A Pathogenesis-Related Protein-Like Gene Is Involved in the Panax notoginseng Defense Response to the Root Rot Pathogen

Abstract

Pathogenesis-related proteins (PRs) are a class of proteins that accumulate in response to biotic and abiotic stresses to protect plants from damage. In this study, a gene encoding a PR-like protein (PnPR-like) was isolated from Panax notoginseng, which is used in traditional Chinese herbal medicines. An analysis of gene expression in P. notoginseng indicated that PnPR-like was responsive to an infection by the root rot pathogen Fusarium solani. The expression of this gene was induced by several signaling molecules, including methyl jasmonate, ethephon, hydrogen peroxide, and salicylic acid. The PnPR-like-GFP fusion gene was transiently expressed in onion (Allium cepa) epidermal cells, which revealed that PnPR-like is a cytoplasmic protein. The purified recombinant PnPR-like protein expressed in Escherichia coli had antifungal effects on F. solani and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides as well as inhibited the spore germination of F. solani. Additionally, the in vitro ribonuclease (RNase) activity of the recombinant PnPR-like protein was revealed. The PnPR-like gene was inserted into tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) to verify its function. The gene was stably expressed in T2 transgenic tobacco plants, which exhibited more RNase activity and greater disease resistance than the wild-type tobacco. Moreover, the transient expression of hairpin RNA targeting PnPR-like in P. notoginseng leaves increased the susceptibility to F. solani and decreased the PnPR-like expression level. In conclusion, the cytoplasmic protein PnPR-like, which has RNase activity, is involved in the P. notoginseng defense response to F. solani.

The AP2/ERF GmERF113 Positively Regulates the Drought Response by Activating GmPR10-1 in Soybean

“…Pathogenesis-related (PR) genes, a class of defense-related genes, play important roles in plant resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses [ 51 , 56 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 ]. PR10 gene expression is induced in many plants by drought and salt stress [ 48 , 82 , 83 , 84 ].…”

“…Pathogenesis-related (PR) genes are known to contribute to plant resistance to biotic stresses [ 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 ]. However, there are also numerous studies showing that PR genes also confer tolerance to abiotic stresses.…”

Lilium regale Wilson WRKY2 Regulates Chitinase Gene Expression During the Response to the Root Rot Pathogen Fusarium oxysporum

“…They accumulate after pathogen invasions, and may act as antimicrobial agents mediating cell wall hydrolysis, contact toxicity, and perhaps defense signaling (Zhang et al, 2017 ). A recent study demonstrated that Panax notoginseng PR-like proteins can inhibit F. solani and C. gloeosporioides mycelial growth (Li et al, 2021b ). Another study proved that overexpressing the moss ( Physcomitrella patens ) PR10 gene in A. thaliana enhances plant resistance to Pythium irregulare (Castro et al, 2016 ).…”

“…Although the germplasm resources of Lilium species resistant to F. oxysporum have been used for breeding disease-resistant lines, little is known about their mechanisms regulating transcription during an infection by F. oxysporum . In a recent study, 35 WRKY genes were identified in L. regale after the transcriptomes of plants inoculated with F. oxysporum were sequenced (Li et al, 2021b ). At the transcriptional level, LrWRKY2 is highly responsive to methyl jasmonate (MeJA), salicylic acid (SA), ethephon (ETH), and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) treatments as well as F. oxysporum infections.…”

Root rot a silent alfalfa killer in China: Distribution, fungal, and oomycete pathogens, impact of climatic factors and its management

“…Pathogenesis-related proteins (PRs) are widely distributed in plants, including alfalfa, and are essential in defense responses. Their expression is regulated by specific hormone signaling pathways ( Li et al, 2021b ). These PRs proteins have different functions, i.e., production of hydrolytic enzymes such as glucanases and chitinases, which lysis cell wall components ( Sunpapao and Pornsuriya, 2016 ), thaumatin-like and osmotin-like proteins which weaken cell walls and permeabilized plasma membranes ( Rather et al, 2015 ), antimicrobial peptides ( Nawrot et al, 2014 ) and RNAse activities to degrade pathogens RNA ( Tang et al, 2019 ).…”