The genetic interaction of REVOLUTA and WRKY53 links plant development, senescence, and immune responses

PLoS One. 2022 Mar 25;17(3):e0254741. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254741. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

In annual plants, tight coordination of successive developmental events is of primary importance to optimize performance under fluctuating environmental conditions. The recent finding of the genetic interaction of WRKY53, a key senescence-related gene with REVOLUTA, a master regulator of early leaf patterning, raises the question of how early and late developmental events are connected. Here, we investigated the developmental and metabolic consequences of an alteration of the REVOLUTA and WRKY53 gene expression, from seedling to fruiting. Our results show that REVOLUTA critically controls late developmental phases and reproduction while inversely WRKY53 determines vegetative growth at early developmental stages. We further show that these regulators of distinct developmental phases frequently, but not continuously, interact throughout ontogeny and demonstrated that their genetic interaction is mediated by the salicylic acid (SA). Moreover, we showed that REVOLUTA and WRKY53 are keys regulatory nodes of development and plant immunity thought their role in SA metabolic pathways, which also highlights the role of REV in pathogen defence. Together, our findings demonstrate how late and early developmental events are tightly intertwined by molecular hubs. These hubs interact with each other throughout ontogeny, and participate in the interplay between plant development and immunity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Arabidopsis Proteins* / genetics
  • Arabidopsis Proteins* / metabolism
  • Arabidopsis* / metabolism
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
  • Immunity
  • Plant Development
  • Plant Leaves / metabolism
  • Plants, Genetically Modified / metabolism
  • Salicylic Acid / metabolism

Substances

  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Salicylic Acid

Grants and funding

JB was supported by the Institutional Strategy of the University of Tuebingen (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, ZUK 63) and also funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (CRC1101, B06). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The funder provided support in the formof salaries for authors [JB], but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collectionand analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of theseauthors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section.