title: Tomato SlERF.A1, SlERF.B4, SlERF.C3 and SlERF.A3, Members of B3 Group of ERF Family, Are Required for Resistance toBotrytis cinerea.
abstract: The Ethylene-Responsive Factors (ERFs) comprise a large family of transcriptional factors that play critical roles in plant immunity. Gray mold disease caused byBotrytis cinerea, a typical necrotrophic fungal pathogen, is the serious disease that threatens tomato production worldwide. However, littler is known about the molecular mechanism regulating the immunity toB. cinereain tomato. In the present study, virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS)-based functional analyses of 18 members of B3 group (also called Group IX) in tomato ERF family were performed to identify putative ERFs that are involved in disease resistance againstB. cinerea. VIGS-based silencing of eitherSlERF.B1orSlERF.C2had lethal effect while silencing ofSlERF.A3(Pit4) significantly suppressed vegetative growth of tomato plants. Importantly, silencing ofSlERF.A1, SlERF.A3, SlERF.B4, orSlERF.C3resulted in increased susceptibility toB. cinerea, attenuated theB. cinerea-induced expression of jasmonic acid/ethylene-mediated signaling responsive defense genes and promoted theB. cinerea-induced H2O2accumulation. However, silencing ofSlERF.A3also decreased the resistance againstPseudomonas syringaepv.tomato(Pst) DC3000 but silencing ofSlERF.A1, SlERF.B4orSlERF.C3did not affect the resistance to this bacterial pathogen. Expression ofSlERF.A1, SlERF.A3, SlERF.B4, orSlERF.C3was induced byB. cinereaand by defense signaling hormones such as salicylic acid, methyl jasmonate, and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (an ethylene precursor). SlERF.A1, SlERF.B4, SlERF.C3, and SlERF.A3 proteins were found to localize in nucleus of cells and possess transactivation activity in yeasts. These data suggest that SlERF.A1, SlERF.B4, and SlERF.C3, three previously uncharacterized ERFs in B3 group, and SlERF.A3, a previously identified ERF with function in immunity toPstDC3000, play important roles in resistance againstB. cinereain tomato.
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang UniversityHangzhou, China; National Navel Orange Engineering Research Center, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Gannan Normal UniversityGanzhou, China.
authors.forename: Zhigang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ouyang
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Shixia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Lihong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Yongbo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xiaohui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Yafen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Huijuan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Dayong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Fengming
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Song
keywords: B3 group; Botrytis cinerea; defense response; ethylene-responsive factor (ERF); tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)