A Tomato Nucleotide Binding Sites-Leucine-Rich Repeat Gene Is Positively Involved in Plant Resistance to Phytophthora infestans

Phytopathology. 2018 Aug;108(8):980-987. doi: 10.1094/PHYTO-12-17-0389-R. Epub 2018 Jun 14.

Abstract

The nucleotide binding sites-leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) genes are key regulatory components of plant to pathogens. Phytophthora infestans-inducible coding sequence encoding an NBS-LRR (SpNBS-LRR) protein in tomato (Solanum pimpinellifolium L3708) was cloned and characterized based on our RNA-Seq data and tomato genome. After sequence analysis, SpNBS-LRR was identified as a hydrophilic protein with no transmembrane topological structure and no signal peptide. SpNBS-LRR had a close genetic relationship to RPS2 of Arabidopsis thaliana by phylogenetic analysis. In addition, SpNBS-LRR gene was mainly expressed in root, with low expression observed in leaf and stem. To further investigate the role of SpNBS-LRR in tomato-P. infestans interaction, SpNBS-LRR was introduced in susceptible tomatoes and three transgenic lines with higher expression level of SpNBS-LRR were selected. These transgenic tomato plants that overexpressed SpNBS-LRR displayed greater resistance than wild-type tomato plants after infection with P. infestans, as shown by decreased disease index, lesion diameters, number of necrotic cells, P. infestans abundance, and higher expression levels of the defense-related genes. This information provides insight into SpNBS-LRR involved in the resistance of tomato to P. infestans infection and candidate for breeding to enhance biotic stress-resistance in tomato.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Base Sequence
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Disease Resistance / genetics*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
  • Phytophthora infestans*
  • Plant Diseases / genetics
  • Plant Diseases / microbiology*
  • Plant Leaves / microbiology
  • Plant Proteins / chemistry
  • Plant Proteins / genetics
  • Plant Proteins / metabolism*
  • Solanum / genetics*
  • Solanum / microbiology
  • Solanum lycopersicum / genetics*
  • Solanum lycopersicum / microbiology

Substances

  • Plant Proteins