A host basal transcription factor is a key component for infection of rice by TALE-carrying bacteria
- Huazhong Agricultural University, China
- Shandong Agricultural University, China
Abstract
Transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) are sequence-specific DNA binding proteins found in a range of plant pathogenic bacteria, where they play important roles in host-pathogen interactions. However, it has been unclear how TALEs, after they have been injected into the host cells, activate transcription of host genes required for infection success. Here, we show that the basal transcription factor IIA gamma subunit TFIIAγ5 from rice is a key component for infection by the TALE-carrying bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, the causal agent for bacterial blight. Direct interaction of several TALEs with TFIIAγ5 is required for activation of disease susceptibility genes. Conversely, reduced expression of the TFIIAγ5 host gene limits the induction of susceptibility genes and thus decreases bacterial blight symptoms. Suppression or mutation of TFIIAγ5 can also reduce bacterial streak, another devastating disease of rice caused by TALE-carrying X. oryzae pv. oryzicola. These results have important implications for formulating a widely applicable strategy with which to improve resistance of plants to TALE-carrying pathogens.
Article and author information
Author details
Funding
National Natural Science Foundation of China (31330062)
- Shiping Wang
National Natural Science Foundation of China (31100875)
- Meng Yuan
National Natural Science Foundation of China (31371926)
- Meng Yuan
Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China (2012CB114005)
- Meng Yuan
- Shiping Wang
Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China (2014PY039)
- Meng Yuan
The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.
Reviewing Editor
- Thorsten Nürnberger, University of Tubingen, Germany
Publication history
- Received: July 13, 2016
- Accepted: July 21, 2016
- Accepted Manuscript published: July 29, 2016 (version 1)
- Version of Record published: August 22, 2016 (version 2)
- Version of Record updated: October 10, 2017 (version 3)
Copyright
© 2016, Yuan et al.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
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