title: Detection and function of nitric oxide during the hypersensitive response in Arabidopsis thaliana: where there's a will there's a way.
abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) was identified as a key player in plant defence responses approximately 20 years ago and a large body of evidence has accumulated since then supporting its role as a signalling molecule. However, there are many discrepancies in current NO detection assays and the enzymatic pathways responsible for its synthesis have yet to be determined. This has provoked strong debates concerning the function of NO in plants, even questioning its existence in planta. Here we gather data obtained using the model pathosystem Arabidopsis/Pseudomonas, which confirms the production of NO during the hypersensitive response and supports is role as a trigger of hypersensitive cell death and a mediator of defence gene expression. Finally, we discuss potential sources of NO synthesis, focusing on the role of nitrite as major substrate for NO production during incompatible interactions.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Verona, Strada Le Grazie, 15, 37134 Verona, Italy. Electronic address: jian.chen@univr.it.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Verona, Strada Le Grazie, 15, 37134 Verona, Italy. Electronic address: elodiegenevieve.vandelle@univr.it.
authors.forename: Elodie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vandelle
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Verona, Strada Le Grazie, 15, 37134 Verona, Italy. Electronic address: diana.bellin@univr.it.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bellin
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Verona, Strada Le Grazie, 15, 37134 Verona, Italy. Electronic address: massimo.delledonne@univr.it.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delledonne
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D016923:Cell Death / Q000502:physiology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D044224:Pseudomonas syringae / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide
keywords: Arabidopsis thaliana; Cell death; Chemiluminescence; Hypersensitive disease resistance response; Nitric oxide