Early defence responses induced by two distinct elicitors derived from a Botrytis cinerea in grapevine leaves and cell suspensions

Abstract

Two elicitors, termed herein as the botrycin and the cinerein, have been isolated from the crude mycelial cell wall and from culture filtrate preparations, respectively, of a fungal necrotrophic pathogen Botrytis cinerea (Pers. et Fries). In grapevine (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Limberger) both elicitors caused the formation of necrotic lesions that mimic a typical hypersensitive response and apoptosis-related events including protoplast condensation and DNA laddering. Infiltration of minute amounts of the respective elicitors into leaves stimulated a rapid transcriptional activation of genes encoding enzymes of the phenylpropanoid pathway. Cultured grapevine cells respond differentially to respective elicitors. Significant differences were demonstrated in the ability of botrycin and cinerein to induce ion fluxes across the plasma membrane and the production of reactive oxygen species. As demonstrated by immunokinase assays, both botrycin and cinerein activated specific and distinct MAP kinases indicating that grapevine cells that perceived elicitors generated a cascade of signals acting at local, short, and long distances. Using a highly parallel antibody microarray profiling approach, the timing, dynamics, and regulation of the expression of 97 specific genes in elicitor-treated cells of grapevine was analysed.

Response of Vitis vinifera cell cultures to Phaeomoniella chlamydospora: changes in phenolic production, oxidative state and expression of defence-related genes

“…Because the production of stilbenic phytoalexins is one of the most common defence mechanisms in grapevine, it becomes obvious the importance of PAL and STSY (the enzyme that synthesizes resveratrol using the cinnamic acid pcoumaroyl-CoA derived from the phenylpropanoid pathway) in grapevine defence (Jeandet et al 2002). In this way, PAL and STSY up-regulation has been reported in grapevine in response to several stresses, such as UV irradiation (Bonomelli et al 2004;Borie et al 2004), P. viticola, B. cinerea, P. syringae and E. necator infections (Robert et al 2001;Bézier et al 2002;Kortekamp 2006;Fung et al 2008) and other elicitors including fungal cell walls, methyl jasmonate or B. cinerea-derived elicitors (Melchior and Kindl 1991;Repka et al 2001;Repka, 2006). STSY was also shown to be induced in grapevine cell cultures challenged with fungal elicitor (Wiese et al 1994).…”

“…Also, PR-6, PR-10, β-1,3-glucanase and class III chitinase transcripts were shown to accumulate in grapevine, and in grapevine cell cultures, in response to infection with several known pathogens, B. cinerea-derived elicitors, yeast extract, salicylic acid or related compounds (Busam et al 1997;Jacobs et al 1999;Robert et al 2001;Bézier et al 2002;Robert et al 2002;Kortekamp 2006;Repka 2006;Fung et al 2008). The importance of LOX in grapevine defence was already suggested by its up-regulation in leaves in response to UV-C irradiation (Bonomelli et al 2004), as well as in grapevine cells elicited with laminarin or challenged with the B. cinerea-derived elicitors botrycin and cinerein (Aziz et al 2003;Repka 2006). Because the production of stilbenic phytoalexins is one of the most common defence mechanisms in grapevine, it becomes obvious the importance of PAL and STSY (the enzyme that synthesizes resveratrol using the cinnamic acid pcoumaroyl-CoA derived from the phenylpropanoid pathway) in grapevine defence (Jeandet et al 2002).…”

Fight to the death: Arabidopsis thaliana defense response to fungal necrotrophic pathogens

“…Several characteristics typical of PCD have been detected after necrotrophic fungi infection. These include ion leakage (Govrin et al 2006), chromatin condensation (Govrin and Levine 2000;Gechev et al 2004;Park and Ikeda 2008), DNA laddering (Curtis and Wolpert 2004;Collazo et al 2006;Repka 2006), cytochrome c release (Rudd et al 2008) and alterations in chloroplasts (Kuroyangi et al 2005) and mitochondria (Curtis and Wolpert 2004) structure and activity. Successful infection, for example, the interaction between A. thaliana and pathogenic Botrytis species such as B. cinerea leads to rapid plant cell collapse.…”

Fungal Pathogens: The Battle for Plant Infection

“…Both elicitors cause formation of necrotic lesions in grapevine that mimic a typical HR. Infiltration of minute amounts of these elicitors into leaves activates specific and distinct MAP kinases, stimulates a rapid transcriptional activation of genes encoding enzymes of the phenylpropanoid pathway and induces ion fluxes across the plasma membrane and the production of ROS (Repka, 2006).…”