Enhancing plant defensins in a desert shrub: Exploring a regulatory pathway of AnWRKY29

Shuyao Wang; Yahui Liu; Xin Hao; Yingying Chen; Zhaoyuan Wang; Yingbai Shen

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132259

Enhancing plant defensins in a desert shrub: Exploring a regulatory pathway of AnWRKY29

Int J Biol Macromol. 2024 May 11;270(Pt 1):132259. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132259. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Shuyao Wang¹, Yahui Liu¹, Xin Hao¹, Yingying Chen², Zhaoyuan Wang¹, Yingbai Shen³

Affiliations

¹ National Engineering Research Center of Tree breeding and Ecological restoration, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
² Guangxi Key Laboratory of Special Non-wood Forests Cultivation and Utilization, Guangxi Xylophyta Spices Research Center of Engineering Technology, Illicium and Cinnamomum Engineering Technology Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Guangxi Forestry Research Institute, Nanning 530002, China.
³ National Engineering Research Center of Tree breeding and Ecological restoration, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China. Electronic address: ybshen@bjfu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38740161
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132259

Abstract

A distinct family of plant-specific WRKY transcription factors plays a crucial role in modulating responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. In this investigation, we unveiled a signaling pathway activated in the desert shrub Ammopiptanthus nanus during feeding by the moth Spodoptera exigua. The process involves a Ca²⁺ flux that facilitates interaction between the protein kinase AnCIPK12 and AnWRKY29. AnWRKY29 directly interacts with the promoters of two key genes encoding AnPDF1 and AnHsfB1, involved in the biosynthesis of plant defensins. Consequently, AnWRKY29 exerts its transcriptional regulatory function, influencing plant defensins biosynthesis. This discovery implies that A. nanus can bolster resistance against herbivorous insects like S. exigua by utilizing this signaling pathway, providing an effective natural defense mechanism that supports its survival and reproductive success.

Keywords: Herbivorous insect; Plant defensins; WRKY.