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Rice blast ( Magnaporthe oryzae) and sheath blight ( Rhizoctonia solani) are the two most devastating diseases of rice ( Oryza sativa), and have severe impacts on crop yield and grain quality. Recent evidence suggests that ethylene ( ET) may play a more prominent role than salicylic acid and jasmonic acid in mediating rice disease resistance. In this study, we attempt to genetically manipulate endogenous ET levels in rice for enhancing resistance to rice blast and sheath blight diseases. Transgenic lines with inducible production of ET were generated by expressing the rice ACS2 (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase, a key enzyme of ET biosynthesis) transgene under control of a strong pathogen-inducible promoter. In comparison with the wild-type plant, the OsACS2-overexpression lines showed significantly increased levels of the OsACS2 transcripts, endogenous ET and defence gene expression, especially in response to pathogen infection. More importantly, the transgenic lines exhibited increased resistance to a field isolate of R. solani, as well as different races of M. oryzae. Assessment of the growth rate, generational time and seed production revealed little or no differences between wild type and transgenic lines. These results suggest that pathogen-inducible production of ET in transgenic rice can enhance resistance to necrotrophic and hemibiotrophic fungal pathogens without negatively impacting crop productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internalization of some oomycete and fungal pathogen effectors into host plant cells has been reported to be blocked by proteins that bind to the effectors' cell entry receptor, phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate (PI3P). This finding suggested a novel strategy for disease control by engineering plants to secrete PI3P-binding proteins. In this study, we tested this strategy using the chocolate tree Theobroma cacao. Transient expression and secretion of four different PI3P-binding proteins in detached leaves of T. cacao greatly reduced infection by two oomycete pathogens, Phytophthora tropicalis and Phytophthora palmivora, which cause black pod disease. Lesion size and pathogen growth were reduced by up to 85%. Resistance was not conferred by proteins lacking a secretory leader, by proteins with mutations in their PI3P-binding site, or by a secreted PI4P-binding protein. Stably transformed, transgenic T. cacao plants expressing two different PI3P-binding proteins showed substantially enhanced resistance to both P. tropicalis and P. palmivora, as well as to the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum theobromicola. These results demonstrate that secretion of PI3P-binding proteins is an effective way to increase disease resistance in T. cacao, and potentially in other plants, against a broad spectrum of pathogens., (© 2015 Society for Experimental Biology, Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Rice diseases such as blast (Magnaporthe oryzae), sheath blight (Rhizoctonia solani) and bacterial blight (Xanthomonas oryzae pv oryzae) are a major obstacle to achieving optimal yields. To complement conventional breeding method, molecular and transgenic method represents an increasingly important approach for genetic improvement of disease resistance and reduction of pesticide usage. During the past two decades, a wide variety of genes and mechanisms involved in rice defense response have been identified and elucidated. These include components of pathogen recognition, signal transduction, downstream defense-related proteins, and crosstalk among different signaling pathways. In addition, various molecular strategies including use of specialized promoters, modification of target protein structures have been studied and proposed to improve the effectiveness of transgenes. While genetically improving rice for enhanced disease resistance, it is important to consider potential effects of the transgene on rice yield, tolerance to abiotic stresses, and defense against other pathogens.