1. Conserved nematode signalling molecules elicit plant defenses and pathogen resistance.
- Author
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Manosalva, Patricia, Manohar, Murli, von Reuss, Stephan H, Chen, Shiyan, Koch, Aline, Kaplan, Fatma, Choe, Andrea, Micikas, Robert J, Wang, Xiaohong, Kogel, Karl-Heinz, Sternberg, Paul W, Williamson, Valerie M, Schroeder, Frank C, and Klessig, Daniel F
- Subjects
Animals ,Nematoda ,Pseudomonas syringae ,Arabidopsis ,Salicylic Acid ,Cyclopentanes ,Pheromones ,Signal Transduction ,Host-Parasite Interactions ,Oxylipins ,Plant Immunity - Abstract
Plant-defense responses are triggered by perception of conserved microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs), for example, flagellin or peptidoglycan. However, it remained unknown whether plants can detect conserved molecular patterns derived from plant-parasitic animals, including nematodes. Here we show that several genera of plant-parasitic nematodes produce small molecules called ascarosides, an evolutionarily conserved family of nematode pheromones. Picomolar to micromolar concentrations of ascr#18, the major ascaroside in plant-parasitic nematodes, induce hallmark defense responses including the expression of genes associated with MAMP-triggered immunity, activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases, as well as salicylic acid- and jasmonic acid-mediated defense signalling pathways. Ascr#18 perception increases resistance in Arabidopsis, tomato, potato and barley to viral, bacterial, oomycete, fungal and nematode infections. These results indicate that plants recognize ascarosides as a conserved molecular signature of nematodes. Using small-molecule signals such as ascarosides to activate plant immune responses has potential utility to improve economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture.
- Published
- 2015