Project description:Plant microRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in plant immunity. These mainly focusing Arabidopsis thaliana threatened by (hemi-)biotrophic pathogens such as the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. Here, we show that the Arabidopsis miRNA pathway is important for defense responses against the necrotrophic fungus Alternaria brassicicola. The miRNA pathway mutant ago1 exhibits an exaggerated response when treated with A. brassicicola, proposing that AGO1 is positive regulator. We found a subset of Arabidopsis miRNAs that quickly change their expression and their abundance in AGO1 complexes in plants exposed to A. brassicicola. The miRNAs responding to pathogen treatment are mainly targeting genes encoding metabolic enzymes, proteins involved protein degradation or transposons. In case of miR163, A. brassicicola infection results in increased levels of miRNA precursors and preferential accumulation of an unspliced form of pri-miR163, suggesting that A. brassicicola infection changes the transcriptional and post-regulation of pri-miRNAs. miR163 acts as a negative regulator of plant defense because mir163 mutants are more resistant when treated with A. brassicicola. Taken together, our results reveal the existence of positively and negatively acting Arabidopsis miRNA modulating the defense responses against A. brassicicola and highlight the importance of host miRNAs in the interaction between plants and necrotrophic pathogens.
Project description:Plant microRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in plant immunity. These mainly focusing Arabidopsis thaliana threatened by (hemi-)biotrophic pathogens such as the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. Here, we show that the Arabidopsis miRNA pathway is important for defense responses against the necrotrophic fungus Alternaria brassicicola. The miRNA pathway mutant ago1 exhibits an exaggerated response when treated with A. brassicicola, proposing that AGO1 is positive regulator. We found a subset of Arabidopsis miRNAs that quickly change their expression and their abundance in AGO1 complexes in plants exposed to A. brassicicola. The miRNAs responding to pathogen treatment are mainly targeting genes encoding metabolic enzymes, proteins involved protein degradation or transposons. In case of miR163, A. brassicicola infection results in increased levels of miRNA precursors and preferential accumulation of an unspliced form of pri-miR163, suggesting that A. brassicicola infection changes the transcriptional and post-regulation of pri-miRNAs. miR163 acts as a negative regulator of plant defense because mir163 mutants are more resistant when treated with A. brassicicola. Taken together, our results reveal the existence of positively and negatively acting Arabidopsis miRNA modulating the defense responses against A. brassicicola and highlight the importance of host miRNAs in the interaction between plants and necrotrophic pathogens.
Project description:We analyzed dual-transcriptome changes in germinating Arabidopsis seeds at three development stages (3, 6 and 10 days after sowing) with or without Alternaria brassicicola. Differentailly expressed genes were identified from both seed and fungus.
Project description:This study describes the gel-free phosphoproteomic analysis the phytopathogenic fungi Alternaria brassicicola and Botrytis cinerea grown in vitro under non-limiting conditions.
Project description:To gain insights into the cellular mechanisms by which indolic phytoalexins exerts its toxicity and investigate the adaptive strategies used by the fungus, we analyzed fungal transcriptional responses to short-term exposure to brassinin and camalexin.
Project description:A major part of plant immune response is mediated by signaling pathways controlled by three hormnes, jasmonate, ethylene, and salicylate. The involvement of each of these hormone signaling pathways in Arabidopsis thaliana was investigated in response to infection of a necrotrophic fungal pathogen, A. brassicicola. Arabideopsis mutants deficient in these hormone signaling pathways were compared to wild type.
Project description:A major part of plant immune response is mediated by signaling pathways controlled by three hormnes, jasmonate, ethylene, and salicylate. The involvement of each of these hormone signaling pathways in Arabidopsis thaliana was investigated in response to infection of a necrotrophic fungal pathogen, A. brassicicola. Arabideopsis mutants deficient in these hormone signaling pathways were compared to wild type. Expression profiles were obtained from leaves of wild-type (Col-0), dde2-2, ein2-1, and sid2-2 plants at 9 and 24 hours after A. brassicicola inoculation. In addition, expression profiles were obtained from wild-type at 9 and 24 hours after mock inoculation. The replicates were made from three independent experiments (i.e., biological replicates). Please note that 'Col-0 at 24 hpi with A. brassicicola, biological rep 3' was excluded from data processing because the data did not pass a QC based on affyPML of Bioconducter.
Project description:Brassica species produce antifungal indolyl compounds, brassinin and its derivatives, during microbial infection. The fungal pathogen Alternaria brassicicola detoxifies brassinin and possibly its derivatives. This ability is an important property for the successful infection of brassicaceous plants. Previously, we identified a transcription factor, Bdtf1, essential for the detoxification of brassinin and full virulence. To discover genes that encode putative brassinin-digesting enzymes, we compared gene expression profiles between a mutant strain of the transcription factor and wild-type A. brassicicola under two different experimental conditions. A total of 170 and 388 genes were expressed at higher levels in the mutants than the wild type during the infection of host plants and saprophytic growth in the presence of brassinin, respectively. In contrast, 93 and 560 genes were respectively expressed at lower levels in the mutant than the wild type under the two conditions. Fifteen of these genes were expressed at lower levels in the mutant than in the wild type under both conditions. These genes were assumed to be important for the detoxification of brassinin and included Bdtf1 and 10 putative enzymes. This list of genes provides a resource for the discovery of enzyme-coding genes important in the chemical modification of brassinin. Examination of downstream genes regulated by a transcrition factor under two test conditions