title: Fungal elicitor protein PebC1 from Botrytis cinerea improves disease resistance in Arabidopsis thaliana.
abstract: We previously identified a novel protein elicitor, PebC1, from Botrytis cinerea and described its enhancement of plant growth, drought tolerance and disease resistance in tomato. Here, we have investigated the defense-associated molecular responses in Arabidopsis thaliana after treatment with recombinant PebC1. PebC1 was expressed in Escherichia coli. Recombinant protein treatments improved plant resistance to Botrytis infection and maintained plant defenses for more than 21 days. The purified protein at 10 μg ml(-1) activated extracellular medium alkalization (pH) and reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide generation and also induced defense gene expression. Arabidopsis mutants that are insensitive to salicylic acid had increased resistance to Botrytis infection after PebC1 treatment but PebC1 did not affect the resistance of mutants with jasmonic acid and ethylene transduction pathways. The results suggest that PebC1 can function as an activator of plant disease resistance and can promote disease resistance to Botrytis in A. thaliana through the ethylene signal transduction pathway.
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Disease and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, No. 12 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing, 100081, China.
authors.forename: Yunhua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiufen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Hongmei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Lihua
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Jingjing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Dewen
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Qiu
mesh_terms: D000220:Adaptation, Biological / Q000187:drug effects; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D020171:Botrytis / Q000235:genetics*; D060467:Disease Resistance / Q000187:drug effects*; D055864:Droughts; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins