oxysporum (p < 0.05). Biochemical analyses demonstrated that these two elicitors effectively enhanced activities of defense enzymes. Moreover, the proteomic results of rice root tissues disclosed more differentially expressed proteins in diterpenoid biosynthesis pathway that were particularly stimulated by two elicitors compared to the other pathways studied, resulting in the accumulation of antimicrobial substance, momilactone. Findings of this study could provide sound theoretical basis for further applications of FBT and COS used as rice elicitors against seedling blight. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Induced Resistance (IR) of Plants)

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19 pages, 1320 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Integrated Use of Aureobasidium pullulans Strain CG163 and Acibenzolar-S-Methyl for Management of Bacterial Canker in Kiwifruit

by Huub de Jong, Tony Reglinski, Philip A.G. Elmer, Kirstin Wurms, Joel L. Vanneste, Lindy F. Guo and Maryam Alavi

Plants 2019, 8(8), 287; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8080287 - 15 Aug 2019

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 4947

Abstract

An isolate of Aureobasidium pullulans (strain = CG163) and the plant defence elicitor acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM) were investigated for their ability to control leaf spot in kiwifruit caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae biovar 3 (Psa). Clonal Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa plantlets (‘Hayward’) were [...] Read more.

An isolate of Aureobasidium pullulans (strain = CG163) and the plant defence elicitor acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM) were investigated for their ability to control leaf spot in kiwifruit caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae biovar 3 (Psa). Clonal Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa plantlets (‘Hayward’) were treated with ASM, CG163 or ASM + CG163 at seven and one day before inoculation with Psa. ASM (0.2 g/L) was applied either as a root or foliar treatments and CG163 was applied as a foliar spray containing 2 × 10⁷ CFU/mL. Leaf spot incidence was significantly reduced by all treatments compared with the control. The combination of ASM + CG163 had greater efficacy (75%) than either ASM (55%) or CG163 (40%) alone. Moreover, treatment efficacy correlated positively with the expression of defence-related genes: pathogenesis-related protein 1 (PR1), β-1,3-glucosidase, Glucan endo 1,3-β-glucosidase (Gluc_PrimerH) and Class IV chitinase (ClassIV_Chit), with greater gene upregulation in plants treated with ASM + CG163 than by the individual treatments. Pathogen population studies indicated that CG163 had significant suppressive activity against epiphytic populations of Psa. Endophytic populations were reduced by ASM + CG163 but not by the individual treatments, and by 96–144 h after inoculation were significantly lower than the control. Together these data suggest that ASM + CG163 have complementary modes of action that contribute to greater control of leaf spotting than either treatment alone. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Induced Resistance (IR) of Plants)

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15 pages, 1426 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Using Game Theory to Understand Systemic Acquired Resistance as a Bet-Hedging Option for Increasing Fitness When Disease Is Uncertain

by Gregory J. Reynolds, Thomas R. Gordon and Neil McRoberts

Plants 2019, 8(7), 219; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8070219 - 12 Jul 2019

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4418

Abstract

Systemic acquired resistance (SAR) is a mechanism through which plants may respond to initial challenge by a pathogen through activation of inducible defense responses, thereby increasing resistance to subsequent infection attempts. Fitness costs are assumed to be incurred by plants induced for SAR, [...] Read more.

Systemic acquired resistance (SAR) is a mechanism through which plants may respond to initial challenge by a pathogen through activation of inducible defense responses, thereby increasing resistance to subsequent infection attempts. Fitness costs are assumed to be incurred by plants induced for SAR, and several studies have attempted to quantify these costs. We developed a mathematical model, motivated by game-theoretic concepts, to simulate competition between hypothetical plant populations with and without SAR to examine conditions under which the phenomenon of SAR may have evolved. Data were gathered from various studies on fitness costs of induced resistance on life history traits in different plant hosts and scaled as a proportion of the values in control cohorts in each study (i.e., healthy plants unprimed for SAR). With unprimed healthy control plants set to a fitness value of 1, primed healthy plants incurred a fitness cost of about 10.4% (0.896, n = 157), primed diseased plants incurred a fitness cost of about 15.5% (0.845, n = 54), and unprimed diseased plants incurred a fitness cost of about 28.9% (0.711, n = 69). Starting from a small proportion of the population (0.5%) and competing against a population with constitutive defenses alone in stochastic simulations, the SAR phenotype almost always dominated the population after 1000 generations when the probability of disease was greater than or equal to 0.5 regardless of the probability for priming errors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Induced Resistance (IR) of Plants)

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14 pages, 2652 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enhanced Resistance to Leaf Fall Disease Caused by Phytophthora palmivora in Rubber Tree Seedling by Sargassum polycystum Extract

by Khemmikar Khompatara, Sittiporn Pettongkhao, Arnannit Kuyyogsuy, Nuramalee Deenamo and Nunta Churngchow

Plants 2019, 8(6), 168; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8060168 - 11 Jun 2019

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4338

Abstract

The brown seaweed (Sargassum polycystum C. Agardh-Sargassaceae) extract was examined for its bioelicitor properties in the rubber tree seedling (Hevea brasiliensis (Willd. ex A.Juss.) Müll.Arg. - Euphorbiaceae) and its application to reduce the leaf fall disease caused by Phytophthora palmivora (Edwin [...] Read more.

The brown seaweed (Sargassum polycystum C. Agardh-Sargassaceae) extract was examined for its bioelicitor properties in the rubber tree seedling (Hevea brasiliensis (Willd. ex A.Juss.) Müll.Arg. - Euphorbiaceae) and its application to reduce the leaf fall disease caused by Phytophthora palmivora (Edwin John) Butler, 1917 (Peronosporaceae). The major purpose of this study was to apply this seaweed extract (SWE) to improve the disease resistance in rubber tree seedling compared to a chemical fungicide (1% metalaxyl). After foliar spraying of SWE solution, two antioxidant enzymes, catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) and systemic acquired resistance (SAR)-triggered enzyme, β-1,3-glucanase (GLU), were analyzed. Both secondary metabolites, a phytoalexin scopoletin (Scp) and a signaling molecule salicylic acid (SA) were measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Both SWE- and metalaxyl-treated plants had a close disease index (DI)-score which were 16.90 ± 1.93 and 15.54 ± 1.25, respectively, while the positive control sprayed with P. palmivora showed DI-score of 29.27 ± 1.89 which was much higher than those treated with SWE or fungicide. CAT, POD, and GLU were increased in rubber tree leaves treated with SWE solution. Furthermore, Scp and SA were significantly increased in SWE-treated leaves. Enhanced systemic acquired resistance induction, 2.09 folds of SA accumulation, was observed in the distal area comparing to the local area of SWE application. In conclusion, the positive effects of SWE elicitation from these studies revealed that SWE could be used as an alternative biocontrol agent for foliar spraying to enhance the defense responses in rubber tree seedling against P. palmivora. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Induced Resistance (IR) of Plants)

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17 pages, 2978 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sulphated Polysaccharide from Acanthophora spicifera Induced Hevea brasiliensis Defense Responses Against Phytophthora palmivora Infection

by Sittiporn Pettongkhao, Abdulmuhaimin Bilanglod, Khemmikar Khompatara and Nunta Churngchow

Plants 2019, 8(3), 73; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8030073 - 22 Mar 2019

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 4443

Abstract

Elicitors from seaweeds are considered an alternative stimulant of plant defenses against pathogenic infection. Finding new sources of elicitors and exploring their effects on plant defenses is a significant undertaking. In this study, we extracted crude polysaccharide (CPS) from Acanthophora spicifera (a red [...] Read more.

Elicitors from seaweeds are considered an alternative stimulant of plant defenses against pathogenic infection. Finding new sources of elicitors and exploring their effects on plant defenses is a significant undertaking. In this study, we extracted crude polysaccharide (CPS) from Acanthophora spicifera (a red alga) and tested the effects of the compound on rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) defense responses. Accumulations of salicylic acid (SA) and scopoletin (Scp) were measured by HPLC. The expression of SA- and Jasmonic acid (JA)-responsive genes was analyzed by semi-qRT-PCR. Strong anion exchange chromatography and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used for purification and functional characterization of CPS, respectively. The extracted CPS enhanced rubber tree defenses against Phytophthora palmivora infection. It induced SA and Scp accumulations and SA-responsive gene expression, but suppressed JA-responsive gene expression. We successfully separated the non-sulphated polysaccharide (F1) from the sulphated polysaccharides (SPS). Both peaks of SPS (F2 and F3) were identified as lambda (λ)-carrageenan. The F3 fraction showed greater elicitor activity on tobacco leaves. It induced SA and Scp accumulations and peroxidase activity but suppressed catalase activity. Furthermore, the purified λ-carrageenan did not cause cell death in tobacco or rubber tree leaves. Therefore, the elicitor from A. spicifera could be an alternative plant stimulant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Induced Resistance (IR) of Plants)

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16 pages, 4065 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Differential Expression Proteins Contribute to Race-Specific Resistant Ability in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

by Shiwei Ma, Shoukai Lin, Menglin Wang, Yang Zou, Huan Tao, Wei Liu, Lina Zhang, Kangjing Liang, Yufang Ai and Huaqin He

Plants 2019, 8(2), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8020029 - 23 Jan 2019

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3895

Abstract

Rice blast, caused by the fungus, Magnaporthe grisea (M. grisea), lead to the decrease of rice yields widely and destructively, threatening global food security. Although many resistant genes had been isolated and identified in various rice varieties, it is still not [...] Read more.

Rice blast, caused by the fungus, Magnaporthe grisea (M. grisea), lead to the decrease of rice yields widely and destructively, threatening global food security. Although many resistant genes had been isolated and identified in various rice varieties, it is still not enough to clearly understand the mechanism of race-specific resistant ability in rice, especially on the protein level. In this research, proteomic methods were employed to analyze the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in susceptible rice variety CO39 and its two near isogenic lines (NILs), CN-4a and CN-4b, in response to the infection of two isolates with different pathogenicity, GUY11 and 81278ZB15. A total of 50 DEPs with more than 1.5-fold reproducible change were identified. At 24 and 48 hpi of GUY11, 32 and 16 proteins in CN-4b were up-regulated, among which 16 and five were paralleled with the expression of their corresponding RNAs. Moreover, 13 of 50 DEPs were reported to be induced by M. grisea in previous publications. Considering the phenotypes of the three tested rice varieties, we found that 21 and 23 up-regulated proteins were responsible for the rice resistant ability to the two different blast isolates, 81278ZB15 and GUY11, respectively. Two distinct branches corresponding to GUY11 and 81278ZB15 were observed in the expression and function of the module cluster of DEPs, illuminating that the DEPs could be responsible for race-specific resistant ability in rice. In other words, DEPs in rice are involved in different patterns and functional modules’ response to different pathogenic race infection, inducing race-specific resistant ability in rice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Induced Resistance (IR) of Plants)

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Review

Jump to: Research

24 pages, 1049 KiB

Open AccessReview

Bacillus Spp.: Efficient Biotic Strategy to Control Postharvest Diseases of Fruits and Vegetables

by Oksana Lastochkina, Maryam Seifikalhor, Sasan Aliniaeifard, Andrey Baymiev, Ludmila Pusenkova, Svetlana Garipova, Darya Kulabuhova and Igor Maksimov

Plants 2019, 8(4), 97; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8040097 - 12 Apr 2019

Cited by 106 | Viewed by 10924

Abstract

Postharvest diseases significantly reduce the shelf-life of harvested fruits/vegetables worldwide. Bacillus spp. are considered to be an eco-friendly and bio-safe alternative to traditional chemical fungicides/bactericides due to their intrinsic ability to induce native anti-stress pathways in plants. This review compiles information from multiple [...] Read more.

Postharvest diseases significantly reduce the shelf-life of harvested fruits/vegetables worldwide. Bacillus spp. are considered to be an eco-friendly and bio-safe alternative to traditional chemical fungicides/bactericides due to their intrinsic ability to induce native anti-stress pathways in plants. This review compiles information from multiple scientific databases (Scopus, ScienceDirect, GoogleScholar, ResearchGate, etc.) using the keywords “postharvest diseases”, “Bacillus”, “Bacillus subtilis”, “biocontrol”, “storage”, “losses”, and “fruits/vegetables”. To date, numerous examples of successful Bacillus spp. application in controlling various postharvest-emerged pathogens of different fruits/vegetables during handling, transportation, and storage have been described in the literature. The mechanism/s of such action is/are still largely unknown; however, it is suggested that they include: i) competition for space/nutrients with pathogens; ii) production of various bio-active substances with antibiotic activity and cell wall-degrading compounds; and iii) induction of systemic resistance. With that, Bacillus efficiency may depend on various factors including strain characteristics (epiphytes or endophytes), application methods (before or after harvest/storage), type of pathogens/hosts, etc. Endophytic B. subtilis-based products can be more effective because they colonize internal plant tissues and are less dependent on external environmental factors while protecting cells inside. Nevertheless, the mechanism/s of Bacillus action on harvested fruits/vegetables is largely unknown and requires further detailed investigations to fully realize their potential in agricultural/food industries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Induced Resistance (IR) of Plants)

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