Dataset Information

Characterization, expression profiling, and functional analysis of a Populus trichocarpa defensin gene and its potential as an anti-Agrobacterium rooting medium additive.

ABSTRACT: The diverse antimicrobial properties of defensins have attracted wide scientific interest in recent years. Also, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), including cecropins, histatins, defensins, and cathelicidins, have recently become an antimicrobial research hotspot for their broad-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal activities. In addition, defensins play important roles in plant growth, development, and physiological metabolism, and demonstrate tissue specificity and regulation in response to pathogen attack or abiotic stress. In this study, we performed molecular cloning, characterization, expression profiling, and functional analysis of a defensin from Populus trichocarpa. The PtDef protein was highly expressed in the prokaryotic Escherichia coli system as a fusion protein (TrxA-PtDef). The purified protein exhibited strong antibacterial and antifungal functions. We then applied PtDef to rooting culture medium as an alternative exogenous additive to cefotaxime. PtDef expression levels increased significantly following both biotic and abiotic treatment. The degree of leaf damage observed in wild-type (WT) and transgenic poplars indicates that transgenic poplars that overexpress the PtDef gene gain enhanced disease resistance to Septotis populiperda. To further study the salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) signal transduction pathways, SA- and JA-related and pathogenesis-related genes were analyzed using quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction; there were significant differences in these pathways between transgenic and WT poplars. The defensin from Populus trichocarpa showed significant activity of anti-bacteria and anti-fungi. According to the results of qRT-PCR and physiological relevant indicators, the applied PtDef to rooting culture medium was chosen as an alternative exogenous additive to cefotaxime. Overexpressing the PtDef gene in poplar improve the disease resistance to Septotis populiperda.

SUBMITTER: Wei H

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6814764 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Characterization, expression profiling, and functional analysis of a Populus trichocarpa defensin gene and its potential as an anti-Agrobacterium rooting medium additive.

Wei Hui H Movahedi Ali A Xu Chen C Sun Weibo W Li Lingling L Li Dawei D Zhuge Qiang Q

Scientific reports 20191025 1

The diverse antimicrobial properties of defensins have attracted wide scientific interest in recent years. Also, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), including cecropins, histatins, defensins, and cathelicidins, have recently become an antimicrobial research hotspot for their broad-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal activities. In addition, defensins play important roles in plant growth, development, and physiological metabolism, and demonstrate tissue specificity and regulation in response to path ...[more]

PMID: 31653915

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Project description:BACKGROUND: SPLs, a family of transcription factors specific to plants, play vital roles in plant growth and development through regulation of various physiological and biochemical processes. Although Populus trichocarpa is a model forest tree, the PtSPL gene family has not been systematically studied. RESULTS: Here we report the identification of 28 full-length PtSPLs, which distribute on 14 P. trichocarpa chromosomes. Based on the phylogenetic relationships of SPLs in P. trichocarpa and Arabidopsis, plant SPLs can be classified into 6 groups. Each group contains at least a PtSPL and an AtSPL. The N-terminal zinc finger 1 (Zn1) of SBP domain in group 6 SPLs has four cysteine residues (CCCC-type), while Zn1 of SPLs in the other groups mainly contains three cysteine and one histidine residues (C2HC-type). Comparative analyses of gene structures, conserved motifs and expression patterns of PtSPLs and AtSPLs revealed the conservation of plant SPLs within a group, whereas among groups, the P. trichocarpa and Arabidopsis SPLs were significantly different. Various conserved motifs were identified in PtSPLs but not found in AtSPLs, suggesting the diversity of plant SPLs. A total of 11 pairs of intrachromosome-duplicated PtSPLs were identified, suggesting the importance of gene duplication in SPL gene expansion in P. trichocarpa. In addition, 18 of the 28 PtSPLs, belonging to G1, G2 and G5, were found to be targets of miR156. Consistently, all of the AtSPLs in these groups are regulated by miR156. It suggests the conservation of miR156-mediated posttranscriptional regulation in plants. CONCLUSIONS: A total of 28 full-length SPLs were identified from the whole genome sequence of P. trichocarpa. Through comprehensive analyses of gene structures, phylogenetic relationships, chromosomal locations, conserved motifs, expression patterns and miR156-mediated posttranscriptional regulation, the PtSPL gene family was characterized. Our results provide useful information for evolution and biological function of plant SPLs.

Project description:Forest trees generally show high levels of local adaptation and efforts focusing on understanding adaptation to climate will be crucial for species survival and management. Here, we address fundamental questions regarding the molecular basis of adaptation in undomesticated forest tree populations to past climatic environments by employing an integrative quantitative genetics and landscape genomics approach. Using this comprehensive approach, we studied the molecular basis of climate adaptation in 433 Populus trichocarpa (black cottonwood) genotypes originating across western North America. Variation in 74 field-assessed traits (growth, ecophysiology, phenology, leaf stomata, wood, and disease resistance) was investigated for signatures of selection (comparing QST-FST) using clustering of individuals by climate of origin (temperature and precipitation). 29,354 SNPs were investigated employing three different outlier detection methods and marker-inferred relatedness was estimated to obtain the narrow-sense estimate of population differentiation in wild populations. In addition, we compared our results with previously assessed selection of candidate SNPs using the 25 topographical units (drainages) across the P. trichocarpa sampling range as population groupings. Narrow-sense QST for 53% of distinct field traits was significantly divergent from expectations of neutrality (indicating adaptive trait variation); 2,855 SNPs showed signals of diversifying selection and of these, 118 SNPs (within 81 genes) were associated with adaptive traits (based on significant QST). Many SNPs were putatively pleiotropic for functionally uncorrelated adaptive traits, such as autumn phenology, height, and disease resistance. Evolutionary quantitative genomics in P. trichocarpa provides an enhanced understanding regarding the molecular basis of climate-driven selection in forest trees and we highlight that important loci underlying adaptive trait variation also show relationship to climate of origin. We consider our approach the most comprehensive, as it uncovers the molecular mechanisms of adaptation using multiple methods and tests. We also provide a detailed outline of the required analyses for studying adaptation to the environment in a population genomics context to better understand the species' potential adaptive capacity to future climatic scenarios.

Dataset Information

Characterization, expression profiling, and functional analysis of a Populus trichocarpa defensin gene and its potential as an anti-Agrobacterium rooting medium additive.

Publications

Characterization, expression profiling, and functional analysis of a Populus trichocarpa defensin gene and its potential as an anti-Agrobacterium rooting medium additive.

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