The energy sensor OsSnRK1a confers broad-spectrum disease resistance in rice

Osvaldo Filipe,Monica Höfte,Ashley Haeck,David De Vleesschauwer,Kristof Demeestere

doi:10.1038/s41598-018-22101-6

Osvaldo Filipe, Monica Höfte + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-22101-6

Copy DOI

Journal: Scientific Reports	Publication Date: Mar 1, 2018
Citations: 58	License type: open-access

Affiliation: Ghent University, Bayer (Belgium)

Abstract

Sucrose non-fermenting-1-related protein kinase-1 (SnRK1) belongs to a family of evolutionary conserved kinases with orthologs in all eukaryotes, ranging from yeasts (SnF1) to mammals (AMP-Activated kinase). These kinases sense energy deficits caused by nutrient limitation or stress and coordinate the required adaptations to maintain energy homeostasis and survival. In plants, SnRK1 is a global regulator of plant metabolism and is also involved in abiotic stress responses. Its role in the response to biotic stress, however, is only starting to be uncovered. Here we studied the effect of altered SnRK1a expression on growth and plant defense in rice. OsSnRK1a overexpression interfered with normal growth and development and increased resistance against both (hemi)biotrophic and necrotrophic pathogens, while OsSnRK1a silencing in RNAi lines increased susceptibility. OsSnRK1a overexpression positively affected the salicylic acid pathway and boosted the jasmonate-mediated defense response after inoculation with the blast fungus Pyricularia oryzae. Together these findings strongly suggest OsSnRK1a to be involved in plant basal immunity and favor a model whereby OsSnRK1a acts as a master switch that regulates growth-immunity trade-offs.

Highlights

Rice (Oryza sativa) is a staple food for more than half of the world’s population and a scientific model for cereal crops and other monocots, providing about 20 percent of direct human calorie intake world-wide
These findings suggest that Sucrose non-fermenting-1-related protein kinase-1 (SnRK1) is central for plant metabolic regulation by translating internal and external cues within and across cells, thereby providing plants with a considerable degree of plasticity to grow and survive under challenging environments
Corroborating our findings showing that SnRK1 plays a role in senescence, recently SnRK1 was reported to delay leaf senescence by direct interaction and repression of the transcription factor EIN3 in Arabidopsis[49]

Summary

Introduction

Rice (Oryza sativa) is a staple food for more than half of the world’s population and a scientific model for cereal crops and other monocots, providing about 20 percent of direct human calorie intake world-wide. SnRK2 and SnRK3 subfamilies play specific roles in responses to abiotic stress conferring tolerance to drought, salt, and low temperature and are important in abscisic acid (ABA) signaling in different crops[27,28,29,30,31]. These studies implicate SnRKs in the regulation of metabolic homeostasis and hormonal metabolic regulation of growth and development. We demonstrate through a multidisciplinary approach using molecular, genetic, biochemical and pathological analyses, that in rice, in addition to regulating growth and development, the SnRK1a gene confers broad and durable disease resistance, while potentiating the responses of the classic defense hormones salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonate (JA)

Methods

Results

Conclusion