Jasmonate Signaling Enhances RNA Silencing and Antiviral Defense in Rice

Abstract

Small RNA-mediated RNA silencing is an important antiviral mechanism in higher plants. It has been shown that RNA silencing components can be upregulated by viral infection. However, the mechanisms underlying the upregulation remain largely unknown. Here, we show that jasmonate (JA) signaling transcriptionally activates Argonaute 18 (AGO18), a core RNA silencing component that promotes rice antiviral defense through sequestering miR168 and miR528, which repress key antiviral defense proteins. Mechanistically, the JA-responsive transcription factor JAMYB directly binds to the AGO18 promoter to activate AGO18 transcription. Rice stripe virus (RSV) coat protein (CP) triggers JA accumulation and upregulates JAMYB to initiate this host defense network. Our study reveals that regulatory crosstalk exists between the JA signaling and antiviral RNA silencing pathways and elucidates a molecular mechanism for CP-mediated viral resistance in monocot crops.

Keywords: JA signaling; RNA silencing; antiviral immunity; coat-protein-mediated resistance in rice.