Abstract
BackgroundSecondary metabolites play an important role in the plant defensive response. They are produced as a defence mechanism against biotic stress by providing plants with antimicrobial and antioxidant weapons. In higher plants, the majority of secondary metabolites accumulate as glycoconjugates. Glycosylation is one of the commonest modifications of secondary metabolites, and is carried out by enzymes called glycosyltransferases.ResultsHere we provide evidence that the previously described tomato wound and pathogen-induced glycosyltransferase Twi1 displays in vitro activity toward the coumarins scopoletin, umbelliferone and esculetin, and the flavonoids quercetin and kaempferol, by uncovering a new role of this gene in plant glycosylation. To test its activity in vivo, Twi1-silenced transgenic tomato plants were generated and infected with Tomato spotted wilt virus. The Twi1-silenced plants showed a differential accumulation of Twi1 substrates and enhanced susceptibility to the virus.ConclusionsBiochemical in vitro assays and transgenic plants generation proved to be useful strategies to assign a role of tomato Twi1 in the plant defence response. Twi1 glycosyltransferase showed to regulate quercetin and kaempferol levels in tomato plants, affecting plant resistance to viral infection.
Highlights
Secondary metabolites play an important role in the plant defensive response
A slight induction of Twi1 was observed in the control water-treated plants due to the wounding produced by the stem-feeding technique (Additional file 1: Figure S1)
Twi1 was strongly induced in the tomato plants inoculated with the virulent bacteria (Pst DC3000 ΔAvrPto) between 18 h and 48 h post-inoculation, while the induction level in the Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000 AvrPto inoculated plants was comparable to that observed in the mock-inoculated plants
Summary
Secondary metabolites play an important role in the plant defensive response. They are produced as a defence mechanism against biotic stress by providing plants with antimicrobial and antioxidant weapons. Plants are characterised by their ability to synthesise a wide variety of secondary metabolites that exert multiple and important functions for plants to interact with their environment [1, 2]. Phenolic compounds, which derive from phenylalanine, are among the most widespread groups of plant secondary metabolites, and display a wide range of biological properties [4]. Salicylic acid (SA) is a well-known phenolic compound that is induced by pathogen attack and has been shown to play a crucial role as a phytohormone by regulating the plant response to biotic stress [6].
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