Methyl Jasmonate Signaling Research Articles

Nitric oxide functions in both methyl jasmonate signaling and abscisic acid signaling in Arabidopsis guard cells

Intracellular components in methyl jasmonate (MeJA) signaling remain largely unknown, to compare those in well-understood abscisic acid (ABA) signaling. We have reported that nitric oxide (NO) is a signaling component in MeJA-induced stomatal closure, as well as ABA-induced stomatal closure in the previous study. To gain further information about the role of NO in the guard cell signaling, NO production was examined in an ABA- and MeJA-insensitive Arabidopsis mutant, rcn1. Neither MeJA nor ABA induced NO production in rcn1 guard cells. Our data suggest that NO functions downstream of the branch point of MeJA and ABA signaling in Arabidopsis guard cells.

Overexpression of the apple alcohol acyltransferase gene alters the profile of volatile blends in transgenic tobacco leaves

Alcohol acyltransferases (AATs) are key enzymes in ester biosynthesis. Previous studies have found that AAT may be a stress-related gene. To investigate further the function of the apple alcohol acyltransferase gene (MdAAT2), transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing MdAAT2 were generated. Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy analysis showed that the volatile blends were altered in these transgenic tobacco leaves. Although no apple-fruity volatile esters were detected in transgenic tobacco leaves, methyl caprylate, methyl caprate, and methyl dodecanoate were newly generated, and the concentrations of methyl benzoate and methyl tetradecanoate were significantly increased, suggesting that MdAAT2 may use medium-chain fatty acyl CoA and benzoyl-CoA as acyl donors together with methanol acceptors as substrates. Surprisingly, the concentrations of linalool were significantly increased in transgenic tobacco leaves, which may mediate the repellent effect on Myzus persicae (Sulzer) aphids. Using methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and wounding treatments, we found that MdAAT2 may substitute for the partial ability of MeJA to induce the production of linalool in transgenic plants. These data suggest that MdAAT2 may be involved in the response to the MeJA signal and may play a role in the response to biotic and abiotic stress.

Roles of RCN1, Regulatory A Subunit of Protein Phosphatase 2A, in Methyl Jasmonate Signaling and Signal Crosstalk between Methyl Jasmonate and Abscisic Acid

Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) as well as abscisic acid (ABA) induces stomatal closure with their signal crosstalk. We investigated the function of a regulatory A subunit of protein phosphatase 2A, RCN1, in MeJA signaling. Both MeJA and ABA failed to induce stomatal closure in Arabidopsis rcn1 knockout mutants unlike in wild-type plants. Neither MeJA nor ABA induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and suppressed inward-rectifying potassium channel activities in rcn1 mutants but not in wild-type plants. These results suggest that RCN1 functions upstream of ROS production and downstream of the branch point of MeJA signaling and ABA signaling in Arabidopsis guard cells.

The coronatine-insensitive 1 Mutation Reveals the Hormonal Signaling Interaction between Abscisic Acid and Methyl Jasmonate in Arabidopsis Guard Cells. Specific Impairment of Ion Channel Activation and Second Messenger Production

Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) elicits stomatal closing similar to abscisic acid (ABA), but whether the two compounds use similar or different signaling mechanisms in guard cells remains to be clarified. We investigated the effects of MeJA and ABA on second messenger production and ion channel activation in guard cells of wild-type Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and MeJA-insensitive coronatine-insensitive 1 (coi1) mutants. The coi1 mutation impaired MeJA-induced stomatal closing but not ABA-induced stomatal closing. MeJA as well as ABA induced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) in wild-type guard cells, whereas MeJA did not induce production of ROS and NO in coi1 guard cells. The experiments using an inhibitor and scavengers demonstrated that both ROS and NO are involved in MeJA-induced stomatal closing as well as ABA-induced stomatal closing. Not only ABA but also MeJA activated slow anion channels and Ca(2+) permeable cation channels in the plasma membrane of wild-type guard cell protoplasts. However, in coi1 guard cell protoplasts, MeJA did not elicit either slow anion currents or Ca(2+) permeable cation currents, but ABA activated both types of ion channels. Furthermore, to elucidate signaling interaction between ABA and MeJA in guard cells, we examined MeJA signaling in ABA-insensitive mutant ABA-insensitive 2 (abi2-1), whose ABA signal transduction cascade has some disruption downstream of ROS production and NO production. MeJA also did not induce stomatal closing but stimulated production of ROS and NO in abi2-1. These results suggest that MeJA triggers stomatal closing via a receptor distinct from the ABA receptor and that the coi1 mutation disrupts MeJA signaling upstream of the blanch point of ABA signaling and MeJA signaling in Arabidopsis guard cells.

Transcriptional profiling of chickpea genes differentially regulated by salicylic acid, methyl jasmonate and aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid to reveal pathways of defence-related gene regulation

Using microarray technology and a set of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) unigenes and grasspea (Lathyrus sativus L.) expressed sequence tags, chickpea responses to treatments with the defence signalling compounds salicylic acid (SA), methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid (ACC) were studied in three chickpea genotypes with ranging levels of resistance to ascochyta blight [Ascochyta rabiei (Pass.) L.]. The experimental system minimised environmental effects and was conducted in reference design, where samples from untreated controls acted as references against post-treatment samples. Microarray observations were also validated by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The time-course expression patterns of 715 experimental microarray features resulted in differential expression of 425 transcripts. The A. rabiei resistant chickpea genotypes showed a more substantial range of defence-related gene induction by all treatments, indicating that they may possess stronger abilities to resist pathogens. Further, the involvement of SA, MeJA and ACC signalling was identified for the regulation of some important A. rabiei responsive transcripts, as well as cross-talk between these pathways. In the current study we also found evidence to suggest the involvement of A. rabiei-specific signalling mechanisms for the induction of several transcripts that were previously implicated in A. rabiei resistance. This study characterised the regulatory mechanisms of many chickpea transcripts that may be important in defence against various pathogens, as well as other cellular functions. These results provide novel insights to the molecular control of chickpea cellular processes, which may assist the understanding of chickpea defence mechanisms and allow enhanced development of disease resistant cultivars.

A novel R2R3 MYB transcription factor NtMYBJS1 is a methyl jasmonate‐dependent regulator of phenylpropanoid‐conjugate biosynthesis in tobacco

Target metabolic and large-scale transcriptomic analyses of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) Bright Yellow-2 (BY-2) cells were employed to identify novel gene(s) involved in methyl jasmonate (MJ)-dependent function in plants. At the metabolic level, we describe the specific accumulation of several phenylpropanoid-polyamine conjugates in MJ-treated BY-2 cells. Furthermore, global gene expression analysis of MJ-treated cells using a 16K cDNA microarray containing expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from BY-2 cells revealed 828 genes that were upregulated by MJ treatment within 48 h. Using time-course expression data we identified a novel MJ-inducible R2R3 MYB-type transcription factor (NtMYBJS1) that was co-expressed in a close temporal pattern with the core phenylpropanoid genes phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and 4-coumarate:CoA ligase (4CL). Overexpression of NtMYBJS1 in tobacco BY-2 cells caused accumulation of specific phenylpropanoid conjugates in the cells. Subsequent microarray analysis of NtMYBJS1 transgenic lines revealed that a limited number of genes, including PAL and 4CL, were specifically induced in the presence of the NtMYBJS1 transgene. These results, together with results of both antisense expression analysis and of gel mobility shift assays, strongly indicate that the NtMYBJS1 protein functions in tobacco MJ signal transduction, inducing phenylpropanoid biosynthetic genes and the accumulation of phenylpropanoid-polyamine conjugates during stress.

Cytoplasmic Alkalization Precedes Reactive Oxygen Species Production during Methyl Jasmonate- and Abscisic Acid-Induced Stomatal Closure

Signaling events during abscisic acid (ABA) or methyl jasmonate (MJ)-induced stomatal closure were examined in Arabidopsis wild type, ABA-insensitive (ost1-2), and MJ-insensitive mutants (jar1-1) in order to examine a crosstalk between ABA and MJ signal transduction. Some of the experiments were performed on epidermal strips of Pisum sativum. Stomata of jar1-1 mutant plants are insensitive to MJ but are able to close in response to ABA. However, their sensitivity to ABA is less than that of wild-type plants. Reciprocally, the stomata of ost1-2 are insensitive to ABA but are able to close in response to MJ to a lesser extent compared to wild-type plants. Both MJ and ABA promote H(2)O(2) production in wild-type guard cells, while exogenous application of diphenylene iodonium (DPI) chloride, an inhibitor of NAD(P)H oxidases, results in the suppression of ABA- and MJ-induced stomatal closure. ABA elevates H(2)O(2) production in wild-type and jar1-1 guard cells but not in ost1-2, whereas MJ induces H(2)O(2) production in both wild-type and ost1-2 guard cells, but not in jar1-1. MJ-induced stomatal closing is suppressed in the NAD(P)H oxidase double mutant atrbohD/F and in the outward potassium channel mutant gork1. Furthermore, MJ induces alkalization in guard cell cytosol, and MJ-induced stomatal closing is inhibited by butyrate. Analyses of the kinetics of cytosolic pH changes and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production show that the alkalization of cytoplasm precedes ROS production during the stomatal response to both ABA and MJ. Our results further indicate that JAR1, as OST1, functions upstream of ROS produced by NAD(P)H oxidases and that the cytoplasmic alkalization precedes ROS production during MJ or ABA signal transduction in guard cells.

Effect of methyl jasmonate on sugarcane seedlings

Sugarcane seedlings derived from single bud setts of CoLk 8102 were exposed to methyl jasmonate (1,2.5 and 5 ppm). Enzyme activities of catalase, peroxidase, Superoxide dismutase, nitrate reductase, isoenzyme analysis of Superoxide dismutase, proline and soluble protein content were determined after one month. The activities of catalase, Superoxide dismutase, nitrate reductase were lower at 1 ppm compared to control but at 5 ppm these were comparable to the control. The activity of peroxidase was higher than control under all MeJA treatments. The treatment with 2.5 and 5 ppm MeJA increased the number of isoenzymes of Superoxide dismutase in a dose dependent manner while 1 ppm MeJA treated ones had lesser number of isoenzymes as compared to control. Proline content was lower at 1 ppm but increased at 5 ppm. The reduction in enzymes activities at 1 ppm MeJA and increase at 5 ppm MeJA suggest methyl jasmonate regulated expression of these enzymes in sugarcane. These results suggest existence of the methyl jasmonate signalling pathway in sugarcane.