Melatonin enhances cotton immunity to Verticillium wilt via manipulating lignin and gossypol biosynthesis.

ABSTRACT: Plants endure challenging environments in which they are constantly threatened by diverse pathogens. The soil-borne fungus Verticillium dahliae is a devastating pathogen affecting many plant species including cotton, in which it significantly reduces crop yield and fiber quality. Melatonin involvement in plant immunity to pathogens has been reported, but the mechanisms of melatonin-induced plant resistance are unclear. In this study, the role of melatonin in enhancing cotton resistance to V. dahliae was investigated. At the transcriptome level, exogenous melatonin increased the expression of genes in phenylpropanoid, mevalonate (MVA), and gossypol pathways after V. dahliae inoculation. As a result, lignin and gossypol, the products of these metabolic pathways, significantly increased. Sile

SUBMITTER: Li C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6899791 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature