• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.7
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• pp.342-347
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• 2022

Defense priming allows plants to enhance their immune responses to subsequent pathogen challenges. Recent reports suggested that acquired resistances in parental generation can be inherited into descendants. Although epigenetic mechanisms are plausible tools enabling the transmission of information or phenotypic traits induced by environmental cues across generations, the mechanism for the transgenerational inheritance of defense priming in plants has yet to be elucidated. With the initial aim to elucidate an epigenetic mechanism for the defense priming in plants, we reassessed the transgenerational inheritance of plant defense, however, could not observe any evidence supporting it. By using the same dipping method with previous reports, Arabidopsis was exposed repeatedly to Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato DC3000 (Pst DC3000) during vegetative or reproductive stages. Irrespective of the developmental stages of parental plants that received pathogen infection, the descendants did not exhibit primed resistance phenotypes, defense marker gene (PR1) expression, or elevated histone acetylation within PR1 chromatin. In assays using the pressure-infiltration method for infection, we obtained the same results as above. Thus, our results suggest that the previous observations on the transgenerational inheritance of defense priming in plants should be more extensively and carefully reassessed.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.389-399
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• 2009

A group of beneficial plant bacteria has been shown to increase crop growth referring to as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). PGPR can decrease plant disease directly, through the production of antagonistic compounds, and indirectly, through the elicitation of a plant defense response termed induced systemic resistance (ISR). While the mechanism of PGPR-elicited ISR has been studied extensively in the model plant Arabidopsis, it is less well characterized in crop plants such as pepper. In an effort to better understand the mechanism of ISR in crop plants, we investigated the induction of ISR by Bacillus cereus strain BS107 against Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. vesicatoria in pepper leaves. We focused on the priming effect of B. cereus strain BS107 on plant defense genes as an ISR mechanism. Of ten known pepper defense genes that were previously reported to be involved in pathogen defense signaling, the expression of Capsicum annum pathogenesis-protein 4 and CaPR1 was systemically primed by the application of strain BS107 onto pepper roots confirming by quantitative-reverse transcriptase PCR. Our results provide novel genetic evidence of the priming effect of a rhizobacterium on the expression of pepper defense genes involved in ISR.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.272-279
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• 2011

Root colonization of Arabidopsis thaliana with Pseudomonas chlororaphis O6 induces systemic tolerance against diverse pathogens, as well as drought and salt stresses. In this study, we demonstrated that 11 genes in the leaves were up-regulated, and 5 genes were down-regulated as the result of three- to five-days root colonization by P. chlororaphis O6. The identified priming genes were involved in cell signaling, transcription, protein synthesis, and degradation. In addition, expression of selected priming genes were induced in P. chlororaphis O6-colonized plants subjected to water withholding. Genes encoding defense proteins in signaling pathways regulated by jasmonic acid and ethylene, such as VSP1 and PDF1.2, were additional genes with enhanced expression in the P. chlororaphis O6-colonized plants. This study indicated that the expression of priming genes, as well as genes involved in jasmonic acid- and ethylene-regulated genes may play an important role in the systemic induction of both abiotic and biotic stress due to root colonization by P. chlororaphis O6.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.99 no.2
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• pp.244-250
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• 2010

The aim of this study was to investigate relationship among seed viability and enzymes activities involved in scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS), especially, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GR), and catalase (CAT). In other respects, osmopriming has been demonstrated to reinvigorate aged seeds. Various viabilities of seeds that were ranged from 80 to 100% of germination rate could be produced using osmopriming and accelerated aging treatments. Priming treatment of Pinus thunbergii seeds for 3 days at $15^{\circ}C$ with a polyethylene glycol solution at -1.2 MPa improved their subsequent germination at $25^{\circ}C$. Accelerated aging (3, 6, 9, and 12 days at $41^{\circ}C$ and 100% relative humidity) decreased seed germination percentage depending on aging treatment duration. Electrolyte conductivities of seeds were measured as assay of membrane integrity. The conductivity from electrolyte leakage of P. thunbergii seed was also correlated with seed germinability. Conductivity for control seeds that had 95% of germination percentage was 3.48 ${\mu}S\;g^{-1}$, but jumped as doubled (7.98 ${\mu}S\;g^{-1}$) in 12-day-aged seed that had 80% of germination percentage. Our results demonstrate that aging of P. thunbergii seeds is associated with changes in the electrolyte leakage, lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant defense system. Priming of aged seeds progressively restored the initial germinative ability and resulted in a marked decrease in the levels of MDA and conductivity of seed leachate. These effects of priming were also well recovered of GR and CAT activities in aged seed. The improved seed quality by priming treatment appears at least partly attributable to reduced lipid peroxidation, resulting from enhanced antioxidative enzyme activities that are suggesting the antioxidant defense systems play a key role in seed vigor.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.192-194
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• 2015

Pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) activate mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), essential components of plant defense signaling. Salicylic acid (SA) is also central to plant resistance responses, but its specific role in regulation of MAPK activation is not completely defined. We have investigated the role of SA in PAMP-triggered MAPKs pathways in Arabidopsis SA-related mutants, specifically in the flg22-triggered activation of MPK3 and MPK6. cim6, sid2, and npr1 mutants exhibited wild-type-like flg22-triggered MAPKs activation, suggesting that impairment of SA signaling has no effect on the flg22-triggered MAPKs activation. Pretreatment with low concentrations of SA enhanced flg22-induced MPK3 and MPK6 activation in all seedlings except npr1, indicating that NPR1 is involved in SA-mediated priming that enhanced flg22-induced MAPKs activation.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.50
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• pp.215-224
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• 2023

Disinfecting water containing pathogenic microbes is crucial to the food safety of fresh green agricultural products. The UV-activated peracetic acid (UV/PAA) treatment process is an efficient advanced oxidation process (AOP) and a versatile approach to disinfecting waterborne pathogens. However, its effects on plant growth remain largely unknown. This study found that low-dose UV/PAA treatment induced moderate oxidative stress but enhanced the innate immunity of Arabidopsis against Pseudomonas syringae pv. (Pst) DC3000. When applied as water sources, 5- and 10-ppm UV/PAA treatments slightly reduced biomass and root elongation in Arabidopsis seedlings grown under hydroponic conditions. Meanwhile, treatments of the same doses enhanced defense against Pst DC3000 infection in leaves. Accumulation of hydrogen peroxide and callose increased in UV/PAA-treated Arabidopsis samples, and during the post-infection period, UV/PAA-treated seedlings maintained vegetative growth, whereas untreated seedlings showed severe growth retardation. Regarding molecular aspects, priming-related defense marker genes were rapidly and markedly upregulated in UV/PAA-treated Arabidopsis samples. Conclusively, UV/PAA treatment is an efficient AOP for disinfecting water and protecting plants against secondary pathogenic attacks.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2015.11a
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• pp.23-23
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• 2015

Rice blast disease caused by M. oryzae is the most devastating fungal disease in rice. During the infection process, M. oryzae secretes a large number of glycosyl hydrolase (GH) proteins into the apoplast to digest host cell wall and assist fungal ingress into host tissues. In this study, we identified a novel M. oryze arabinofuranosidase B (MoAbfB) which is secreted during fungal infection. Live-cell imaging exhibited that fluorescent labeled MoAbfB was highly accumulated in fungal invasive structures such as appressorium, tips of penetration peg, biotrophic interfacial complex (BIC), as well as invasive hyphal tip. Deletion of MoAbfB mutants extended biotrophic phase followed by enhanced disease severity, whereas, over-expression of OsMoAbfB mutant induced rapid defense responses and enhanced rice resistance to M. oryzae infection. Furthermore, exogenous treatment of MoAbfB protein showed inhibition of fungal infection via priming of defense gene expression. We later found that the extract of MoAbfB degraded rice cell wall fragments could also induce host defense activation, suggesting that not MoAbfB itself but oligosaccharides (OGs) derived from MoAbfB dissolved rice cell wall elicited rice innate immunity.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.415-427
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• 2021

A plethora of compounds stimulate protective mechanisms in plants against microbial pathogens and abiotic stresses. Some defense activators are synthetic compounds and trigger responses only in certain protective pathways, such as activation of defenses under regulation by the plant regulator, salicylic acid (SA). This review discusses the potential of naturally occurring plant metabolites as primers for defense responses in the plant. The production of the metabolites, hexanoic acid and melatonin, in plants means they are consumed when plants are eaten as foods. Both metabolites prime stronger and more rapid activation of plant defense upon subsequent stress. Because these metabolites trigger protective measures in the plant they can be considered as "vaccines" to promote plant vigor. Hexanoic acid and melatonin instigate systemic changes in plant metabolism associated with both of the major defense pathways, those regulated by SA- and jasmonic acid (JA). These two pathways are well studied because of their induction by different microbial triggers: necrosis-causing microbial pathogens induce the SA pathway whereas colonization by beneficial microbes stimulates the JA pathway. The plant's responses to the two metabolites, however, are not identical with a major difference being a characterized growth response with melatonin but not hexanoic acid. As primers for plant defense, hexanoic acid and melatonin have the potential to be successfully integrated into vaccination-like strategies to protect plants against diseases and abiotic stresses that do not involve man-made chemicals.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.609-622
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• 2019

Sound vibration (SV) treatment can trigger various molecular and physiological changes in plants. Previously, we showed that pre-exposure of Arabidopsis plants to SV boosts its defense response against Botrytis cinerea fungus. The present study was aimed to investigate the changes in the proteome states in the SV-treated Arabidopsis during disease progression. Proteomics analysis identified several upregulated proteins in the SV-infected plants (i.e., SV-treated plants carrying Botrytis infection). These upregulated proteins are involved in a plethora of biological functions, e.g., primary metabolism (i.e., glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, ATP synthesis, cysteine metabolism, and photosynthesis), redox homeostasis, and defense response. Additionally, our enzyme assays confirmed the enhanced activity of antioxidant enzymes in the SV-infected plants compared to control plants. Broadly, our results suggest that SV pre-treatment evokes a more efficient defense response in the SV-infected plants by modulating the primary metabolism and reactive oxygen species scavenging activity.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.113-120
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• 2018

Chlorella, one single-cell green algae organism that lives autotrophically by photosynthesis, can directly suppress some plant diseases. The objective of this study was to determine whether pre-spraying with Chlorella fusca suspension could induce systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in cucumber plants against anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum orbiculare. In order to illustrate SAR induced by algae, infection structures in host cells were observed under a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Cytological changes as defense responses of host mesophyll cells such as accumulation of vesicles, formation of sheath around penetration hyphae, and thickness of cell wells adjoining with intracellular hyphae were demonstrated in cucumber leaves. Similar defense responses were also found in the plant pre-treated with DL-3-aminobutyric acid, another SAR priming agent. Images showed that defense response of host cells was scarcely observed in untreated leaf tissues. These cytological observations suggest that C. fusca could induce SAR against anthracnose in cucumber plants by activating defense responses of host cells.