The LeATL6-associated ubiquitin/proteasome system may contribute to fungal elicitor-activated defense response via the jasmonic acid-dependent signaling pathway in tomato

Mol Plant Microbe Interact. 2007 Jan;20(1):72-81. doi: 10.1094/MPMI-20-0072.

Abstract

The expression of LeATL6, an ortholog of Arabidopsis ATL6 that encodes a RING-H2 finger protein, was induced in tomato roots treated with a cell wall protein fraction (CWP) elicitor of the biocontrol agent Pythium oligandrum. The LeATL6 protein was expressed as a fusion protein with a maltose-binding protein (MBP) in Escherichia coli, and it catalyzed the transfer of ubiquitin to the MBP moiety on incubation with ubiquitin, the ubiquitin-activating enzyme E1, and the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2; this indicated that LeATL6 represents ubiquitin ligase E3. LeATL6 expression also was induced by elicitor treatment of jail-1 mutant tomato cells in which the jasmonic acid (JA)-mediated signaling pathway was impaired; however, JA-dependent expression of the basic PR-6 and TPI-1 genes that encode proteinase inhibitor II and I, respectively, was not induced in elicitor-treated jail-1 mutants. Furthermore, transient overexpression of LeATL6 under the control of the Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter induced the basic PR6 and TPI-1 expression in wild tomato but not in the jail-1 mutant. In contrast, LeATL6 overexpression did not activate salicylic acid-responsive acidic PR-1 and PR-2 promoters in wild tomato. These results indicated that elicitor-responsive LeATL6 probably regulates JA-dependent basic PR6 and TPI-1 gene expression in tomato. The LeATL6-associated ubiquitin/proteasome system may contribute to elicitor-activated defense responses via a JA-dependent signaling pathway in plants.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Cyclopentanes / metabolism*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / genetics
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / metabolism
  • Immunity, Innate / genetics
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutation
  • Oxylipins
  • Plant Diseases / genetics
  • Plant Diseases / microbiology
  • Plant Proteins / genetics*
  • Plant Proteins / metabolism
  • Plant Roots / genetics
  • Plant Roots / metabolism
  • Plant Roots / microbiology
  • Plants, Genetically Modified
  • Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex / metabolism*
  • Pythium / growth & development
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Signal Transduction
  • Solanum lycopersicum / genetics
  • Solanum lycopersicum / metabolism*
  • Solanum lycopersicum / microbiology
  • Ubiquitin / metabolism*

Substances

  • ATL6 protein, Lycopersicon esculentum
  • Cyclopentanes
  • Oxylipins
  • Plant Proteins
  • Ubiquitin
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins
  • jasmonic acid
  • Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex