title: Ectopic expression of Arabidopsis L-type lectin receptor kinase genes LecRK-I.9 and LecRK-IX.1 in Nicotiana benthamiana confers Phytophthora resistance.
abstract: Transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana lines with constitutive expression of an Arabidopsis lectin receptor kinase gene (LecRK - I.9 or LecRK - IX.1) show enhanced resistance to Phytophthora pathogens, demonstrating conserved gene functionality after interfamily transfer. In plants, cell surface receptors mediate the first layer of innate immunity against pathogenic microbes. In Arabidopsis several L-type lectin receptor kinases (LecRKs) were previously found to function as Phytophthora resistance components. In this study, we determined the functionality of Arabidopsis LecRK-I.9 or LecRK-IX.1 in Phytophthora resistance when transferred into the Solanaceous plant Nicotiana benthamiana. Multiple transgenic lines were generated for each LecRK gene and molecular analyses revealed variation in transgene copy number, transgene expression levels and LecRK protein accumulation. Infection assays showed that transgenic N. benthamiana plants expressing either Arabidopsis LecRK-I.9 or LecRK-IX.1 are more resistant to Phytophthora capsici and to Phytophthora infestans. These results demonstrate that Arabidopsis LecRK-I.9 and LecRK-IX.1 retained their Phytophthora resistance function when transferred into N. benthamiana. Therefore, these LecRKs have the potential to function as a complementary Phytophthora resistance resource in distantly related plant species next to the canonical Phytophthora resistance genes encoding nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat proteins.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Phytopathology, Plant Sciences Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.|Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Phytopathology, Plant Sciences Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Nsibo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Phytopathology, Plant Sciences Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hagos M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Juhar
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Phytopathology, Plant Sciences Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Francine
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Govers
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Phytopathology, Plant Sciences Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands. klaas.bouwmeester@wur.nl.|Plant-Microbe Interactions, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands. klaas.bouwmeester@wur.nl.
authors.forename: Klaas
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bouwmeester
mesh_terms: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D060467:Disease Resistance; D017343:Genes, Plant; D055750:Phytophthora infestans / Q000502:physiology*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology*; D019076:Transgenes
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; C586088:LecRK-I.9 protein, Arabidopsis; C000612801:LecRK-IX.1 protein, Arabidopsis; D011494:Protein Kinases
keywords: Disease resistance; Interfamily gene transfer; L-type lectin receptor kinases; LecRK; Nicotiana benthamiana; Phytophthora