Albugo-imposed changes to tryptophan-derived antimicrobial metabolite biosynthesis may contribute to suppression of non-host resistance to Phytophthora infestans in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Plants are exposed to diverse pathogens and pests, yet most plants are resistant to most plant pathogens. Non-host resistance describes the ability of all members of a plant species to successfully prevent colonization by any given member of a pathogen species. White blister rust caused by Albugo species can overcome non-host resistance and enable secondary infection and reproduction of usually non-virulent pathogens, including the potato late blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans on Arabidopsis thaliana. However, the molecular basis of host defense suppression in this complex plant-microbe interaction is unclear. Here, we investigate specific defense mechanisms in Arabidopsis that are suppressed by Albugo infection.



Gene expression profiling revealed that two species of Albugo upregulate genes associated with tryptophan-derived antimicrobial metabolites in Arabidopsis. Albugo laibachii-infected tissue has altered levels of these metabolites, with lower indol-3-yl methylglucosinolate and higher camalexin accumulation than uninfected tissue. We investigated the contribution of these Albugo-imposed phenotypes to suppression of non-host resistance to P. infestans. Absence of tryptophan-derived antimicrobial compounds enables P. infestans colonization of Arabidopsis, although to a lesser extent than Albugo-infected tissue. A. laibachii also suppresses a subset of genes regulated by salicylic acid; however, salicylic acid plays only a minor role in non-host resistance to P. infestans.



Albugo sp. alter tryptophan-derived metabolites and suppress elements of the responses to salicylic acid in Arabidopsis. Albugo sp. imposed alterations in tryptophan-derived metabolites may play a role in Arabidopsis non-host resistance to P. infestans. Understanding the basis of non-host resistance to pathogens such as P. infestans could assist in development of strategies to elevate food security.
The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, United Kingdom.|School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, United Kingdom.
David C
DC
Prince
The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, United Kingdom.|Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK.
Ghanasyam
G
Rallapalli
DynaMo Center, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, 40 Thorvaldsensvej, DK-1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
Deyang
D
Xu
Department of Crop Genetics, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK.
Henk-Jan
HJ
Schoonbeek
The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, United Kingdom.|Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK.
Volkan
V
Çevik
The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, United Kingdom.|Plant Immunity Research Group, Center for Sustainable Resource Science, RIKEN Yokohama Institute, Yokohama, Japan.
Shuta
S
Asai
The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, United Kingdom.|Max Planck Research Group Fungal Biodiversity, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, Germany.
Eric
E
Kemen
The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, United Kingdom.
Neftaly
N
Cruz-Mireles
The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, United Kingdom.|Max Planck Research Group Fungal Biodiversity, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, Germany.
Ariane
A
Kemen
The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, United Kingdom.
Khaoula
K
Belhaj
The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, United Kingdom.|Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Sebastian
S
Schornack
The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, United Kingdom.
Sophien
S
Kamoun
School of Life Sciences, Warwick Crop Centre, University of Warwick, Wellesbourne, UK.
Eric B
EB
Holub
DynaMo Center, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, 40 Thorvaldsensvej, DK-1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
Barbara A
BA
Halkier
The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, United Kingdom. jonathan.jones@tsl.ac.uk.
Jonathan D G
JD
Jones
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D018533:Biomass; D053898:Biosynthetic Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D001937:Brassica / Q000382:microbiology; D060467:Disease Resistance / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000187:drug effects; D063990:Gene Ontology; D017343:Genes, Plant; D005961:Glucosinolates / Q000378:metabolism; D007211:Indoles / Q000378:metabolism; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways / Q000187:drug effects; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D055750:Phytophthora infestans / Q000502:physiology*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D057865:Plant Immunity / Q000187:drug effects; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000187:drug effects / Q000382:microbiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020156:Salicylic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D013844:Thiazoles / Q000378:metabolism; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000378:metabolism*; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D000094162:Phytoalexins
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D005961:Glucosinolates; D007211:Indoles; D020156:Salicylic Acid; D013844:Thiazoles; D014364:Tryptophan; C102405:camalexin; D000094162:Phytoalexins
Albugo; Arabidopsis thaliana; Camalexin; Glucosinolates; Non-host resistance; Phytophthora infestans; Salicylic acid