Exogenous auxin affects the oxidative burst in barley roots colonized by Piriformospora indica

Beside a cardinal role in coordination of many developmental processes in the plant, the phytohormone auxin has been recognized as a regulator of plant defense. The molecular mechanisms involved are still largely unknown. Using a sensitive chemiluminescence assay, which measures the oxidation of luminol in the presence of H₂O₂ by horseradish peroxidase (HRP), we report here on the ability of exogenously added indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) to enhance the suppressive effect of the root endophyte Piriformospora indica on the chitin-elicited oxidative burst in barley roots. Thus, the potential of P. indica to produce free IAA during the early colonization phase in barley might provide the symbiont with a means to interfere with the microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMP)-triggered immunity.