The Elicitor Protein AsES Induces a Systemic Acquired Resistance Response Accompanied by Systemic Microbursts and Micro-Hypersensitive Responses in Fragaria ananassa

Mol Plant Microbe Interact. 2018 Jan;31(1):46-60. doi: 10.1094/MPMI-05-17-0121-FI. Epub 2017 Aug 28.

Abstract

The elicitor AsES (Acremonium strictum elicitor subtilisin) is a 34-kDa subtilisin-like protein secreted by the opportunistic fungus Acremonium strictum. AsES activates innate immunity and confers resistance against anthracnose and gray mold diseases in strawberry plants (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) and the last disease also in Arabidopsis. In the present work, we show that, upon AsES recognition, a cascade of defense responses is activated, including: calcium influx, biphasic oxidative burst (O2⋅- and H2O2), hypersensitive cell-death response (HR), accumulation of autofluorescent compounds, cell-wall reinforcement with callose and lignin deposition, salicylic acid accumulation, and expression of defense-related genes, such as FaPR1, FaPG1, FaMYB30, FaRBOH-D, FaRBOH-F, FaCHI23, and FaFLS. All these responses occurred following a spatial and temporal program, first induced in infiltrated leaflets (local acquired resistance), spreading out to untreated lateral leaflets, and later, to distal leaves (systemic acquired resistance). After AsES treatment, macro-HR and macro-oxidative bursts were localized in infiltrated leaflets, while micro-HRs and microbursts occurred later in untreated leaves, being confined to a single cell or a cluster of a few epidermal cells that differentiated from the surrounding ones. The differentiated cells initiated a time-dependent series of physiological and anatomical changes, evolving to idioblasts accumulating H2O2 and autofluorescent compounds that blast, delivering its content into surrounding cells. This kind of systemic cell-death process in plants is described for the first time in response to a single elicitor. All data presented in this study suggest that AsES has the potential to activate a wide spectrum of biochemical and molecular defense responses in F. ananassa that may explain the induced protection toward pathogens of opposite lifestyle, like hemibiotrophic and necrotrophic fungi.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acremonium / physiology*
  • Cell Death / genetics
  • Cell Wall / metabolism
  • Disease Resistance*
  • Fluorescence
  • Fragaria / genetics
  • Fragaria / immunology*
  • Fragaria / microbiology*
  • Fungal Proteins / metabolism*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
  • Genes, Plant
  • Lignin / metabolism
  • Necrosis
  • Pathogen-Associated Molecular Pattern Molecules / metabolism
  • Plant Diseases / genetics
  • Plant Diseases / immunology*
  • Plant Diseases / microbiology*
  • Plant Leaves / microbiology
  • Respiratory Burst*
  • Salicylic Acid / metabolism
  • Subtilisin / metabolism*

Substances

  • Fungal Proteins
  • Pathogen-Associated Molecular Pattern Molecules
  • Lignin
  • Subtilisin
  • Salicylic Acid