Transgenic tobacco expressing the hrpN(EP) gene from Erwinia pyrifoliae triggers defense responses against botrytis cinerea.
HrpN(EP), from the gram-negative pathogen, Erwinia pyrifoliae, is a member of the harpin group of proteins, inducing pathogen resistance and hypersensitive cell death in plants. When the hrpN(EP) gene driven by the OsCc1 promoter was introduced into tobacco plants via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, their resistance to the necrotrophic fungal pathogen, Botrytis cinerea, increased. Resistance to B. cinerea was correlated with enhanced induction of SA-dependent genes such as PR-1a, PR2, PR3 and Chia5, of JA-dependent genes such as PR-1b, and of genes related to ethylene production, such as NT-EFE26, NT-1A1C, DS321, NT-ACS1 and NT-ACS2. However the expression of NPR1, which is thought to be essential for multiple-resistance, did not increase. Since the pattern of expression of defense-related genes in hrpN(EP)-expressing tobacco differed from that in plants expressing hpaG(Xoo) from Xanthomonas oryzae pv. Oryzae, these results suggest that different harpins can affect the expression of different defense-related genes, as well as resistance to different plant pathogens.
Sohn
Soo-In
SI
National Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Rural Development Administration, Suwon 441-707, Korea.
Kim
Yul-Ho
YH
Kim
Byung-Ryun
BR
Lee
Sang-Yeob
SY
Lim
Chun Keun
CK
Hur
Jang Hyun
JH
Lee
Jang-Yong
JY
D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D020171:Botrytis / Q000502:physiology*; D016923:Cell Death; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D004885:Erwinia / Q000235:genetics*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D017343:Genes, Plant; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D040582:Inheritance Patterns; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D014170:Transformation, Genetic
D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; C075462:harpin protein, Erwinia amylovora