Journal Article

FZJ-2023-00352

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Pathogen Resistance Depending on Jacalin-Dirigent Chimeric Proteins Is Common among Poaceae but Absent in the Dicot Arabidopsis as Evidenced by Analysis of Homologous Single-Domain Proteins

Esch, L.RWTH* ; Kirsch, C.RWTH* ; Vogel, L.RWTH* ; Kelm, J.RWTH* ; Huwa, N.FZJ* ; Schmitz, M.RWTH* ; Classen, T.FZJ* ; Schaffrath, U. (Corresponding author)RWTH*

2023
MDPI Basel

This record in other databases:      

Please use a persistent id in citations: http://hdl.handle.net/2128/33465  doi:10.3390/plants12010067

Abstract: MonocotJRLs are Poaceae-specific two-domain proteins that consist of a jacalin-related lectin (JRL) and a dirigent (DIR) domain which participate in multiple developmental processes, including disease resistance. For OsJAC1, a monocotJRL from rice, it has been confirmed that constitutive expression in transgenic rice or barley plants facilitates broad-spectrum disease resistance. In this process, both domains of OsJAC1 act cooperatively, as evidenced from experiments with artificially separated JRL- or DIR-domain-containing proteins. Interestingly, these chimeric proteins did not evolve in dicotyledonous plants. Instead, proteins with a single JRL domain, multiple JRL domains or JRL domains fused to domains other than DIR domains are present. In this study, we wanted to test if the cooperative function of JRL and DIR proteins leading to pathogen resistance was conserved in the dicotyledonous plant Arabidopsis thaliana. In Arabidopsis, we identified 50 JRL and 24 DIR proteins, respectively, from which seven single-domain JRL and two single-domain DIR candidates were selected. A single-cell transient gene expression assay in barley revealed that specific combinations of the Arabidopsis JRL and DIR candidates reduced the penetration success of barley powdery mildew. Strikingly, one of these pairs, AtJAX1 and AtDIR19, is encoded by genes located next to each other on chromosome one. However, when using natural variation and analyzing Arabidopsis ecotypes that express full-length or truncated versions of AtJAX1, the presence/absence of the full-length AtJAX1 protein could not be correlated with resistance to the powdery mildew fungus Golovinomyces orontii. Furthermore, an analysis of the additional JRL and DIR candidates in a bi-fluorescence complementation assay in Nicotiana benthamiana revealed no direct interaction of these JRL/DIR pairs. Since transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing OsJAC1-GFP also did not show increased resistance to G. orontii, it was concluded that the resistance mediated by the synergistic activities of DIR and JRL proteins is specific for members of the Poaceae, at least regarding the resistance against powdery mildew. Arabidopsis lacks the essential components of the DIR-JRL-dependent resistance pathway.

---

Contributing Institute(s):

1. Institut für Bioorganische Chemie (HHUD) (IBOC)
2. Biotechnologie (IBG-1)

Research Program(s):

1. 2172 - Utilization of renewable carbon and energy sources and engineering of ecosystem functions (POF4-217) (POF4-217)
2. DFG project 369034981 - Mechanismen der durch Dirigent/Jacalin-Proteinpaare hervorgerufenen Breitspektrumresistenz in Pflanzen gegen pilzliche Pathogene (369034981)

Appears in the scientific report 2023

---

Database coverage:
; ; ; ; Article Processing Charges ; BIOSIS Previews ; Biological Abstracts ; Clarivate Analytics Master Journal List ; Current Contents - Agriculture, Biology and Environmental Sciences ; DOAJ Seal ; Essential Science Indicators ; Fees ; IF < 5 ; JCR ; PubMed Central ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Web of Science Core Collection

---