Project description:Trichoderma spp. are filamentous fungi that colonize plant roots conferring beneficial effects to plants, indirectly through the induction of their defense systems or directly through the suppression of phytopathogens in the rhizosphere. Transcriptomic analyses of Trichoderma emerged as a powerful method for identifying the molecular events underlying the establishment of this beneficial relationship. Here, we focus on the transcriptomic response of Trichoderma virens during its interaction with Arabidopsis seedlings. The main response of T. virens to co-cultivation with Arabidopsis was the repression of gene expression. The biological processes of transport and metabolism of carbohydrates were downregulated, including a set of cell-wall-degrading enzymes putatively relevant for root-colonization. Repression of such genes reached their basal levels at later times of the interaction when genes belonging to the biological process of copper ion transport were induced, a necessary process providing copper as a cofactor for cell-wall degrading enzymes with auxiliary activities (AAs) class. RNA-Seq analysis showed the induction of a member of the SNF2 family of chromatin remodelers/helicase-related proteins, which was named IPA-1 (Increased Protection of Arabidopsis-1). Sequence analyses of IPA-1 showed as its closest relatives members of the Rad5/Rad16- and SNF2-subfamilies; however, it grouped into a different clade. Although deletion of ipa-1 in T. virens did not affect its growth, the antibiosis of Δipa-1 culture filtrates showed a diminished effect against Rhizoctonia solani but remained unaltered against Botrytis cinerea. Triggering of the plant defense genes in plants treated with Δipa-1 was higher, showing enhanced resistance against Pseudomonas syringae but not against B. cinerea as compared to wild type.
Project description:In this study we show that the Arabidopsis transcription factor MYB46, previously described to regulate secondary cell wall biosynthesis in the vascular tissue of the stem, is pivotal for mediating disease susceptibility to the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea. We identified MYB46 by its ability to bind to a new cis element located in the 5´ promoter region of the pathogen-induced Ep5C gene which encodes a type III cell wall-bound peroxidase. We present genetic and molecular evidence indicating that MYB46 modulates the magnitude of Ep5C gene induction following pathogenic insults. Moreover, we demonstrate that different myb46 knock-down mutant plants exhibit increased disease resistance to B. cinerea, a phenotype that is accompanied by selective transcriptional reprogramming of a set of genes encoding cell wall proteins and enzymes, of which extracellular type III peroxidases are conspicuous. In essence our results substantiates that defense-related signaling pathways and cell wall integrity are interconnected, and MYB46 likely functions as a disease susceptibility modulator to B. cinerea through the integration of cell wall remodeling and downstream activation of secondary lines of defense.
Project description:au10-13_cellwall - cell wall mutants - What is the impact of the loss of function of monolignol exporters? How does the plant cope with these transporters? Is there any compensation mechanism induced? What is the impact on lignin and cell wall biosynthesis? Does expression of a hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA hydratase/lyase in Arabidopsis stems generate a stress and affect genes involoved in cell wall biosynthesis? - Determine differentially expressed genes in stems of Arabidopsis plants lacking 2 monolignol exporter proteins. mRNA from stems of wild-type and transgenic 7-week-old plants grown in the same conditions were extracted and used for transcriptomic analysis. Three independant cultures were conducted for biological replicates. Determine differentially expressed genes in stems of Arabidopsis plants that express a hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA hydratase/lyase. mRNA from stems of wild-type and transgenic seven-week-old plants grown in the same conditions were extracted and used for transcriptomic analysis. Three independant cultures were conducted for biological replicates.