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Induction of systemic resistance in tomato against Botrytis cinerea by N-decanoyl-homoserine lactone via jasmonic acid signaling

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Abstract

Main conclusion

N-decanoyl-homoserine lactone activates plant systemic resistance against Botrytis cinerea in tomato plants, which is largely dependent on jasmonic acid biosynthesis and signal transduction pathways.

Rhizosphere bacteria secrete N-acylated-homoserine lactones (AHLs), a type of specialized quorum-sensing signal molecule, to coordinate their population density during communication with their eukaryotic hosts. AHLs behave as low molecular weight ligands that are sensed by plants and promote the host’s resistance against foliar pathogens. In this study, we report on N-decanoyl-homoserine lactone (DHL), which is a type of AHL that induces systemic immunity in tomato plants and protects the host organism against the necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea. Upon DHL treatment, tomato endogenous jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthesis (rather than salicylic acid biosynthesis) and signal transduction were significantly activated. Strikingly, the DHL-induced systemic resistance against B. cinerea was blocked in the tomato JA biosynthesis mutant spr2 and JA signaling gene-silenced plants. Our findings highlight the role of DHL in systemic resistance against economically important necrotrophic pathogens and suggest that DHL-induced immunity against B. cinerea is largely dependent on the JA signaling pathway. Manipulation of DHL-induced resistance is an attractive disease management strategy that could potentially be used to enhance disease resistance in diverse plant species.

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Abbreviations

AHLs:

N-acylated-homoserine lactones

DHL:

N-decanoyl-homoserine lactone

dpi/hpi:

Day/hour post infection

HHL:

N-hexanoyl-homoserine lactone

JA:

Jasmonic acid

OHHL:

N-3-oxo-hexanoyl-homoserine lactone

PI:

Proteinase inhibitor

SA:

Salicylic acid

ФPSII:

The photochemical quantum efficiency of PSII

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFD0200600) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31772355).

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  1. Zhangjian Hu and Shujun Shao contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Horticulture, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, 310058, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China

    Zhangjian Hu, Shujun Shao, Chenfei Zheng, Zenghui Sun, Junying Shi, Jingquan Yu & Kai Shi

  2. Experimental Station of Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, 310058, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China

    Zhenyu Qi

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  1. Zhangjian Hu
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Hu, Z., Shao, S., Zheng, C. et al. Induction of systemic resistance in tomato against Botrytis cinerea by N-decanoyl-homoserine lactone via jasmonic acid signaling. Planta 247, 1217–1227 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-018-2860-7

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