Arabidopsis GDSL1 overexpression enhances rapeseed Sclerotinia sclerotiorum resistance and the functional identification of its homolog in Brassica napus

Abstract

Summary Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR) caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a devastating disease of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). To date, the genetic mechanisms of rapeseed’ interactions with S. sclerotiorum are not fully understood, and molecular‐based breeding is still the most effective control strategy for this disease. Here, Arabidopsis thaliana GDSL1 was characterized as an extracellular GDSL lipase gene functioning in Sclerotinia resistance. Loss of AtGDSL1 function resulted in enhanced susceptibility to S. sclerotiorum. Conversely, overexpression of AtGDSL1 in B. napus enhanced resistance, which was associated with increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and salicylic acid (SA) levels, and reduced jasmonic acid levels. In addition, AtGDSL1 can cause an increase in lipid precursor phosphatidic acid levels, which may lead to the activation of downstream ROS/SA defence‐related pathways. However, the rapeseed BnGDSL1 with highest sequence similarity to AtGDSL1 had no effect on SSR resistance. A candidate gene association study revealed that only one AtGDSL1 homolog from rapeseed, BnaC07g35650D (BnGLIP1), significantly contributed to resistance traits in a natural B. napus population, and the resistance function was also confirmed by a transient expression assay in tobacco leaves. Moreover, genomic analyses revealed that BnGLIP1 locus was embedded in a selected region associated with SSR resistance during the breeding process, and its elite allele type belonged to a minor allele in the population. Thus, BnGLIP1 is the functional equivalent of AtGDSL1 and has a broad application in rapeseed S. sclerotiorum‐resistance breeding.

Genome-Wide Identification, Evolution, and Expression of GDSL-Type Esterase/Lipase Gene Family in Soybean

“…It has been demonstrated that GDSL family members play significant roles in regulating plant growth and development ( Ma et al, 2018 ; An et al, 2019 ; Ding et al, 2019a ; Watkins et al, 2019 ), organ morphogenesis ( Smyth, 2017 ; Yadav et al, 2017 ; Zhang et al, 2017 ), secondary metabolism ( Huang et al, 2015 ), plant immunity ( Hong et al, 2008 ; Kwon et al, 2009 ; Lee et al, 2009 ; Kim et al, 2013 , 2014 ; Rajarammohan et al, 2018 ; Ding et al, 2019b ) and biotic and abiotic stresses ( Naranjo et al, 2006 ; Hong et al, 2008 ; Kim et al, 2008 ). Very recently, it revealed that DARX1, a new active polysaccharide acetylesterase, regulating the conformation of arabinoxylan and the cross-linking mode with cell wall polymers of cellulose by acting on deacetylating the side chain of hemicellulose and arabinoxylan, thereby controlling the advanced structure and function of the cell wall.…”

“…It was reported that an endoplasmic reticulum-localized GDSL lipase, ZmMs30, specifically expressed in maize anthers, which is required for anther cuticle and pollen exine development ( An et al, 2019 ). It was established that overexpression of AtGDSL1 enhanced Sclerotinia sclerotiorum resistance in rapeseed by modulating SA- and JA-dependent pathways, resulting in increased accumulation of phosphatidic acid (PA) and activation of downstream stress response pathways after Sclerotinia infection ( Ding et al, 2019b ). AtLTL1 , a novel halotolerance gene in Arabidopsis , was demonstrated to be involved in the response to salt stresses in yeast and transgenic plants ( Naranjo et al, 2006 ).…”

Sources of Resistance to Common Bacterial Blight and Charcoal Rot Disease for the Production of Mesoamerican Common Beans in the Southern United States

“…The highly significant SNP S10 1437174 was close to a cluster of 18 genes, many of them involved in plant defense mechanisms. Among these, PvUI111.10G005900 was located 89kb downstream, encoding a zinc finger FYVE containing proteins (GDSL esterase/LIPASE LTL1) involved in plant disease resistance and stress responses [ 48 , 49 ] and PvUI111.10G006100 positioned 70 kb downstream encoding the PAR1 protein that promotes the activation of defense responses during disease infection [ 50 , 51 , 52 ].…”

Development of Transgenic Brassica Crops against Biotic Stresses Caused by Pathogens and Arthropod Pests

“…By releasing fragments of the fungal membrane, such as phosphatidic acid, GDSL1 activates the defensive responses of the plant through an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and salicylic acid (SA) levels. However, this plant defense response could also be a consequence of the release of phosphatidic acid from the plant plasma membrane, instead of the fungal plasma membrane [86]. During plant infection, S. sclerotiorum secretes oxalic acid, thus acidifying the plant tissue surrounding the site of infection and causing tissue damage, chelating divalent cations and sequestration of calcium that may weaken cell walls, and inhibiting the plant defense route by phenolic compounds.…”