ShNPSN11, a vesicle-transport-related gene, confers disease resistance in tomato to Oidium neolycopersici.

Tomato powdery mildew, caused by Oidium neolycopersici, is a fungal disease that results in severe yield loss in infected plants. Herein, we describe the function of a class of proteins, soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs), which play a role in vesicle transport during defense signaling. To date, there have been no reports describing the function of tomato SNAREs during resistance signaling to powdery mildew. Using a combination of classical plant pathology-, genetics-, and cell biology-based approaches, we evaluate the role of ShNPSN11 in resistance to the powdery mildew pathogen O. neolycopersici. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis of tomato SNAREs revealed that ShNPSN11 mRNA accumulation in disease-resistant varieties was significantly increased following pathogen, compared with susceptible varieties, suggesting a role during induced defense signaling. Using in planta subcellular localization, we demonstrate that ShNPSN11 was primarily localized at the plasma membrane, consistent with the localization of SNARE proteins and their role in defense signaling and trafficking. Silencing of ShNPSN11 resulted in increased susceptibility to O. neolycopersici, with pathogen-induced levels of H2O2 and cell death elicitation in ShNPSN11-silenced lines showing a marked reduction. Transient expression of ShNPSN11 did not result in the induction of a hypersensitive cell death response or suppress cell death induced by BAX. Taken together, these data demonstrate that ShNPSNl11 plays an important role in defense activation and host resistance to O. neolycopersici in tomato LA1777.

The tomato Arp2/3 complex is required for resistance to the powdery mildew fungus Oidium neolycopersici.

The actin-related protein 2/3 complex (Arp2/3 complex), a key regulator of actin cytoskeletal dynamics, has been linked to multiple cellular processes, including those associated with response to stress. Herein, the Solanum habrochaites ARPC3 gene, encoding a subunit protein of the Arp2/3 complex, was identified and characterized. ShARPC3 encodes a 174-amino acid protein possessing a conserved P21-Arc domain. Silencing of ShARPC3 resulted in enhanced susceptibility to the powdery mildew pathogen Oidium neolycopersici (On-Lz), demonstrating a role for ShARPC3 in defence signalling. Interestingly, a loss of ShARPC3 coincided with enhanced susceptibility to On-Lz, a process that we hypothesize is the result of a block in the activity of SA-mediated defence signalling. Conversely, overexpression of ShARPC3 in Arabidopsis thaliana, followed by inoculation with On-Lz, showed enhanced resistance, including the rapid induction of hypersensitive cell death and the generation of reactive oxygen. Heterologous expression of ShARPC3 in the arc18 mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (i.e., ∆arc18) resulted in complementation of stress-induced phenotypes, including high-temperature tolerance. Taken together, these data support a role for ShARPC3 in tomato through positive regulation of plant immunity in response to O. neolycopersici pathogenesis.

Microtubule Polymerization Functions in Hypersensitive Response and Accumulation of H2O2 in Wheat Induced by the Stripe Rust.

The plant cytoskeleton, including microtubules and microfilaments, is one of the important factors in determining the polarity of cell division and growth, as well as the interaction of plants with invading pathogens. In defense responses of wheat against the stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici) infection, hypersensitive response is the most crucial event to prevent the spread of pathogens. In order to reveal the effect of microtubules on the hypersensitive cell death and H2O2 accumulation in the interaction of wheat (Triticum aestivum) cv. Suwon 11 with an incompatible race, CYR23, wheat leaves were treated with microtubule inhibitor, oryzalin, before inoculation. The results showed that the frequency of infection sites with hypersensitive response occurrence was significantly reduced, and hypersensitive cell death in wheat leaves was suppressed compared to the control. In addition, the frequency and the incidence of infected cells with H2O2 accumulation were also reduced after the treatment with oryzalin. Those results indicated that microtubules are related to hypersensitive response and H2O2 accumulation in wheat induced by the stripe rust, and depolymerization of microtubules reduces the resistance of plants to pathogen infection in incompatible interaction, suggesting that microtubules play a potential role in the expression of resistance of wheat against the stripe rust fungus.