The SUBcellular location database for Arabidopsis proteins (SUBA4, http://suba.live) is a comprehensive collection of manually curated published data sets of large-scale subcellular proteomics, fluorescent protein visualization, protein-protein interaction (PPI) as well as subcellular targeting calls from 22 prediction programs. SUBA4 contains an additional 35 568 localizations totalling more than 60 000 experimental protein location claims as well as 37 new suborganellar localization categories. The experimental PPI data has been expanded to 26 327 PPI pairs including 856 PPI localizations from experimental fluorescent visualizations. The new SUBA4 user interface enables users to choose quickly from the filter categories: ‘subcellular location’, ‘protein properties’, ‘protein–protein interaction’ and ‘affiliations’ to build complex queries. This allows substantial expansion of search parameters into 80 annotation types comprising 1 150 204 new annotations to study metadata associated with subcellular localization. The ‘BLAST’ tab contains a sequence alignment tool to enable a sequence fragment from any species to find the closest match in Arabidopsis and retrieve data on subcellular location. Using the location consensus SUBAcon, the SUBA4 toolbox delivers three novel data services allowing interactive analysis of user data to provide relative compartmental protein abundances and proximity relationship analysis of PPI and coexpression partners from a submitted list of Arabidopsis gene identifiers.

This paper describes the effect of phosphite (Phi), a systemic chemical, on the induction of defence responses in Phytophthora cinnamomi-infected Arabidopsis thaliana accessions Ler and Col-0. Application of Phi to non-inoculated A. thaliana seedlings of accession Ler elevated transcription of defence genes in the salicylic acid (PR1 and PR5) and jasmonic acid ⁄ ethylene (THI2.1 and PDF1.2) pathways. Furthermore, a systemic increase in the expression of the PR1 gene was demonstrated in Phi-treated seedlings using the transgenic line PR1::GUS in the presence ⁄ absence of the pathogen by 72 h after inoculation. The cells of Phi-treated A. thaliana Ler leaves responded to P. cinnamomi zoospore inoculation with a rapid increase in callose deposition and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) production. Phi treatment resulted in the production of callose papillae 6 h earlier than in non-Phi-treated inoculated seedlings and enhanced the production of H 2 O 2 in the leaves of A. thaliana at the site of hyphal penetration and in cells away from the inoculation point. By 24 h after infection, clear differences in the amount of H 2 O 2 production were observed between the Phi-treated and non-Phi-treated plants. These rapid host responses did not occur in non-Phi-treated inoculated seedlings. There was also a significant (P < 0AE001) decrease in lesion size in Phi-treated plants. These results indicate that Phi primes the plant for a rapid and intense response to infection involving heightened activation of a range of defence responses.

We report the partial complementation and subsequent comparative molecular analysis of two nonviable mutants impaired in chloroplast translation, one (emb2394) lacking the RPL6 protein, and the other (emb2654) carrying a mutation in a gene encoding a P-class pentatricopeptide repeat protein. We show that EMB2654 is required for the trans-splicing of the plastid rps12 transcript and that therefore the emb2654 mutant lacks Rps12 protein and fails to assemble the small subunit of the plastid ribosome, explaining the loss of plastid translation and consequent embryo-lethal phenotype. Predictions of the EMB2654 binding site match a small RNA "footprint" located on the 59 half of the trans-spliced intron that is almost absent in the partially complemented mutant. EMB2654 binds sequence specifically to this target sequence in vitro. Altered patterns in nucleaseprotected small RNA fragments in emb2654 show that EMB2654 binding must be an early step in, or prior to, the formation of a large protein-RNA complex covering the free ends of the two rps12 intron halves.

Ascochyta blight is a devastating disease of chickpea. Breeders have been trying to introduce resistance from wild Cicer into cultivated chickpea, however, the effort is hampered by the frequent genetic drag of undesirable traits. Therefore, this study was aimed to identify potential markers linked to plant growth habit, ascochyta blight resistance and days to flowering for marker-assisted breeding. An interspecific F 2 population between chickpea and C. reticulatum was constructed to develop a genetic linkage map. F 2 plants were cloned through stem cuttings for replicated assessment of ascochyta blight resistance. A closely linked marker (TA34) on linkage group (LG) 3 was identified for plant growth habit explaining 95.2% of the variation. Three quantitative trait loci (QTLs) explaining approximately 49% of the phenotypic variation were found for ascochyta blight resistance on LG 3 and LG 4. Flowering time was controlled by two QTLs on LG3 explaining 90.2% of the variation. Ascochyta blight resistance was negatively correlated with flowering time (r = -0.22, P \ 0.001) but not correlated with plant growth habit.