The THO/TREX complex functions in disease resistance in Arabidopsis

Powdery mildew pathogens are biotrophic fungi that infect large number of plant species. EDR1 (ENHANCED DISEASE RESISTANCE 1) is a negative regulator of plant disease resistance, and loss-of-function in the EDR1 gene confers enhanced disease resistance to powdery mildew pathogen Golovinomyces cichoracearum. In an edr1 suppressor screen, we recently found that a mutation in HPR1, a component of the THO/TREX complex, suppresses edr1-mediated disease resistance, however the hpr1 mutation enhances the ethylene-induced senescence in edr1. The hpr1 single mutant displays enhanced susceptibility, indicating that HPR1 is involved in plant defense responses. THO/TREX is a conserved protein complex that functions in pre-mRNA processing and mRNA export. Several components of THO/TREX complex in Arabidopsis have been identified. By searching Arabidopsis database, we found that Arabidopsis (Columbia-0) has two copies of UAP56, another component of the THO/TREX complex, and the UAP56 proteins are highly conserved. Similar to human UAP56 protein, Arabidopsis UAP56 also localizes to the nucleus, showing a pattern similar to the splicing speckles. Further characterization of the components of THO/TREX in Arabidopsis will provide new insights into the role of THO/TREX in defense responses in plants.