Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Detection of Histone Modifications in Plant Leaves
Published on: September 23, 2011
SgPAL1/2 confers anthracnose resistance in Stylosanthes guianensis by modulating lignin content and monomer ratios
Mengze Gao1, Xipeng Ding2, Yajun Jiang2
1School of Breeding and Multiplication (Sanya Institute of Breeding and Multiplication), School of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Sanya, Hainan province, China.
Background:
Anthracnose, caused by the hemibiotrophic fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, is one of the most destructive diseases affecting leguminous forage crops worldwide. Due to its broad host range and ability to cause severe yield losses, identifying genetic resistance is crucial for sustainable disease management. Stylosanthes guianensis, a diploid, self-pollinating tropical legume widely cultivated as forage, cover crop, and green manure, exhibits natural variation in anthracnose resistance, making it an ideal model for investigating host resistance genes.
Results:
In this study, we evaluated the resistance of 28 S. guianensis accessions to C. gloeosporioides, revealing a significant positive correlation between phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity and anthracnose resistance. Transcriptome profiling identified five SgPAL genes, with SgPAL1 and SgPAL2 showing particularly strong induction upon pathogen infection and correlation with PAL activity. Functional characterization confirmed these genes encode cytoplasmically localized PAL enzymes. Overexpression of SgPAL1/2 in Arabidopsis thaliana enhanced resistance to C. gloeosporioides, while integrated transcriptomic, metabolomic, and biochemical analyses demonstrated that SgPAL1/2-mediated resistance operates through upregulation of lignin biosynthesis pathways, resulting in increased total lignin content and altered guaiacyl (G)/syringyl (S) monomer ratios.
Conclusion:
This study identified SgPAL1/2 as crucial genetic regulators of lignin-mediated anthracnose resistance. Our findings further revealed that the increase in both lignin content and the G/S ratio are significant factors enhancing resistance, offering promising targets for the genetic improvement of forage legume crops.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Drugs for Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis in IBD
Bioavailability Enhancement: Drug Stability Enhancement and GI Retention
Pharmacogenetics of Phase II Enzymes: N-acetyltransferase, Thiopurine S-methyltransferase, UDP-glucuronosyltransferase
Antiprotozoal Agents

