Fungal Elicitor MoHrip2 Induces Disease Resistance in Rice Leaves, Triggering Stress-Related Pathways

PLoS One. 2016 Jun 27;11(6):e0158112. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0158112. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

MoHrip2 Magnaporthe oryzae hypersensitive protein 2 is an elicitor protein of rice blast fungus M. oryzae. Rice seedlings treated with MoHrip2 have shown an induced resistance to rice blast. To elucidate the mechanism underlying this MoHrip2 elicitation in rice, we used differential-display 2-D gel electrophoresis and qRT-PCR to assess the differential expression among the total proteins extracted from rice leaves at 24 h after treatment with MoHrip2 and buffer as a control. Among ~1000 protein spots detected on each gel, 10 proteins were newly induced, 4 were up-regulated, and 3 were down-regulated in MoHrip2-treated samples compared with the buffer control. Seventeen differentially expressed proteins were detected using MS/MS analysis and categorized into six groups according to their putative function: defense-related transcriptional factors, signal transduction-related proteins, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, programmed cell death (PCD), defense-related proteins, and photosynthesis and energy-related proteins. The qPCR results (relative expression level of genes) further supported the differential expression of proteins in MoHrip2-treated rice leaves identified with 2D-gel, suggesting that MoHrip2 triggers an early defense response in rice leaves via stress-related pathways, and the results provide evidence for elicitor-induced resistance at the protein level.

MeSH terms

  • Fungal Proteins / pharmacology
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant*
  • Magnaporthe / pathogenicity*
  • Oryza / genetics
  • Oryza / metabolism
  • Oryza / microbiology*
  • Plant Immunity*
  • Plant Leaves / drug effects
  • Plant Leaves / metabolism
  • Plant Proteins / genetics
  • Plant Proteins / metabolism
  • Stress, Physiological
  • Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism

Substances

  • Fungal Proteins
  • Plant Proteins
  • Transcription Factors

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31371984).