Enhancing Tomato Plant Resistance Against Tobacco Mosaic Virus Using Riboflavin

Abstract

Plant systemic resistance induced by natural product is an alternative technique of disease management. Riboflavin (vitamin B2) usually used as abiotic elicitor to improve the plant immunity against different pathogens. This work aimed to explore the efficiency of three riboflavin concentrations (0.5, 2.5, and 5 mM) to enhance resistance toward Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) in tomato plants. Our results showed that exogenous application of 2.5mM riboflavin, 5 days before virus challenge was the most effective concentration, which provided a reduction in disease incidence and disease severity by 80% and 75%, respectively. Furthermore, obtained results were confirmed by using DAS-ELISA test, which showed that concentration 2.5 mM of riboflavin decreased the virus concentrations by 46.4% in treated-inoculated plants. It was remarked that exogenous application of 2.5 mM riboflavin showed a positive effect on some plant growth parameters either in presence or absence of TMV challenge. The plant height and number of leaves per plant were significantly improved in treated-inoculated plants about 30% and in compared to the infected control 78%. In time course investigation, 2.5mM riboflavin treatment reduced the virus symptoms particularly at 9 th day, where after the symptoms become evident. In addition, expression of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and pathogenesis-related protein (PR10), which are the markers of systemic acquired resistance (SAR), were rapidly increased in inoculated-treated tomato from 1-3 days after treatment. Moreover, the results of the biochemical changes analysis revealed that, the levels of the defense markers including peroxidase (PO), and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) were increased four days after of treatment and reached maximum levels at 8 days in the treated-inoculated plants. In conclusion, it could be suggesting that riboflavin exerted a great influence on TMV disease, as indicated by reduction of disease symptoms as well as enhancement of biochemical changes in plant defense against infection with TMV.

Pathogenesis-Related Proteins (PRs) with Enzyme Activity Activating Plant Defense Responses

“…The MdPR10 gene present in Malus domestica is a VmP1 target, and when the silencing of the MdPR10 gene occurs, plant susceptibility increases in plants, while gene overexpression decreases the infection, showing the role of MdPR10 in plant defense against V. mali [110]. Mahmoud et al (2020) [31] demonstrated, with exogenous products to induce the plant's systemic resistance, that after treatment the plants showed increased abundance of PR10 as well as another protein, which is also used as a marker of systemic acquired resistance (SAR), namely, phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL). The in vivo results demonstrate antiviral activity against the tomato pathogen Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) [31].…”

“…Mahmoud et al (2020) [31] demonstrated, with exogenous products to induce the plant's systemic resistance, that after treatment the plants showed increased abundance of PR10 as well as another protein, which is also used as a marker of systemic acquired resistance (SAR), namely, phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL). The in vivo results demonstrate antiviral activity against the tomato pathogen Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) [31].…”

Response of Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) Plants to Riboflavin Foliar Application: Improvement in Growth, Nutrient Content, Antioxidant Enzyme System, Essential Oil Production, and Its Antioxidant Potential

“…normal, non-stress conditions, overexpression of the riboflavin-binding protein in transgenic (REAT11) Arabidopsis thaliana promotes the transition to flowering, vegetative growth, and photosynthetic capacity compared to the wild type WT Col-0 plant due to having 1.5 times more riboflavin (Deng & Dong, 2013). Previous studies demonstrated that exogenous riboflavin treatment could improve plant disease resistance through the induction of defensive responses instead of the direct inhibition of pathogen growth (Mahmoud et al, 2020). It stimulates plant defense reactions such as the expression of defense-related enzymes including polyphenol oxidase, phenylalanine ammonialyase, and peroxidase, the accumulation of higher levels of phenolics, lignin, and flavonoids (Li et al, 2012), as well as the expression of numerous defense response genes.…”