Modulation of defense signal transduction by flagellin-induced WRKY41 transcription factor in Arabidopsis thaliana

• Published in: Molecular genetics and genomics : MGG 2008-03, Vol.279 (3), p.303-312
• Main Authors: Higashi, Kuniaki, Ishiga, Yasuhiro, Inagaki, Yoshishige, Toyoda, Kazuhiro, Shiraishi, Tomonori, Ichinose, Yuki
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal Genetics and Genomics; Arabidopsis - drug effects; Arabidopsis - genetics; Arabidopsis - metabolism; Arabidopsis - microbiology; Arabidopsis Proteins - genetics; Arabidopsis Proteins - metabolism; Arabidopsis thaliana; Base Sequence; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cell death; Cloning, Molecular; DNA Primers - genetics; DNA, Plant - genetics; DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics; DNA-Binding Proteins - metabolism; Erwinia carotovora; Flagellin - toxicity; Gene expression; Gene Expression - drug effects; Gene Expression Profiling; Genes, Plant; Genomics; Human Genetics; Kinases; Life Sciences; Lycopersicon esculentum; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Original Paper; Pathogens; Pectobacterium carotovorum - pathogenicity; Plant Diseases - genetics; Plant Diseases - microbiology; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Proteins; Pseudomonas syringae; Pseudomonas syringae - pathogenicity; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Signal transduction; Signal Transduction - drug effects; Tobacco; Transcription factors; Transcription Factors - genetics; Transcription Factors - metabolism
• ISSN: 1617-4615; 1617-4623
• DOI: 10.1007/s00438-007-0315-0

Flagellin, a component of the flagellar filament of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci 6605 (Pta), induces hypersensitive reaction in its non-host Arabidopsis thaliana. We identified the WRKY41 gene, which belongs to a multigene family encoding WRKY plant-specific transcription factors, as one of the flagellin-inducible genes in A. thaliana. Expression of WRKY41 is induced by inoculation with the incompatible pathogen P. syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pto) possessing AvrRpt2 and the non-host pathogens Pta within 6-h after inoculation, but not by inoculation with the compatible Pto. Expression of WRKY41 was also induced by inoculation of A. thaliana with an hrp-type three secretion system (T3SS)-defective mutant of Pto, indicating that effectors produced by T3SS in the Pto wild-type suppress the activation of WRKY41. Arabidopsis overexpressing WRKY41 showed enhanced resistance to the Pto wild-type but increased susceptibility to Erwinia carotovora EC1. WRKY41-overexpressing Arabidopsis constitutively expresses the PR5 gene, but suppresses the methyl jasmonate-induced PDF1.2 gene expression. These results demonstrate that WRKY41 may be a key regulator in the cross talk of salicylic acid and jasmonic acid pathways.