Abstract
BackgroundGossypium hirsutum is highly susceptible to Verticillium wilt, and once infected Verticillium wilt, its yield is greatly reduced. But G. barbadense is highly resistant to Verticillium wilt. It is possible that transferring some disease-resistant genes from G. barbadense to G. hirsutum may contribute to G. hirsutum resistance to Verticillium wilt.ResultHere, we described a new gene in G. barbadense encoding AXMN Toxin Induced Protein-11, GbAt11, which is specifically induced by Verticillium dahliae in G. barbadense and enhances Verticillium wilt resistance in G. hirsutum. Overexpression in G. hirsutum not only significantly improves resistance to Verticillium wilt, but also increases the boll number per plant. Transcriptome analysis and real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that GbAt11 overexpression can simultaneously activate FLS2, BAK1 and other genes, which are involved in ETI and PTI pathways in G. hirsutum.ConclusionThese data suggest that GbAt11 plays a very important role in resistance to Verticillium wilt in cotton. And it is significant for improving resistance to Verticillium wilt and breeding high-yield cotton cultivars.
Highlights
Verticillium wilt is a highly destructive soil-borne fungal disease of plants that affects an extensive range of host species, including many agricultural crops (Burpee and Bloom 1978; Fradin et al 2011; Qi et al 2016)
After FLS2 is activated by Flag22, BAK1 is recruited to form a complex, and transfers the resistance signal to downstream by a process called pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP)-Triggered-Immunity (PTI)(Albrecht et al 2012)
We soaked seedlings of G. barbadense and G. hirsutum in a solution of purified proteins secreted by V. dahliae, and necrotic lesions were found present on the leaves of G. barbadense after 72 h, while the entire leaves of G. hirsutum were withered
Summary
Verticillium wilt is a highly destructive soil-borne fungal disease of plants that affects an extensive range of host species, including many agricultural crops (Burpee and Bloom 1978; Fradin et al 2011; Qi et al 2016). There is an accumulative evidence to show that the toxin produced by V. dahliae is the main pathogenic factor, for example, a protein or glycoprotein is mainly responsible for the wilt symptoms. When plants contact Flag, the receptor protein FLS2 is activated on the surface of plant cells and is up-regulated through MAPK kinase signal transduction and transcription factor WRKY29 expression (Asai et al 2002; Gomez-Gomez and Boller 2000; Adachi et al 2015), causing the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the accumulation of callose at the infected site, protecting against the pathogen invasion (Nurnberger et al 2004). After FLS2 is activated by Flag, BAK1 is recruited to form a complex, and transfers the resistance signal to downstream by a process called PAMP-Triggered-Immunity (PTI)(Albrecht et al 2012). It is possible that transferring some disease-resistant genes from G. barbadense to G. hirsutum may contribute to G. hirsutum resistance to Verticillium wilt
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