title: The Potato ERF Transcription Factor StERF3 Negatively Regulates Resistance to Phytophthora infestans and Salt Tolerance in Potato.
abstract: Ethylene response factors (ERFs) are unique to the plant kingdom and play crucial roles in plant response to various biotic and abiotic stresses. We show here that a potato StERF3, which contains an ERF-associated amphiphilic repression (EAR) motif in its C-terminal region, negatively regulates resistance to Phytophthora infestans and salt tolerance in potato. The StERF3 promoter responds to induction by salicylic acid, ABA ethylene and NaCl, as well as P. infestans, the causal agent of potato late blight disease. StERF3 could bind to the GCC box element of the HIS3 promoter and activate transcription of HIS3 in yeast cells. Importantly, silencing of StERF3 in potato produced an enhanced foliage resistance to P. infestans and elevated plant tolerance to NaCl stress accompanied by the activation of defense-related genes (PR1, NPR1 and WRKY1). In contrast, StERF3-overexpressing plants showed reduced expression of these defense-related genes and enhanced susceptibility to P. infestans, suggesting that StERF3 functions as a negative regulator of downstream defense- and/or stress-related genes in potato. StERF3 is localized to the nucleus. Interestingly, yeast two-hybrid assay and a bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) test clarified that StERF3 could interact with other proteins in the cytoplasm which may lead to its re-localization between the nucleus and cytoplasm, revealing a novel means of StERF3 regulation. Taken together, these data provide new insights into the mechanism underlying how StERF3 negatively regulates late blight resistance and abiotic tolerance in potato and may have a potential use in engineering late blight resistance in potato.
authors: Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (HAU), Ministry of Education, National Center for Vegetable Improvement (Central China), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China tianzhd@mail.hzau.edu.cn.
authors: Zhendong
authors: Z
authors: Tian
authors: Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (HAU), Ministry of Education, National Center for Vegetable Improvement (Central China), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
authors: Qin
authors: Q
authors: He
authors: Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (HAU), Ministry of Education, National Center for Vegetable Improvement (Central China), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
authors: Haixia
authors: H
authors: Wang
authors: Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (HAU), Ministry of Education, National Center for Vegetable Improvement (Central China), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China Present address: Science and Technology School of Shiyan City, Danjiangkou, Shiyan City, Hubei Province, 442701, China.
authors: Ying
authors: Y
authors: Liu
authors: Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (HAU), Ministry of Education, National Center for Vegetable Improvement (Central China), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China Present address: Shanghai ChemPartner Co., LTD., Shanghai, 201203, China.
authors: Ying
authors: Y
authors: Zhang
authors: Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (HAU), Ministry of Education, National Center for Vegetable Improvement (Central China), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China Present address: Agricultural Bureau of the Laiwu City, Shandong Province, 271100, China.
authors: Fang
authors: F
authors: Shao
authors: Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (HAU), Ministry of Education, National Center for Vegetable Improvement (Central China), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
authors: Conghua
authors: C
authors: Xie
mesh_terms: D000040:Abscisic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D060467:Disease Resistance / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000187:drug effects; D020868:Gene Silencing / Q000187:drug effects; D017343:Genes, Plant; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D055750:Phytophthora infestans / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000187:drug effects; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000378:metabolism; D020156:Salicylic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D055049:Salt Tolerance / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D011198:Solanum tuberosum / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014157:Transcription Factors; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D000040:Abscisic Acid; D020156:Salicylic Acid
keywords: EAR motif; Late blight resistance; Negative regulation; Potato; Salt tolerance; StERF3