Fungal invasion‐induced accumulation of salicylic acid promotes anthocyanin biosynthesis through MdNPR1‐MdTGA2.2 module in apple fruits.

SUMMARY: In the field, necrosis area induced by pathogens is usually surrounded by a red circle in apple fruits. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of this phenomenon remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that accumulated salicylic acid (SA) induced by fungal infection promoted anthocyanin biosynthesis through MdNPR1‐MdTGA2.2 module in apple (Malus domestica). Inoculating apple fruits with Valsa mali or Botryosphaeria dothidea induced a red circle surrounding the necrosis area, which mimicked the phenotype observed in the field. The red circle accumulated a high level of anthocyanins, which was positively correlated with SA accumulation stimulated by fungal invasion. Further analysis showed that SA promoted anthocyanin biosynthesis in a dose‐dependent manner in both apple calli and fruits. We next demonstrated that MdNPR1, a master regulator of SA signaling, positively regulated anthocyanin biosynthesis in both apple and Arabidopsis. Moreover, MdNPR1 functioned as a co‐activator to interact with and enhance the transactivation activity of MdTGA2.2, which could directly bind to the promoters of anthocyanin biosynthetic and regulatory genes to promote their transcription. Suppressing expression of either MdNPR1 or MdTGA2.2 inhibited coloration of apple fruits, while overexpressing either of them significantly promoted fruit coloration. Finally, we revealed that silencing either MdNPR1 or MdTGA2.2 in apple fruits repressed SA‐induced fruit coloration. Therefore, our data determined that fungal‐induced SA promoted anthocyanin biosynthesis through MdNPR1‐MdTGA2.2 module, resulting in a red circle surrounding the necrosis area in apple fruits. Significance Statement: Pathogen‐stimulated salicylic acid promotes anthocyanin biosynthesis through MdNPR1‐MdTGA2.2 module, which facilitates formation of a red circle surrounding the necrosis region induced by pathogens. This work not only dissects a possible pathway that uncovers the molecular mechanism of pathogen‐induced anthocyanin accumulation but also complements and extends the biotic factors that modulate anthocyanin synthesis in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]