title: A Deoxynivalenol-Activated Methionyl-tRNA Synthetase Gene from Wheat Encodes a Nuclear Localized Protein and Protects Plants Against Fusarium Pathogens and Mycotoxins.
abstract: Fusarium graminearum is the fungal pathogen that causes globally important diseases of cereals and produces mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON). Owing to the dearth of available sources of resistance to Fusarium pathogens, characterization of novel genes that confer resistance to mycotoxins and mycotoxin-producing fungi is vitally important for breeding resistant crop varieties. In this study, a wheat methionyl-tRNA synthetase (TaMetRS) gene was identified from suspension cell cultures treated with DON. It shares conserved aminoacylation catalytic and tRNA anticodon binding domains with human MetRS and with the only previously characterized plant MetRS, suggesting that it functions in aminoacylation in the cytoplasm. However, the TaMetRS comprises a typical nuclear localization signal and cellular localization studies with a TaMetRS::GFP fusion protein showed that TaMetRS is localized in the nucleus. Expression of TaMetRS was activated by DON treatment and by infection with a DON-producing F. graminearum strain in wheat spikes. No such activation was observed following infection with a non-DON-producing F. graminearum strain. Expression of TaMetRS in Arabidopsis plants conferred significant resistance to DON and F. graminearum. These results indicated that this DON-activated TaMetRS gene may encode a novel type of MetRS in plants that has a role in defense and detoxification.
authors.affiliation: All authors: Molecular Biotechnology Laboratory of Triticeae Crops, first, third, fifth, sixth, and eighth authors: College of Life Science and Technology; second, fourth, seventh, and ninth authors: College of Plant Science and Technology, and ninth author: National Center of Plant Gene Research (Wuhan), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Dong-Yun
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Zuo
authors.affiliation: All authors: Molecular Biotechnology Laboratory of Triticeae Crops, first, third, fifth, sixth, and eighth authors: College of Life Science and Technology; second, fourth, seventh, and ninth authors: College of Plant Science and Technology, and ninth author: National Center of Plant Gene Research (Wuhan), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shu-Yuan
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.affiliation: All authors: Molecular Biotechnology Laboratory of Triticeae Crops, first, third, fifth, sixth, and eighth authors: College of Life Science and Technology; second, fourth, seventh, and ninth authors: College of Plant Science and Technology, and ninth author: National Center of Plant Gene Research (Wuhan), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Rong-Jing
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: All authors: Molecular Biotechnology Laboratory of Triticeae Crops, first, third, fifth, sixth, and eighth authors: College of Life Science and Technology; second, fourth, seventh, and ninth authors: College of Plant Science and Technology, and ninth author: National Center of Plant Gene Research (Wuhan), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.affiliation: All authors: Molecular Biotechnology Laboratory of Triticeae Crops, first, third, fifth, sixth, and eighth authors: College of Life Science and Technology; second, fourth, seventh, and ninth authors: College of Plant Science and Technology, and ninth author: National Center of Plant Gene Research (Wuhan), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: All authors: Molecular Biotechnology Laboratory of Triticeae Crops, first, third, fifth, sixth, and eighth authors: College of Life Science and Technology; second, fourth, seventh, and ninth authors: College of Plant Science and Technology, and ninth author: National Center of Plant Gene Research (Wuhan), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Wei-Jie
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: All authors: Molecular Biotechnology Laboratory of Triticeae Crops, first, third, fifth, sixth, and eighth authors: College of Life Science and Technology; second, fourth, seventh, and ninth authors: College of Plant Science and Technology, and ninth author: National Center of Plant Gene Research (Wuhan), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: All authors: Molecular Biotechnology Laboratory of Triticeae Crops, first, third, fifth, sixth, and eighth authors: College of Life Science and Technology; second, fourth, seventh, and ninth authors: College of Plant Science and Technology, and ninth author: National Center of Plant Gene Research (Wuhan), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: He-Ping
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: All authors: Molecular Biotechnology Laboratory of Triticeae Crops, first, third, fifth, sixth, and eighth authors: College of Life Science and Technology; second, fourth, seventh, and ninth authors: College of Plant Science and Technology, and ninth author: National Center of Plant Gene Research (Wuhan), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yu-Cai
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Liao
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005670:Fusarium / Q000502:physiology*; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000502:physiology*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000187:drug effects*; D008718:Methionine-tRNA Ligase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009183:Mycotoxins / Q000633:toxicity; D010802:Phylogeny; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D014255:Trichothecenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014908:Triticum / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D009183:Mycotoxins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D014255:Trichothecenes; D008718:Methionine-tRNA Ligase; C007262:deoxynivalenol