Roles of the EPS66A polysaccharide from Streptomyces sp. in inducing tobacco resistance to tobacco mosaic virus

Abstract

EPS66A was derived from an unidentified Streptomyces sp. HL-66 by chemical fraction and disease-resistance assays. It was identified as a polysaccharide through a series of chemical characterization, including infrared spectrum analysis, methylation, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, and high-performance gel permeation chromatography. To determine its effect in plant, EPS66A was applied to tobacco leaves infected with TMV, resulting in the plant with enhanced systemic resistance with a significant reduction of TMV severity. Plant defense was confirmed by early responses, including hypersensitive response (HR) indicated by programed cell death, moderate alkalization, oxidative burst, increase in nitric oxide (NO) and salicylic acid (SA). Furthermore, EPS66A induced callose deposition to form defense barriers against pathogen invasion and the expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes, which confirmed the second level of plant defense. Therefore, EPS66A served as a resistance inducer, which was reorganized by tobacco cells that triggered the production of signal molecules. The signals moved in long distance and systemically in plant, which coordinated the expression of defense responses. The study provided a new perspective in understanding the mechanism of EPS66A in regulating plants on environmental adaptability and provided a theoretical foundation for designing safe and sustainable pesticides.