Altering glucosinolate profiles modulates disease resistance in plants.
Plant diseases are major contributing factors for crop loss in agriculture. Here, we show that Arabidopsis plants with high levels of novel glucosinolates (GSs) as a result of the introduction of single CYP79 genes exhibit altered disease resistance. Arabidopsis expressing CYP79D2 from cassava accumulated aliphatic isopropyl and methylpropyl GS, and showed enhanced resistance against the bacterial soft-rot pathogen Erwinia carotovora, whereas Arabidopsis expressing the sorghum CYP79A1 or over-expressing the endogenous CYP79A2 accumulated p-hydroxybenzyl or benzyl GS, respectively, and showed increased resistance towards the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. In addition to the direct toxic effects of GS breakdown products, increased accumulation of aromatic GSs was shown to stimulate salicylic acid-mediated defenses while suppressing jasmonate-dependent defenses, as manifested in enhanced susceptibility to the fungus Alternaria brassicicola. Arabidopsis with modified GS profiles provide important tools for evaluating the biological effects of individual GSs and thereby show potential as biotechnological tools for the generation of plants with tailor-made disease resistance.
Brader
Günter
G
Division of Genetics, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences, Viikki Biocenter, University of Helsinki, PO Box 56, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland.
Mikkelsen
Michael Dalgaard
MD
Halkier
Barbara Ann
BA
Tapio Palva
E
E
D000528:Alternaria / Q000502:physiology; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D005961:Glucosinolates / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D016973:Pectobacterium carotovorum / Q000502:physiology; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology*; D044224:Pseudomonas syringae / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D019076:Transgenes
D005961:Glucosinolates; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System