Aug 2026· Plants· Vol 15, pp. 2483· 0 citations· 58 references
Medicine
TL;DR
Results indicate that PhWRKY23 positively contributes to herbivore resistance in P. hopeiensis and that this resistance phenotype is associated with changes in JA, JA-Ile, and SA accumulation and defense-related physiological traits.
Abstract
Populus hopeiensis is an important native poplar species in northern China, but herbivorous insect damage seriously affects its growth and ecological function. WRKY transcription factors play important roles in plant stress responses; however, the function of WRKY23 homologs in woody plant resistance to chewing herbivores remains unclear. In this study, a herbivore-responsive WRKY transcription factor gene, PhWRKY23, was identified from P. hopeiensis. PhWRKY23 expression was significantly induced by Spodoptera litura feeding, with a maximum increase of approximately 69.71-fold the control level at the highest damage level, and the encoded protein was predominantly localized in the nucleus. To investigate its function, PhWRKY23-overexpressing and RNA interference transgenic lines were generated. In the choice feeding assay, the consumed leaf area of PhWRKY23-overexpressing plants was approximately 85.5% lower than that of WT plants after 8 h. In the no-choice feeding assay, the total larval mass after 6 d was approximately 38.8% lower in larvae fed on overexpression plants and 51.0% higher in larvae fed on RNAi plants than in those fed on WT plants. Physiological analysis showed that RNAi plants accumulated significantly more MDA than WT and overexpression plants, whereas overexpression plants had higher chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoid contents than the other genotypes. Phytohormone analysis further showed that PhWRKY23-overexpressing plants accumulated higher levels of jasmonic acid, jasmonoyl-L-isoleucine, and salicylic acid, whereas abscisic acid showed no significant difference among genotypes. Yeast two-hybrid screening identified several candidate PhWRKY23-interacting proteins, and pairwise validation confirmed that PhWRKY23 interacted with PhDOX1 in yeast. These results indicate that PhWRKY23 positively contributes to herbivore resistance in P. hopeiensis and that this resistance phenotype is associated with changes in JA, JA-Ile, and SA accumulation and defense-related physiological traits.
The results support the use of T. harzianum as an effective bioinoculant to enhance plant growth and suppress pests, offering a sustainable alternative to synthetic agrochemicals.
Blanca A. ESQUIVEL-AYALA, Margarita Vargas-SandÓVal, M. P. Chaires-Grijalva et al.· Pest Management Science· 0 citations
The findings provide valuable insights into the role of terpene-mediated responses in rice plants during interactions with BPH, highlighting OsTPS10 as a promising target for future research on sustainable pest management and resistance breeding.
Supaporn Falert, Chao Wang, Chang-Lai Qiu et al.· Pest Management Science· 0 citations
It is suggested that DMNT plays an important role in mediating tritrophic interactions among cowpea, leafminers, and parasitoid wasps, and the mechanism underlying its herbivory-induced emission is elucidated.
Qiulin Chen, Zheyi Shi, Yang Gao et al.· Journal of Agricultural and...· 0 citations
Herbaspirillum seropedicae strain HS09, previously isolated from commercial rice (Oryza sativa) and identified by molecular analysis, has shown biocontrol potential against Burkholderia glumae under greenhouse conditions. However, the molecular mechanisms by which HS09 induces systemic resistance against B. glumae in rice remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the molecular basis of plant growth-promoting bacteria-mediated systemic resistance against B. glumae in rice through transcriptomic analysis. Four treatments were evaluated: an untreated control, a treatment inoculated with the endophyte HS09, a treatment inoculated with the pathogen B. glumae, and an inducer treatment consisting of HS09 inoculation followed by B. glumae challenge. For the experiment, 90 seeds were used per treatment and randomly distributed under controlled greenhouse conditions. The results showed that HS09 activates key defense-related signaling pathways, particularly those mediated by jasmonic acid (JAMyb and MYC2) and ethylene (EIN3, EILs, and ERF transcription factors). In addition, Rboh and CaMCML, genes associated with calcium-dependent signaling and the hypersensitive response (HR), were upregulated, indicating the involvement of Ca²⁺-mediated defense activation. Enrichment analyses also revealed induction of the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway, promoting the production of antimicrobial secondary metabolites such as isoflavones. Notably, 404 differentially expressed genes were uniquely identified in the inducer treatment, supporting the role of HS09 in priming multiple molecular pathways involved in pathogen defense. These findings highlight the potential of H. seropedicae HS09 as a sustainable biocontrol agent against B. glumae and support its integration into crop protection programs and policies aimed at reducing dependence on chemical pesticides and promoting environmentally friendly disease management strategies in rice production systems.
Zafiro Barraza Román, Héctor Alejandro Rodríguez Cabal, Zulma Isabel Monsalve F et al.· Journal of plant diseases an...· 0 citations
The jasmonate (JA) phytohormone signaling pathway is a key regulator of plant resistance to insect herbivores by mediating the biosynthesis of anti-herbivore metabolites and proteins. However, the JA-mediated regulatory network and its downstream defensive compounds in the monocot crop rice remain largely unknown. Here, we investigate the role of the MYB transcription factor MYB55 in JA-mediated rice defense against insect herbivores. Knockout of MYB55 enhances feeding by both brown planthopper (BPH) and leaf folder (LF), while having no effect on BPH oviposition. MYB55 directly binds to AC motifs in the promoters of initial phenylpropanoid pathway genes, including phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, cinnamate 4-hydroxylase, and 4-coumaroyl:CoA ligase, as well as downstream lignin biosynthetic genes, and activates their transcription. In addition to lignin, accumulation of BPH- and LF-induced phenolic acid-amine conjugates (phenolamides) is significantly reduced in myb55 mutants compared with wild-type plants. The expression of MYB55 is induced by herbivory and regulated by JA signaling. Mechanistically, the core JA regulator MYC2 directly binds to the MYB55 promoter, forming a MYC2-MYB55 transcriptional cascade. Collectively, this study reveals that JA-responsive MYB55 enhances rice defense against BPH and LF by reprogramming phenylpropanoid metabolism toward lignin and phenolamide biosynthesis.
Ya-Ze Kong, Zhi-Xin Wu, Meng-Yu Liu et al.· Plant, Cell and Environment· 0 citations
Phytophthora species cause many devastating diseases of plants, including those of forest trees. Agathis australis (New Zealand kauri) is an ancient and culturally significant tree species that is susceptible to a lethal root and collar rot caused by Phytophthora agathidicida. Functional characterisation of P. agathidicida virulence factors is limited by difficulties in working with its natural host. The angiosperm Nicotiana benthamiana is widely used as a model plant host for studying plant-pathogen interactions, including P. agathidicida. To help determine whether N. benthamiana is a reliable model for the gymnosperm A. australis, we analysed P. agathidicida gene expression in leaves and roots of N. benthamiana and compared this to an earlier transcriptomic analysis in A. australis. A core set of 1129 genes upregulated in both hosts and organs was enriched for secreted RXLR effector, CAZyme and elicitin proteins, indicating a conserved infection-associated transcriptional programme. Similarities between the suites of genes expressed in leaves and roots support the approach of performing assays of gene function on leaves which are technically easier to use than roots. While many genes were similarly expressed across hosts, there were also some differences. A CAP protein, highly expressed only in N. benthamiana, increased P. agathidicida growth in N. benthamiana but not in A. australis under the conditions tested. These findings suggest that P. agathidicida deploys a largely conserved molecular strategy to colonise gymnosperm and angiosperm hosts, supporting the use of N. benthamiana as a model system for functional studies, while also highlighting pathogen genes that are highly expressed and upregulated in each of the hosts.
R. Bradshaw, J. Shiller, Yanan Guo et al.· Fungal Biology· 0 citations
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