Abstract
Main conclusion
MdPUB29 is a positive regulator of the defense response to the fungal pathogen Botryosphaeria dothidea possibly by directly regulating the salicylic acid (SA) content as well as SA synthesis-related and signaling-related gene transcription.
In plants, ubiquitin E3 ligases containing a U-box domain (PUBs, Plant U-box E3 ubiquitin ligase) have been identified as key regulators of fundamental cellular processes, such as cellular growth, development, and apoptosis, as well as biotic and abiotic stress responses. However, the function of PUBs in apple ring rot remains elusive. Here, we isolated the U-box E3 ligase MdPUB29 from the apple cultivar ‘Royal Gala’ and characterized its function in plant pathogen defense against Botryosphaeria dothidea. qRT-PCR showed that the expression of MdPUB29 was significantly induced in apple fruits after B. dothidea infection. Overexpression of the MdPUB29 gene in apple calli increased the resistance to B. dothidea infection. In contrast, silencing MdPUB29 in apple calli resulted in reduced resistance. Ectopic expression of MdPUB29 in Arabidopsis also exhibited enhanced resistance to B. dothidea infection compared to that of the wild-type (Col) control. In addition, it was found that the increase of plant pathogen defense was correlated with the increased salicylic acid (SA) content, as well as SA synthesis-related and signaling-related gene transcription in comparison to the wild type. We elucidated the mechanism by which MdPUB29 elevates plant pathogen defense against B. dothidea possibly by regulating the SA pathway.
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Abbreviations
- PTI:
-
PAMPs-triggered immunity
- PUB:
-
Plant U-box E3 ubiquitin ligase
- ROS:
-
Reactive oxygen species
- SA:
-
Salicylic acid
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Prof. Takaya Moriguchi of National Institute of Fruit Tree Science, Japan, for ‘Orin’ apple calli. We also would like to thank TopEdit English Editing LLC for providing linguistic assistance during the preparation of this manuscript. This work was supported by Grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31601728, 31471854 and 31772288), Ministry of Education of China (IRT15R42), Shandong Province (ZR2016CQ13 and SDAIT-06-03), and Shandong Agricultural University (564024, 24024).
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Han, PL., Dong, YH., Gu, KD. et al. The apple U-box E3 ubiquitin ligase MdPUB29 contributes to activate plant immune response to the fungal pathogen Botryosphaeria dothidea. Planta 249, 1177–1188 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-018-03069-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-018-03069-z