title: N-acyl-homoserine lactone confers resistance toward biotrophic and hemibiotrophic pathogens via altered activation of AtMPK6.
abstract: Pathogenic and symbiotic bacteria rely on quorum sensing to coordinate the collective behavior during the interactions with their eukaryotic hosts. Many Gram-negative bacteria use N-acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) as signals in such communication. Here we show that plants have evolved means to perceive AHLs and that the length of acyl moiety and the functional group at the γ position specify the plant's response. Root treatment with the N-3-oxo-tetradecanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (oxo-C14-HSL) reinforced the systemic resistance to the obligate biotrophic fungi Golovinomyces orontii in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei in barley (Hordeum vulgare) plants. In addition, oxo-C14-HSL-treated Arabidopsis plants were more resistant toward the hemibiotrophic bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato DC3000. Oxo-C14-HSL promoted a stronger activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases AtMPK3 and AtMPK6 when challenged with flg22, followed by a higher expression of the defense-related transcription factors WRKY22 and WRKY29, as well as the PATHOGENESIS-RELATED1 gene. In contrast to wild-type Arabidopsis and mpk3 mutant, the mpk6 mutant is compromised in the AHL effect, suggesting that AtMPK6 is required for AHL-induced resistance. Results of this study show that AHLs commonly produced in the rhizosphere are crucial factors in plant pathology and could be an agronomic issue whose full impact has to be elucidated in future analyses.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Phytopathology and Applied Zoology, Research Center for BioSystems, Land Use and Nutrition, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35392 Giessen, Germany. adam.schikora@agrar.uni-giessen.de
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schikora
authors.forename: Sebastian T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Schenk
authors.forename: Elke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Molitor
authors.forename: Alga
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zuccaro
authors.forename: Karl-Heinz
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kogel
mesh_terms: D054742:Acyl-Butyrolactones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D001203:Ascomycota / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D060467:Disease Resistance / Q000187:drug effects*; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D005408:Flagellin / Q000494:pharmacology; D001467:Hordeum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D057865:Plant Immunity / Q000187:drug effects; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000187:drug effects; D044224:Pseudomonas syringae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D051192:Receptors, Pattern Recognition / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D054742:Acyl-Butyrolactones; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D051192:Receptors, Pattern Recognition; D005408:Flagellin; C436293:MPK6 protein, Arabidopsis; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases