Phytol, a Constituent of Chlorophyll, Induces Root-Knot Nematode Resistance in Arabidopsis via the Ethylene Signaling Pathway
Root-knot nematodes (RKNs; spp.) parasitize the roots or stems of a wide range of plant species, resulting in severe damage to the parasitized plant. The phytohormone ethylene (ET) plays an important role in signal transduction pathways leading to resistance against RKNs. However, little is currentl...
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Published in | Molecular plant-microbe interactions Vol. 34; no. 3; pp. 279 - 285 |
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Main Authors | , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
United States
American Phytopathological Society
01.03.2021
The American Phytopathological Society |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Root-knot nematodes (RKNs;
spp.) parasitize the roots or stems of a wide range of plant species, resulting in severe damage to the parasitized plant. The phytohormone ethylene (ET) plays an important role in signal transduction pathways leading to resistance against RKNs. However, little is currently known about the induction mechanisms of ET-dependent RKN resistance. Inoculation of
roots with RKNs decreased chlorophyll contents in aerial parts of the plant. We observed accumulation of phytol, a constituent of chlorophyll and a precursor of tocopherols, in RKN-parasitized roots. Application of sclareol, a diterpene that has been shown to induce ET-dependent RKN resistance, to the roots of
plants increased phytol contents in roots accompanied by a decrease in chlorophyll in aerial parts. Exogenously applied phytol inhibited RKN penetration of roots without exhibiting nematicidal activity. This phytol-induced inhibition of RKN penetration was attenuated in the ET-insensitive
mutant
. Exogenously applied phytol enhanced the production of α-tocopherol and expression of
, a gene involved in tocopherol production, in
roots. α-Tocopherol exerted induction of RKN resistance similar to that of phytol and showed increased accumulation in roots inoculated with RKNs. Furthermore, the
mutant displayed no inhibition of RKN penetration in response to phytol. These results suggest that exogenously applied phytol induces EIN2-dependent RKN resistance, possibly via tocopherol production.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. |
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ISSN: | 0894-0282 1943-7706 |
DOI: | 10.1094/MPMI-07-20-0186-R |