Descendants of Primed Arabidopsis Plants Exhibit Resistance to Biotic Stress    

Abstract

An attack of plants by pathogens or treatment with certain resistance-inducing compounds can lead to the establishment of a unique primed state of defense. Primed plants show enhanced defense reactions upon further challenge with biotic or abiotic stress. Here, we report that the primed state in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) is still functional in the next generation without additional treatment. We compared the reactions of Arabidopsis plants that had been either primed with b-aminobutyric acid (BABA) or with an avirulent isolate of the bacteria Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato (PstavrRpt2). The descendants of primed plants showed a faster and higher accumulation of transcripts of defense-related genes in the salicylic acid signaling pathway and enhanced disease resistance upon challenge inoculation with a virulent isolate of P. syringae. In addition, the progeny of primed plants was also more resistant against the oomycete pathogen Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis. When transgenerationally primed plants were subjected to an additional priming treatment, their descendants displayed an even stronger primed phenotype, suggesting that plants can inherit a sensitization for the priming phenomenon. Interestingly, this primed to be primed phenotype was much reduced in the Arabidopsis b-amino-butyric acid priming mutant ibs1 (induced BABA sterility1). Our results demonstrate that the primed state of plants is transferred to their progeny and confers improved protection from pathogen attack as compared to the descendants of unprimed plants.

Epigenetic Variation, Inheritance, and Selection in Plant Populations

“…Furthermore, environmentally induced changes in DNA methylation patterns and gene expression are transmitted to unstressed offspring (Hauben et al 2009;Verhoeven et al 2010;Bilichak et al 2012). In several cases, plant responses to biotic stress, such as enhanced defense reactions to herbivore and plant pathogen attacks, persist in the next generation, indicating inherited resistance (Kathiria et al 2010;Luna et al 2012;Rasmann et al 2012;Slaughter et al 2012). The transmission of stress-induced stress tolerance to the progeny was impaired when the RdDM pathway was not functional (Boyko et al 2010;Rasmann et al 2012).…”

Molecular cloning of a coiled-coil-nucleotide-binding-site-leucine-rich repeat gene from pearl millet and its expression pattern in response to the downy mildew pathogen

“…These challenges are perceived by the plant and they in turn respond to these stress related factors in an efficient manner involving a highly complex and adaptive mechanism [37]. Priming plants with compounds inducing resistance activates a robust and stronger induction leading to enhanced defense against further stress conditions [38]. The particular abiotic and biotic elicitors BABA and P. fluorescens are found to initiate cellular defense responses in plants.…”

Parents lend a helping hand to their offspring in plant defence

“…For example, three recent studies provided a clear demonstration of the transgenerational effects of pathogen-, herbivore-and chemical-induced resistance in the dicotyledenous model plant A. thaliana [13][14][15]. The results presented in this paper represent the first report of transgenerational effects on pathogen infection resulting from treatment of a monocotyledonous plant (barley) with chemical elicitors.…”