ArabidopsisbZIP11 is a susceptibility factor duringPseudomonas syringaeinfection

Abstract

The induction of plant nutrient secretion systems is critical for successful pathogen infection. Some bacterial pathogens, e.g. Xanthomonas species, use TAL (transcription activator-like) effectors to induce transcription of SWEET sucrose efflux transporters. Pseudomonas syringae pathovar (pv.) tomato strain DC3000 lacks TAL effectors, yet is able to induce multiple SWEETs in Arabidopsis thaliana by unknown mechanisms. Since bacteria require other nutrients besides sugars for efficient reproduction, we hypothesized that Pseudomonas may depend on host transcription factors involved in secretory programs to increase access to essential nutrients. Bioinformatic analyses identified the Arabidopsis basic-leucine zipper transcription factor bZIP11 as a potential regulator of nutrient transporters, including SWEETs and UmamiT amino acid transporters. Inducible downregulation of bZIP11 expression in Arabidopsis resulted in reduced growth of P. syringae pv. tomato strain DC3000, whereas inducible overexpression of bZIP11 resulted in increased bacterial growth, supporting the hypothesis that bZIP11 regulated transcription programs are essential for maximal pathogen titer in leaves. Our data are consistent with a model in which a pathogen alters host transcription factor expression upstream of secretory transcription networks to promote nutrient efflux from host cells.

Identification and promoter analysis of a GA-stimulated transcript 1 gene from Jatropha curcas

“…Additionally, we found that four other transcription factors, JcbZIP11, JcERF106, JcRF2a and JcPAT1, all interact with the pyrimidine box. JcbZIP11 and JcRF2a are members of the bZIP transcription factor family, and their homologs in other species have been described to be involved in pathogen resistance (Dai et al 2004;Prior et al 2021). Homologs of JcERF106 and JcPAT1 have been reported to be involved in ethylene and JA signaling (Feng et al 2020;Wang et al 2021).…”