Regulation of WRKY46 Transcription Factor Function by Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases in Arabidopsis thaliana

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are central signaling pathways activated in plants after sensing internal developmental and external stress cues. Knowledge about the downstream substrate proteins of MAPKs is still limited in plants. We screened Arabidopsis WRKY transcription factors as potential targets downstream of MAPKs, and concentrated on characterizing WRKY46 as a substrate of the MAPK, MPK3. Mass spectrometry revealed in vitro phosphorylation of WRKY46 at amino acid position S168 by MPK3. However, mutagenesis studies showed that a second phosphosite, S250, can also be phosphorylated. Elicitation with pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), such as the bacterial flagellin-derived flg22 peptide led to in vivo destabilization of WRKY46 in Arabidopsis protoplasts. Mutation of either phosphorylation site reduced the PAMP-induced degradation of WRKY46. Furthermore, the protein for the double phosphosite mutant is expressed at higher levels compared to wild-type proteins or single phosphosite mutants. In line with its nuclear localization and predicted function as a transcriptional activator, overexpression of WRKY46 in protoplasts raised basal plant defense as reflected by the increase in promoter activity of the PAMP-responsive gene, NHL10, in a MAPK-dependent manner. Thus, MAPK-mediated regulation of WRKY46 is a mechanism to control plant defense

Stress induced β subunit of heterotrimeric G-proteins from Pisum sativum interacts with mitogen activated protein kinase

We here report in Pisum sativum system a novel protein-protein interaction of β-subunit of heterotrimeric G-proteins (PsGβ) with a Mitogen activated protein kinase (PsMPK3) during cDNA library screening by yeast-two-hybrid assay. The transcript of these two genes also showed co-regulation under abscisic acid (ABA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatments. The protein-protein interaction was further validated by performing one-to-one interaction and β-galactosidase assay in yeast system. β-subunit of G-proteins from a heterologous system Oryzae sativa also showed interaction with PsMPK3. The interaction between PsGβ and PsMPK3 was further confirmed by in vitro protein-protein interaction. This suggested that MPK3 function as effector molecule for Gβ, which may helps in the regulation of stomatal functioning. These findings also provide an evidence for a possible cross-talk between MPK3 and G-protein-mediated signaling pathways in plants

Regulation of MAP kinase signaling cascade by microRNAs in <i>Oryza sativa</i>

<div><p>Mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is one of the most conserved signaling cascade in plants regulating a plethora of cellular processes including normal growth and development, abiotic and biotic stress responses. The perception of external cues triggers the phosphorylation of three tier MAPKKK-MAPKK-MAPK cascade which finally modifies a downstream substrate thereby regulating the cellular processes. Whereas, the transcription regulation by MAPKs, mediated through their substrates is well studied in plants, the transcription and post-transcriptional regulation of the MAPK genes are poorly understood. Previous studies from the animals systems suggested the miRNAs regulate the post-transcriptional regulation of MAPK transcripts. Here we attempt to unravel the post-transcriptional regulation of MAPKs by miRNAs in model crop plant <i>Oryza sativa</i>. Using <i>in silico</i> tools, we predict the miRNAs for 98 out of 99 MAPK transcripts. The predicted miRNAs were validated for the biological relevance of their function. The inverse correlation between relative transcript levels between the MAPKs and their predicted miRNAs validated the <i>in silico</i> prediction. Taken together, this report demonstrates the significance of miRNAs in regulation of the MAPK pathway in plants with a new direction to study the plant signaling molecules.</p></div

The proteasome acts as a hub for plant immunity and is targeted by Pseudomonas type-III effectors

Recent evidence suggests that the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is involved in several aspects of plant immunity and a range of plant pathogens subvert the UPS to enhance their virulence. Here we show that proteasome activity is strongly induced during basal defense in Arabidopsis. Mutant lines of the proteasome subunits RPT2a and RPN12a support increased bacterial growth of virulent Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst) and Pseudomonas syringae pv. maculicola ES4326. Both proteasome subunits are required for Pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP)-triggered immunity (PTI) responses. Analysis of bacterial growth after a secondary infection of systemic leaves revealed that the establishment of systemic-acquired resistance (SAR) is impaired in proteasome mutants, suggesting that the proteasome also plays an important role in defense priming and SAR. In addition, we show that Pst inhibits proteasome activity in a type-III secretion dependent manner. A screen for type-III effector proteins from Pst for their ability to interfere with proteasome activity revealed HopM1, HopAO1, HopA1 and HopG1 as putative proteasome inhibitors. Biochemical characterization of HopM1 by mass-spectrometry indicates that HopM1 interacts with several E3 ubiquitin ligases and proteasome subunits. This supports the hypothesis that HopM1 associates with the proteasome leading to its inhibition. Thus, the proteasome is an essential component of PTI and SAR, which is targeted by multiple bacterial effectors

CrMPK3, a mitogen activated protein kinase from <it>Catharanthus roseus</it> and its possible role in stress induced biosynthesis of monoterpenoid indole alkaloids

Abstract Background Mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade is an important signaling cascade that operates in stress signal transduction in plants. The biologically active monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIA) produced in Catharanthus roseus are known to be induced under several abiotic stress conditions such as wounding, UV-B etc. However involvement of any signaling component in the accumulation of MIAs remains poorly investigated so far. Here we report isolation of a novel abiotic stress inducible Catharanthus roseus MAPK, CrMPK3 that may have role in accumulation of MIAs in response to abiotic stress. Results CrMPK3 expressed in bacterial system is an active kinase as it showed auto-phosphorylation and phosphorylation of Myelin Basic Protein. CrMPK3 though localized in cytoplasm, moves to nucleus upon wounding. Wounding, UV treatment and MeJA application on C. roseus leaves resulted in the transcript accumulation of CrMPK3 as well as activation of MAPK in C. roseus leaves. Immuno-precipitation followed by immunoblot analysis revealed that wounding, UV treatment and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) activate CrMPK3. Transient over-expression of CrMPK3 in C. roseus leaf tissue showed enhanced expression of key MIA biosynthesis pathway genes and also accumulation of specific MIAs. Conclusion Results from our study suggest a possible involvement of CrMPK3 in abiotic stress signal transduction towards regulation of transcripts of key MIA biosynthetic pathway genes, regulators and accumulation of major MIAs.</p

Arabidopsis WRKY50 and TGA transcription factors synergistically activate expression of PR1

Arabidopsis PR1 is a salicylic acid (SA) inducible marker gene for systemic acquired resistance (SAR). However, the regulation of PR1 in plants is poorly understood. In this study, we showed that AtWRKY50 transcription factor binds to two promoter elements of PR1 via its DNA binding domain. Interestingly, the DNA-binding sites for AtWRKY50 deviate significantly from the consensus WRKY binding W-box. The binding sites are located in close proximity to the binding sites for TGA transcription factors. Transactivation experiments in Arabidopsis protoplasts derived from wild type, npr1-1 and tga256 mutant plants indicated that AtWRKY50 alone was able to induce expression of a PR1::β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene, independent of TGAs or NPR1. However, co-expression of TGA2 or TGA5 with AtWRKY50 synergistically enhanced expression to high levels. Yeast-2-hybrid assays and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) experiments revealed that AtWRKY50 could interact with TGA2 and TGA5. Using electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) it was established that AtWRKY50 and TGA2 or TGA5 simultaneously bind to the PR1 promoter. Taken together, these results support a role of AtWRKY50 in SA-induced expression of PR1. Highlights: AtWRKY50 specifically binds to LS10 region of PR1 promoter and interacts with TGAs to synergistically activate PR1 expression

Host genotype, soil composition, and geo-climatic factors shape the fonio seed microbiome

Abstract Background Fonio (Digitaria exilis), an orphan millet crop, is the oldest indigenous crop in West Africa. Although the yield is low due to pre-domestication characteristics, the quick maturation time, drought tolerance, and the ability to thrive on poor soils make fonio a climate-smart crop. Being holobionts, plants evolve in close interaction with microbial partners, which is crucial for plant phenology and fitness. As seeds are the bottleneck of vertically transmitting plant microbiota, we proposed to unravel the seed microbiome of the under-domesticated and resilient crop fonio. Our study investigated the bacterial seed endophyte diversity across 126 sequenced fonio accessions from distinct locations in West Africa. We conducted a correlation study of the structures and functions of the seed-associated microbiomes with the native geo-climate and soil structure data. We also performed Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify genetic loci associated with seed endophyte diversity. Result We report that fonio millet has diverse heritable seed endophytic taxa. We analyzed the seed microbiomes of 126 fonio accessions and showed that despite the diversity of microbiomes from distinct geographical locations, all fonio genetic groups share a core microbiome. In addition, we observed that native soil composition, geo-climatic factors, and host genotype correlate with the seed microbiomes. GWAS analysis of genetic loci associated with endophyte seed bacterial diversity identified fonio SNPs associated with genes functioning in embryo development and stress/defense response. Conclusion Analysis of the seed endophyte of the climate-smart crop fonio indicated that despite possessing a heritable core microbiome, native conditions may shape the overall fonio seed microbiomes in different populations. These distinct microbiomes could play important roles in the adaptation of fonio to different environmental conditions. Our study identified the seed microbiome as a potential target for enhancing crop resilience to climate stress in a sustainable way. Video Abstrac