Transcription factor WOX11 modulates tolerance to cyst nematodes via adventitious lateral root formation.

The transcription factor WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX 11 (WOX11) in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) initiates the formation of adventitious lateral roots upon mechanical injury in primary roots. Root-invading nematodes also induce de novo root organogenesis leading to excessive root branching, but it is not known if this symptom of disease involves mediation by WOX11 and if it benefits the plant. Here, we show with targeted transcriptional repression and reporter gene analyses in Arabidopsis that the beet cyst nematode Heterodera schachtii activates WOX11-mediated adventitious lateral rooting from primary roots close to infection sites. The activation of WOX11 in nematode-infected roots occurs downstream of jasmonic acid-dependent damage signaling via ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR109, linking adventitious lateral root formation to nematode damage to host tissues. By measuring different root system components, we found that WOX11-mediated formation of adventitious lateral roots compensates for nematode-induced inhibition of primary root growth. Our observations further demonstrate that WOX11-mediated rooting reduces the impact of nematode infections on aboveground plant development and growth. Altogether, we conclude that the transcriptional regulation by WOX11 modulates root system plasticity under biotic stress, which is one of the key mechanisms underlying the tolerance of Arabidopsis to cyst nematode infections.

Leaf resistance to Botrytis cinerea in wild tomato Solanum habrochaites depends on inoculum composition.

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cv. Moneymaker (MM) is very susceptible to the grey mould Botrytis cinerea, while quantitative resistance in the wild species Solanum habrochaites (accession LYC4) has been reported. In leaf inoculation assays, an effect of nutrient and spore concentration on disease incidence was observed. Resistance in LYC4 leaves was manifested as a high incidence of tiny black, dispersed spots which did not expand ("incompatible interaction") and was pronounced when B. cinerea was inoculated at high spore density (1000 spores/µL) in medium with 10 mM sucrose and 10 mM phosphate buffer. Under the same condition, a high frequency of expanding lesions was observed on MM leaves ("compatible interaction"). Remarkably, inoculation of LYC4 with a high spore density in medium with higher concentrations of sucrose and/or phosphate as well as lower spore density (30 spores/µL) in medium with low sucrose and phosphate, all resulted in a higher percentage of expanding lesions. The lesion sizes at 3 days post inoculation differed markedly between all these inoculation conditions. This inoculation method provides a convenient tool to study mechanisms that determine the distinction between compatible and incompatible interactions between B. cinerea and a host plant.