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An Easy and Flexible Inoculation Method for Accurately Assessing Powdery Mildew-Infection Phenotypes of Arabidopsis and Other Plants
Published on: March 9, 2021
The interaction between McMLO7b and McCASPL22 regulating the susceptibility to powdery mildews in balsam pear
Zhiyang Liu1, Zhenglu Liu2, Jing Liu1
1Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Horticultural Crop Genetic Improvement, Institute of Vegetable Crops, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, 210014, China.
Abstract:
Powdery mildew (PM) is one of the most serious diseases in balsam pear. MLO (Mildew Resistance Locus O) is a key factor in the response of plants to PM infection, but its regulation mechanism remains poorly understood. In this study, overexpression of McMLO7b (MLO7b in Momordica charantia L) was found to potentially enhance Arabidopsis susceptibility to PM, confirming that McMLO7b acts as a susceptibility factor during PM infection. Through yeast two-hybrid screening and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assay, the results demonstrated that McMLO7b interacted with McCASPL22, a protein mediating the lignin deposition. The qPCR results revealed that during the early stages of PM infection, the expression level of McCASPL22 was significantly reduced in both susceptible and resistant varieties. However, the expression increased much higher in the resistant variety than the susceptible one at the later stages. Meanwhile, the resistant variety exhibited substantially higher lignin accumulation compared to the susceptible variety, suggesting that McCASPL22 may contribute to resistance during host-PM interactions. Based on these findings, it was hypothesized that McMLO7b might suppress McCASPL22 function in the susceptible variety, while McCASPL22 in the resistant variety could attenuates this suppression.
Insights
Balsam pear powdery mildew (PM) resistance involves MLO proteins. Momordica charantia L MLO7b (McMLO7b) enhances susceptibility by interacting with McCASPL22, a protein involved in lignin deposition.
Area of Science:
- Plant Pathology
- Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Powdery mildew (PM) significantly impacts balsam pear yield.
- Mildew Resistance Locus O (MLO) proteins are crucial in plant responses to PM.
- The precise regulatory mechanisms of MLOs in PM susceptibility are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of McMLO7b in balsam pear's response to PM.
- To identify proteins interacting with McMLO7b and elucidate their function.
- To understand the molecular basis of PM resistance in balsam pear.
Main Methods:
- Overexpression of McMLO7b in Arabidopsis thaliana.
- Yeast two-hybrid screening and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assays.
- Quantitative PCR (qPCR) to analyze gene expression and lignin content analysis.
Main Results:
- Overexpression of McMLO7b increased Arabidopsis susceptibility to PM, identifying it as a susceptibility factor.
- McMLO7b directly interacts with McCASPL22, a protein involved in lignin deposition.
- McMLO7b potentially suppresses McCASPL22 function in susceptible interactions, while McCASPL22 contributes to resistance in resistant interactions through lignin accumulation.
Conclusions:
- McMLO7b acts as a susceptibility factor in balsam pear PM interactions.
- McMLO7b-McCASPL22 interaction plays a critical role in regulating lignin deposition and PM resistance.
- Understanding this pathway offers potential targets for developing PM-resistant balsam pear varieties.
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