Expression of Auxin Response Genes SlIAA1 and SlIAA9 in Solanum lycopersicum During Interaction with Acinetobacter...

Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production is a typical mechanism of plant growth promotion by some rhizobacteria. However, a functional genomic study is necessary to unravel the function and mechanism of IAA signaling during rhizobacteria-plant interactions. In this study, the expression of SlIAA1 and SlIAA9 among the auxin response genes in tomato was examined during the interaction between IAA-producing Acinetobacter guillouiae SW5 and tomato plants. When 3-day grown tomato seedlings were treated for 30 min with 10~100 µM of IAA produced by bacteria from tryptophan, the relative mRNA levels of SlIAA1 and SlIAA9 increased significantly compared with those of the control, demonstrating that IAA produced by this bacterium can induce the expressions of both genes. Inoculation of live A. guillouiae SW5 to tomato seedlings also increased the expressions of SlIAA1 and SlIAA9, with more mRNA produced at higher bacterial density. In contrast, treatment of tomato seedlings with dead A. guillouiae SW5 did not significantly affect the expression of SlIAA1and SlIAA9. When 3-day bacterial culture in tomato root exudates was administered to tomato seedlings, the relative mRNA level of SlIAA1 increased. This result indicated that the plant may take up IAA produced by bacteria in plant root exudates, which may increase the expression of the auxin response genes, with resulting promotion of plant growth.