Lecture 18-19.

Plant-pathogen interactions
(Read p1103-1113)

-Disease is a disfunction of normal physiological processes in plants

caused by microorganisms or an abiotic factor.

-A pathogen that causes diseases is termed virulent

A pathogen that does not cause diseases is termed avirulent

-Types of pathogen based on effects:

necrotrophy: plant cells are killed
biotrophy: plant cells remain alive
hemibiotrophy:plant cells initially alive and killed later
Types of Pathogens:

Bacteria: enter through wounds or stomata, live between plant cells.

Fungi: filamentous growth with specialized structures for penetration,

feeding in cells. Can penetrate directly into plant and move
intercellularly or through cells.

Nematodes: Microscopic segmented worms, use stylet for feeding.

Can feed on outside cells of root or burrow inside to set up feeding
relationship with one cell.

Viruses:
-Nucleic acid (+ RNA mostly) encapsulated in a protein coat
-Spread by plasmodesmata and phloem,
-biotrophys
-encode RNA replicase, cell-cell movement protein (Movement
Protein), and the coat protein
Figure 21.6
Figure 21.13
Box 21.1
 Plasmodesmata
Figure 15.20 (p748-757)
 Genetic incompatibility: no disease
Nonhost: host can’t support life-strategies
Nonhost resistance: structural barrier
Induced specific resistance response

Compatibility: diseases
preformed structure inadequate
can’t detect pathogen
defense response are ineffective
Preformed defense involves secondary metabolites

Preformed inhibitors:

Avenacin A-1 in oat root is highly effective against

Gaeumannomyces graminis Var. tritici, a major pathogen to
cereal.
Cause major disease to barley and wheat, but never oats.
G.g. avenae, a pathogen specialized for oats produces
detoxifying enzyme avenacinase.
Fig. 21.19
 Disease resistance genes in plants
-Resistance to each race of pathogen is conferred by a single gene(R)
-Multiple resistance genes can be found in various cultivars or in one
cultivar, each conferring resistance to a different race.

Flor’s Gene-for-gene model

-Avirulent pathogens have product (from avirulence gene)
which is recognized by the Resistance gene in the plant.

-Each avirulence gene has a corresponding resistance gene

which recognizes it and triggers a defense reaction

-so vertical resistance a recognition reaction which triggers

general defenses of the plant.
Fig. 21.28
 Only a few avirulence genes are known

NLS
Protein such as the AvrBs3 (bacteria)
vs Bs3 (pepper plants)

Bacterial elicitor syringolide (avrD)

vs. Rpg4 (soybean)

TMV replicase (viral)

Avr9 (fungal) vs Cf 9 (tomato) vs N (tobacco)
 Identify mutations in N gene

N-gene only functions

at 25oC or below

box 21.4A
 Cloning R (resistance) genes

gene structure plant resistance to pathogen

HM1 toxin reductase corn fungus H. carbonum

(toxin resistance)
Cf-9 eLRR-TM tomato fungus C. fulvum
L6 TIR-NBS-LRR flax fungus- flax rust
PTO Kinase tomato bacteria P. syringae
RPS2 LZ-NBS-LRR Arabidopsis bacteria P. syringae
RPS4 TIR-NBS-LRR Arabidopsis bacteria P. syringae
Xa21 LRR, Kinase Rice bacteria X. oryzae
Xa1 NBS-LRR Rice bacteria X. oryzae
N TIR-NBS-LRR tobacco Tobacco Mosaic Virus
I2C NBS-LRR tomato fugus F. oxysporum
Rpp5 TIR-NBS-LRR Arabidopsis Powdery mildew
Hs1pro-1controversial sugar beet Nematode

Table 21. 2
Fig. 21.26
 LRR structure

LRR: mediate protein-protein (receptor-ligand) interactions

Fig. 21.27
Read: 1131-1147

Figure 21.34
ROS (reactive oxygen species) is the first response detected in HR

ROS: superoxide (O2-) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)

NADPH oxidase peroxidase

1. Directly toxic to pathogen

2. Reinforce cell walls
3. Changes in redox state of the cells
Activated response can result in HR (Hypersensitive Response)
Rapid (within 24 hr)and localized programmed cell death,
triggered in and around the site of infection by some
pathogen, further blocking the the spread of infection

Figure 20.47 (p1087-1099)

 NO is required for the HR response

L-NNA and PBITU

inhibitors of
NO production

Fig. 21.38

HR Chlorotic reaction
 PR (pathogen-related) protein induction

Family Type Member Properties

PR-1 Tobacco PR-1a Antifungal
PR-2 tobacco PR-2 b-glucanase
PR-3 tobacco P,Q Chitinase
PR-4 Tobacco R Antifungal
PR-5 Tabacco S Antifungal
PR-6 Tomato Inhibitor I Proteinase inhibitor
PR-7 Tomato P69 Endoproteinase
PR-8 Cucumber chitinase Chitinase
PR-9 Tobacco lignin-forming Peroxidase
PR-10 Parsley PR-1 Ribonuclease-like
PR-11 Tobacco chitinase (V) Chitinase
PR-12 DEFENSIN Antifungal
PR-13 Thionins Antifungal
PR-14 Lipid-transfer proteins Antifungal
Figure 21.44
 Defenseness1 WT

Figure 21.52
 Phytoalexin

PAL: phenylalanine ammonia lyase

Phenyl propanoid pathway
Phenylalanine is diverted to the synthesis of flavonoid phytoalexin

CHS: Chalcone synthase

First enzyme in flavonoid pathway
Let to the synthesis of phytoalexin:isoflavonoids
 Secondary & primary infection

Figure 21.48 TMV-N-gene mediated SAR

 Figure 21.50 Genetic dissection of SAR pathway

Necrotic Systemic SAR Resist-

pathogen SA NPR1 Gene
Signal
ance
infection (phloem- expression
CPR1 NahG
mobile)

NPR1: has ankyrin repeat, similar to IkB

NF-kB/IkB

NahG: salicylate hydroxylase, which converts SA to catechol

Figure 17.80
 Gene silencing

Plants: PTGS (post transcriptional gene silencing)

Fungi (neurospora crassa): Quelling
Animals: RNAi (RNA interference)
1. Avr and R genes used in combination to promote acquired resistance
2. Over and constitutively expressing defense regulators: NPR, Prf
3. Over-expression of specific defense genes:
Chitinase, glucanase, phytoalexin, PI, lectin
4. Engineer plants to constitutively produce a key defense signal.
5. Eliminate a gene product absolutely required for microbial pathogenesis
6. Over expression of non-plant genes that have antimicrobial functions
7. Over-expression virus protein CP or MP
8. Express antibody against pathogen

Read 1147-1155
Fig. 21.55
 Fig. 21. 56

A. Expressing stilbene
synthase in tobacco G: Glucanase
phytoalexin resveratrol C: Chitinase
confering resistance Cercospora nicotianae (fungus)
to the Botrytis cinerea fungi

D. antisense to glucanase
expressed in tobacco exhibit
enhanced resistance to TMV
C. glucose oxidase gene from
Aspergillus niger confer these
potato plants resistant to
fungal pathogen
Verticillium dahliae
 Ornithine carbamyl-transferase
(OCTase): an bacterial-derived
toxin-inactivation enzyme.

over-expression of TMV CP

Over expression of TMV MP

Fig. 21.57
 cryI: highly specific to species of moths and butterfly
cryII: various lepidoptera (butterfly), diptera (fly)
and coleoptera (beetles)
cryIII: coleoptera
cryIV: diptera

All products of single gene

Simple structure and genetics
Highly specific to particular groups of insects, kill only
Larvae. Not toxic to human and other non-target
organisms
Biodegradable

Fig. 21.59 BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) toxin

are important tools against insect pests

BT crops are commercialized in 1996

cotton, maize, and potato(Russet Burbank, NewLeafTM)
 Fig. 21.60
Antibody production against viral proteins
artichkoke mottle crinkle virus (AMC)
 BENEFIT OF GMO CROP

Growers don’t depend on weather to spray

Savings made on insecticide expenditure, labor & equipment
Improvement for environment because less insecticide will be sprayed,
no spray drift
Contamination of ground water arround farm land will be reduced
Deleterious effects on beneficial insects will be alleviated,
thus, more effective biological control of the pest insect
Other non-target organisms from bees and earth worms to birds and human
will not be exposed

Concerns
Potential development of resistance by insects to the toxin