An R2R3 MYB transcription factor confers brown planthopper resistance by regulating the phenylalanine ammonia-lyase pathway in rice

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2020-01, Vol.117 (1), p.271-277
• Main Authors: He, Jun, Liu, Yuqiang, Yuan, Dingyang, Duan, Meijuan, Liu, Yanling, Shen, Zijie, Yang, Chunyan, Qiu, Zeyu, Liu, Daoming, Wen, Peizheng, Huang, Jie, Fan, Dejia, Xiao, Shizhuo, Xin, Yeyun, Chen, Xianian, Jiang, Ling, Wang, Haiyang, Yuan, Longping, Wan, Jianmin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Ammonia; Animals; Biological Sciences; Biosynthesis; Cultivars; DNA, Plant - genetics; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Gene Knockdown Techniques; Genes, Plant; Hemiptera - drug effects; Host-Parasite Interactions - genetics; Host-Parasite Interactions - physiology; Insects; Lignin; Lignin - metabolism; Nilaparvata lugens; Oryza - enzymology; Oryza - genetics; Oryza - immunology; Oryza - metabolism; Oryza sativa; Pest resistance; Phenylalanine; Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase; Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase - genetics; Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase - metabolism; Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase - pharmacology; Plant Diseases - genetics; Plant Diseases - immunology; Plant Diseases - parasitology; Plant Proteins - genetics; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Plants, Genetically Modified - genetics; PNAS Plus; Resistance factors; Rice; Salicylic acid; Salicylic Acid - metabolism; Transcription factors; Transcription Factors - metabolism
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1902771116

Brown planthopper (BPH) is one of the most destructive insects affecting rice (Oryza sativa L.) production. Phenylalanine ammonialyase (PAL) is a key enzyme involved in plant defense against pathogens, but the role of PAL in insect resistance is still poorly understood. Here we show that expression of the majority of PALs in rice is significantly induced by BPH feeding. Knockdown of OsPALs significantly reduces BPH resistance, whereas overexpression of OsPAL8 in a susceptible rice cultivar significantly enhances its BPH resistance. We found that OsPALs mediate resistance to BPH by regulating the biosynthesis and accumulation of salicylic acid and lignin. Furthermore, we show that expression of OsPAL6 and OsPAL8 in response to BPH attack is directly up-regulated by OsMYB30, an R2R3 MYB transcription factor. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the phenylpropanoid pathway plays an important role in BPH resistance response, and provide valuable targets for genetic improvement of BPH resistance in rice.