Moderately ectopic expressing NLP27 in potato confers high disease resistance without yield penalty

Area of Science:

• Plant Science
• Molecular Biology
• Agricultural Biotechnology

Background:

• Pathogen effectors can trigger plant innate immunity.
• Ectopic expression of pathogen-derived peptides in plants needs further investigation for its effect on plant defense and growth.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of ectopically expressed NLP27 peptide on potato defense responses and plant growth.
• To assess the potential of NLP27 for enhancing disease resistance in potato.

Main Methods:

• Generated transgenic potato lines (NLP27) by ectopically expressing a modified NLP27 peptide sequence.
• Performed inoculation assays with Phytophthora infestans and Streptomyces scabies.
• Analyzed defense-related gene expression, reactive oxygen species accumulation, and callose deposition.

Main Results:

• Transgenic lines with moderate NLP27 expression showed significantly enhanced resistance (53.6%–85.7%) to P. infestans and S. scabies.
• Increased accumulation of O2-, H2O2, and callose deposition observed in transgenic lines.
• Upregulation of defense-related genes in salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) pathways, as well as basal defense genes.

Conclusions:

• Moderate ectopic expression of NLP27 peptide enhances potato resistance to major pathogens without yield penalty.
• NLP27 acts by promoting plant immunity, involving reactive oxygen species and defense gene activation.
• Balancing plant defense and growth through controlled expression of short peptides is a promising strategy for crop improvement.