title: The phytoplasmal virulence factor TENGU causes plant sterility by downregulating of the jasmonic acid and auxin pathways.
abstract: Despite plants infected by pathogens are often unable to produce offspring, it remains unclear how sterility is induced in host plants. In this study, we demonstrate that TENGU, a phytoplasmal virulence peptide known as a dwarfism inducer, acts as an inducer of sterility. Transgenic expression of TENGU induced both male and female sterility in Arabidopsis thaliana flowers similar to those observed in double knockout mutants of auxin response factor 6 (ARF6) and ARF8, which are known to regulate floral development in a jasmonic acid (JA)-dependent manner. Transcripts of ARF6 and ARF8 were significantly decreased in both tengu-transgenic and phytoplasma-infected plants. Furthermore, JA and auxin levels were actually decreased in tengu-transgenic buds, suggesting that TENGU reduces the endogenous levels of phytohormones by repressing ARF6 and ARF8, resulting in impaired flower maturation. TENGU is the first virulence factor with the effects on plant reproduction by perturbation of phytohormone signaling.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Nami
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Minato
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Misako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Himeno
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Ayaka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hoshi
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Kensaku
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maejima
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan.
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Komatsu
authors.affiliation: RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan.
authors.forename: Yumiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takebayashi
authors.affiliation: RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kasahara
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yusa
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamaji
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oshima
authors.affiliation: RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kamiya
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigetou
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Namba
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003517:Cyclopentanes / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015536:Down-Regulation; D035264:Flowers / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D007210:Indoleacetic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D054883:Oxylipins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D045582:Phytoplasma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051479:Plant Infertility / Q000235:genetics*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D003517:Cyclopentanes; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D007210:Indoleacetic Acids; D054883:Oxylipins; D010455:Peptides; D014157:Transcription Factors; C517136:auxin response factor 6, Arabidopsis; C495666:auxin response factor 8, Arabidopsis; C011006:jasmonic acid