Sulforaphane Modifies Histone H3, Unpacks Chromatin, and Primes Defense

Modern crop production calls for agrochemicals that prime plants for enhanced defense. Reliable test systems for spotting priming-inducing chemistry, however, are rare. We developed an assay for the high-throughput search for compounds that prime microbial pattern-induced secretion of antimicrobial...

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Published inPlant physiology (Bethesda) Vol. 176; no. 3; pp. 2395 - 2405
Main Authors Schillheim, Britta, Jansen, Irina, Baum, Stephani, Beesley, Alexander, Bolm, Carsten, Conrath, Uwe
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States American Society of Plant Biologists 01.03.2018
Subjects
Arabidopsis - drug effects
Arabidopsis - genetics
Arabidopsis - microbiology
Arabidopsis Proteins - genetics
Chromatin - drug effects
Chromatin - genetics
Chromatin - metabolism
Gene Expression Regulation, Plant - drug effects
High-Throughput Screening Assays - methods
Histones - metabolism
Host-Pathogen Interactions - drug effects
Isothiocyanates - chemistry
Isothiocyanates - pharmacology
Lysine - metabolism
Oomycetes - pathogenicity
Oxidation-Reduction
Petroselinum - cytology
Petroselinum - drug effects
Phytoalexins
Promoter Regions, Genetic - drug effects
Sesquiterpenes - metabolism
SIGNALING AND RESPONSE
Sulfoxides
Sulfur - chemistry
Sulfur - metabolism
Transcription Factors - genetics
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Summary:Modern crop production calls for agrochemicals that prime plants for enhanced defense. Reliable test systems for spotting priming-inducing chemistry, however, are rare. We developed an assay for the high-throughput search for compounds that prime microbial pattern-induced secretion of antimicrobial furanocoumarins (phytoalexins) in cultured parsley cells. The screen produced 1-isothiocyanato-4-methylsulfinylbutane (sulforaphane; SFN), a secondary metabolite in many crucifers, as a novel defense priming compound. While elucidating SFN's mode of action in defense priming, we found that in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) the isothiocyanate provokes covalent modification (K4me3, K9ac) of histone H3 in the promoter and promoter-proximal region of defense genes WRKY6 and PDF1.2, but not PR1. SFN-triggered H3K4me3 and H3K9ac coincide with chromatin unpacking in the WRKY6 and PDF1.2 regulatory regions, primed WRKY6 expression, unprimed PDF1.2 activation, and reduced susceptibility to downy mildew disease (Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis). Because SFN also directly inhibits H. arabidopsidis and other plant pathogens, the isothiocyanate is promising for the development of a plant protectant with a dual mode of action.
Bibliography:www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/doi/10.1104/pp.17.00124
The author responsible for distribution of materials integral to the findings presented in this article in accordance with the policy described in the Instructions for Authors (www.plantphysiol.org) is: Uwe Conrath (uwe.conrath@bio3.rwth-aachen.de).
B.S. and U.C. conceived the research plan; B.S., C.B., and U.C. designed the experiments; B.S., I.J., A.B., and S.B. performed the experiments; B.S., I.J., and U.C. analyzed the data; U.C. wrote the manuscript; B.S. and I.J. composed the figures; and B.S., I.J., S.B., A.B., and C.B. revised the manuscript.
ISSN:0032-0889
1532-2548
DOI:10.1104/pp.17.00124