The elicitor-responsive gene for a GRAS family protein, CIGR2, suppresses cell death in rice inoculated with rice blast fungus via activation of a heat shock transcription factor, OsHsf23

Abstract

We show that a rice GRAS family protein, CIGR2, is a bonafide transcriptional activator, and through this function, targets the B-type heat shock protein-encoding gene OsHsf23 (Os09g0456800). CIGR2 (Os07g0583600) is an N-acetylchitooligosaccharide elicitor-responsive gene whose activity, through the direct transcriptional control of OsHsf23, is required for mediating hypersensitive cell death activation during pathogen infection. RNAi lines of CIGR2 and OsHsf23 similarly exhibited the higher level of granulation in the epidermal cells of leaf sheath inoculated with an avirulent isolate of rice blast fungus. Interestingly, we did not observe altered levels of resistance, suggesting that CIGR2 suppresses excessive cell death in the incompatible interaction with blast fungus via activation of OsHsf23.

Heat shock transcription factor 3 regulates plant immune response through modulation of salicylic acid accumulation and signalling in cassava

“…Under various stress conditions, plants can trigger protective responses through cell membrane sensors, second messengers, kinases, transcription factors and underlying activation of defence-related genes (Kotak et al, 2004;Singh et al, 2012;Stief et al, 2014;Tanabe et al, 2015). As the terminal components of signal transduction, heat stress transcription factors (Hsfs) mediate the activation of multiple genes responsive to various stresses, including heat stress and other stresses (Almoguera et al, 2015;Charng et al, 2007;Cheng et al, 2015;Giesguth et al, 2015;Hwang et al, 2014;Nishizawa et al, 2006;Nishizawa-Yokoi et al, 2011;Shim et al, 2009;Yamada and Nishimura, 2008).…”

“…With the genome sequencing of more and more plant species, the Hsf gene family has been thoroughly identified and characterized in alfalfa (Friedberg et al, 2006), Arabidopsis thaliana (Guo et al, 2008), rice (Oryza sativa L.) (Chauhan et al, 2011;Jin et al, 2013;Wang et al, 2009), maize (Lin et al, 2011), Populus trichocarpa and Medicago truncatula (Wang et al, 2012), Glycine max (Chung et al, 2013), wheat (Chauhan et al, 2013), Chinese cabbage (Song et al, 2014), pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) (Guo et al, 2014, legume (Lin et al, 2014), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) , soybean , pear (Pyrus bretschneideri) (Qiao et al, 2015), Brassica rapa pekinensis (Huang et al, 2015), Populus euphratica (Shen et al, 2015), tea plant (Camellia sinensis) (Liu et al, 2016), strawberry (Fragaria vesca) (Hu Y et al, 2015) and wild Chinese grapevine (Vitis pseudoreticulata) . So far, plant Hsfs have been found to be widely involved in plant development, heat stress, drought stress, salt stress and the plant disease response (Almoguera et al, 2015;Cheng et al, 2015;Giesguth et al, 2015;Hwang et al, 2014;Tanabe et al, 2015;Yabuta, 2016). In Arabidopsis, overexpressing lines of HSFA1b show greater seed yield and water productivity, and tolerance to drought and biotic stress (Pseudomonas syringae pv.…”

Heat shock transcription factors in banana: genome-wide characterization and expression profile analysis during development and stress response

“…Additionally, plant Hsfs are also involved in plant-pathogen interactions17181920. The activation of OsHsf23 is important for cell death in rice inoculated with rice blast fungus20.…”

“…The activation of OsHsf23 is important for cell death in rice inoculated with rice blast fungus20. AtHsfA1b, AtHsfB1 and AtHsfB2b are involved in plant pathogen resistance and defense gene expression1719.…”

“…Plant Hsfs are important regulators of various plant responses to abiotic and biotic stresses, including heat, cold, salt, drought, osmotic1213141516, as well as bacterial and fungal pathogen infection17181920. After initially identified in yeast6, plant Hsf gene family has been identified and characterized in more and more plant species, including alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.)21, Arabidopsis thaliana 22, rice ( Oryza sativa L.)2324, maize ( Zea mays L.)25, Medicago truncatula, Populus trichocarpa 26, wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.)27, soybean ( Glycine max )2829, Chinese cabbage ( Brassica rapa ssp.…”