Overexpression of the peanut CLAVATA1-like leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase AhRLK1 confers increased resistance to bacterial wilt in tobacco.

Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is a devastating disease affecting hundreds of plant species, yet the host factors remain poorly characterized. The leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase gene AhRLK1, characterized as CLAVATA1, was found to be up-regulated in peanut upon inoculation with R. solanacearum. The AhRLK1 protein was localized in the plasma membrane and cell wall. qPCR results showed AhRLK1 was induced in a susceptible variety but little changed in a resistant cultivar after inoculated with R. solanacearum. Hormones such as salicylic acid, abscisic acid, methyl jasmonate, and ethephon induced AhRLK1 expression. In contrast, AhRLK1 expression was down-regulated under cold and drought treatments. Transient overexpression of AhRLK1 led to a hypersensitive response (HR) in Nicotiana benthamiana. Furthermore, AhRLK1 overexpression in tobacco significantly increased the resistance to R. solanacearum. Besides, the transcripts of most representative defense responsive genes in HR and hormone signal pathways were significantly increased in the transgenic lines. EDS1 and PAD4 in the R gene signaling pathway were also up-regulated, but NDR1 was down-regulated. Accordingly, AhRLK1 may increase the defense response to R. solanacearum via HR and hormone defense signaling, in particular through the EDS1 pathway of R gene signaling. These results provide a new understanding of the CLAVATA1 function and will contribute to genetic enhancement of peanut.

Proteome analysis of Aspergillus flavus isolate-specific responses to oxidative stress in relationship to aflatoxin production capability.

Aspergillus flavus is an opportunistic pathogen of plants such as maize and peanut under conducive conditions such as drought stress resulting in significant aflatoxin production. Drought-associated oxidative stress also exacerbates aflatoxin production by A. flavus. The objectives of this study were to use proteomics to provide insights into the pathogen responses to H2O2-derived oxidative stress, and to identify potential biomarkers and targets for host resistance breeding. Three isolates, AF13, NRRL3357, and K54A with high, moderate, and no aflatoxin production, were cultured in medium supplemented with varying levels of H2O2, and examined using an iTRAQ (Isobaric Tags for Relative and Absolute Quantification) approach. Overall, 1,173 proteins were identified and 220 were differentially expressed (DEPs). Observed DEPs encompassed metabolic pathways including antioxidants, carbohydrates, pathogenicity, and secondary metabolism. Increased lytic enzyme, secondary metabolite, and developmental pathway expression in AF13 was correlated with oxidative stress tolerance, likely assisting in plant infection and microbial competition. Elevated expression of energy and cellular component production in NRRL3357 and K54A implies a focus on oxidative damage remediation. These trends explain isolate-to-isolate variation in oxidative stress tolerance and provide insights into mechanisms relevant to host plant interactions under drought stress allowing for more targeted efforts in host resistance research.

Functional genomics to study stress responses in crop legumes: progress and prospects.

Legumes are important food crops worldwide, contributing to more than 33% of human dietary protein. The production of crop legumes is frequently impacted by abiotic and biotic stresses. It is therefore important to identify genes conferring resistance to biotic stresses and tolerance to abiotic stresses that can be used to both understand molecular mechanisms of plant response to the environment and to accelerate crop improvement. Recent advances in genomics offer a range of approaches such as the sequencing of genomes and transcriptomes, gene expression microarray as well as RNA-seq based gene expression profiling, and map-based cloning for the identification and isolation of biotic and abiotic stress-responsive genes in several crop legumes. These candidate stress associated genes should provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of stress tolerance and ultimately help to develop legume varieties with improved stress tolerance and productivity under adverse conditions. This review provides an overview on recent advances in the functional genomics of crop legumes that includes the discovery as well as validation of candidate genes.

[Advances in cryptocromes and their signal transduction].

Cryptochromes are blue light receptors which share the similar function with the phytochromes in regulation of the growth and development in plants. After 90's, especially in the recent years, profound studies have been carried around the cryptochromes. Cryptochromes were found not only in plants, but also in animals. It has been known that cryptochromes are involved in de-etiolation in seed germination, photoperiodic-inductive flowering, regulation of circadian rhythm, etc. In the article, we introduced the characteristics of cryptochromes and the genes, including cryptochromes structure, the presence in plant kingdom, the localization in cells, and the expression regulated by light. In addition, the function of cryptochrome in plant photomorphogenesis and in controlling of the circadian clock in plants and animals was summarized. Through analysis of the relationships between cryptochromes and the interacted proteins, we clarified primarily the roles of how cryptochromes mediate the plant growth and development via interacting with proteins in the signal pathway. It was suggested that studying the cryptochromes and their signal transduction profoundly to disclose the nature of plant photomorphogenesis will be of great importance both to biologic theory as well as application.

[Progress of the SUPERMAN epigenetic mutation in Arabidopsis].

The SUPERMAN gene in Arabidopsis has its epigenetic mutants (the clark kent alleles,clk). The phenotype of clk and its genotype and methylated patterns and the epi-mutation mechanisms of SUPERMAN were summarized in the review. Heritable but unstable sup epi-alleles are associated with nearly identical patterns of excess cytosine methylation within the SUP gene and a decreased level of SUP RNA. The methylation of cytosine at CpG and CPXPG is controlled by METHYLTRANSFERASE1(MET1) and CHROMOMETHYLASE3 (CMT3) which is regulated by KRYPTONITE gene, respectively.