14-3-3 gene family in hybrid poplar and its involvement in tree defence against pathogens

In ongoing investigations of the role of the signal transduction pathway in tree-pathogen interactions, four complete and two partial 14-3-3 cDNAs have been isolated which are members of a gene family. Comparisons of DNA sequences reveal a high degree of identity among the cDNAs, and, in some cases, higher than 75% sequence similarity with previously published sequences. Sequence analysis at the amino acid level uncovered potential phosphorylation sites, some of which were identical among the proteins, and some of which varied. Treatment of trees with chitosan, jasmonates or by wounding of leaves, caused increases in the levels of 14-3-3 mRNA transcripts. Since jasmonates and chitosan are signal transducers of defence reactions in plants, these results suggest a possible role for 14-3-3 proteins in the pathogen defence response of deciduous trees. Effects of elicitors on transcription of the pal gene were also monitored. Pal is a well-characterized, pathogen response-related gene.