Inhibition of Fungal Disease Development in Plants by Engineering Controlled Cell Death

Strittmatter, Günter; Janssens, Jan; Opsomer, Chris; Botterman, Johan

doi:10.1038/nbt1095-1085

Cited by 86 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Transcriptional activation of such a construct on infection of a transgenic plant would cause or intensify hypersensitive suicidal death of the affected cell, and thus confer or augment a particularly efficient defense mechanism. A first successful proof of principle has demonstrated the feasibility of this strategy (28). However, further improvements will be necessary to adapt various details to the special needs of crop plant breeding.…”

Section: Practical Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…3), either alone or in combinations, for example in conjunction with a gene encoding a cell death-conferring principle, such as a broadly acting ribonuclease (28). Transcriptional activation of such a construct on infection of a transgenic plant would cause or intensify hypersensitive suicidal death of the affected cell, and thus confer or augment a particularly efficient defense mechanism.…”

Section: Practical Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Non-self recognition, transcriptional reprogramming, and secondary metabolite accumulation during plant/pathogen interactions

Hahlbrock¹,

Bednarek²,

Ciolkowski³

et al. 2003

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

149

113

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Disease resistance of plants involves two distinct forms of chemical communication with the pathogen: recognition and defense. Both are essential components of a highly complex, multifaceted defense response, which begins with non-self recognition through the perception of pathogen-derived signal molecules and results in the production, inter alia, of antibiotically active compounds (phytoalexins) and cell wall-reinforcing material around the infection site. To elucidate the molecular details and the genomic basis of the underlying chains of events, we used two different experimental systems: suspension-cultured cells of Petroselinum crispum (parsley) and wildtype as well as mutant plants of Arabidopsis thaliana. Particular emphasis was placed on the structural and functional identification of signal and defense molecules, and on the mechanisms of signal perception, intracellular signal transduction and transcriptional reprogramming, including the structural and functional characterization of the responsible cis-acting gene promoter elements and transacting regulatory proteins. Comparing P. crispum and A. thaliana allows us to distinguish species-specific defense mechanisms from more universal responses, and furthermore provides general insights into the nature of the interactions. Despite the complexity of the pathogen defense response, it is experimentally tractable, and knowledge gained so far has opened up a new realm of gene technologyassisted strategies for resistance breeding of crop plants. Most plant͞pathogen interactions are fierce battles of attack and counterattack. These battles are fought with highly sophisticated means for the survival of the individual and, in the end, of the entire population or species. On the plant side, the most immediate defense response includes the reprogramming of cellular metabolism and highly dynamic, structural rearrangements within and around the attacked cells. In the cases of locally invading, fungal or fungus-like pathogens, the counterstroke of the plant commences in a highly localized fashion with the perception of chemical and physical signals from the intruder and ends with the accumulation of soluble, antibiotically active compounds and wall-bound, barrier-forming substances. The initiating event, attempted penetration of a potential pathogen, immediately activates an elaborate safe-guard system of non-self recognition based on specifically adapted plant receptors. These receptors recognize characteristic pathogen-borne surface molecules and transduce that information to numerous genes through a network of intracellular signaling cascades that orchestrate an extensive, defense-oriented transcriptional reprogramming of the affected cell. Among the major changes in cellular metabolism is the rapid accumulation of various secondary metabolites, some of which are likely to be integral to the complex, multicomponent defense response.This network of events, from the initial stage of recognition by the plant to the successful confinement or death of the pathogen, is ...

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Section: Practical Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Practical Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-self recognition, transcriptional reprogramming, and secondary metabolite accumulation during plant/pathogen interactions

Hahlbrock¹,

Bednarek²,

Ciolkowski³

et al. 2003

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

149

113

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Suicide systems of this kind include members of the gef gene family, such as the hok-sok gene pair responsible for the maintenance of plasmid R1 (20,36) and hok-sok homologous chromosomal loci relF (19,29) and gef (46), ccd loci of sex factor F (3), parDE of RP4 plasmid (49), and pem of R100 (57). Potent killing genes used to design several suicide systems have also included the following: gene E from X174 (28), the phage T7 lysozyme gene (51), gene S from (55), the B. subtilis sacB gene (48), the barnase gene from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (54), and endonuclease genes from Serratia marcescens (4) and Staphylococcus aureus (11). In contrast to these suicide systems, the 31P/LlaIR ϩ cassette is designed to provide protection against a bacteriophage by creating a genetic trap that is triggered after a phage infection, destroying both the phage genome and the bacterial host.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A number of lethal genes have been used successfully for programmed cell death in eukaryotes or prokaryotes and include genes encoding general nucleases, proteases, and membrane-or cell wall-active agents, etc. (1,29,33,39,54). In our study, the restriction component of the lactococcal LlaI R/M system was evaluated as a potential lethal gene for use in a suicide cassette.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A triggered-suicide system designed as a defense against bacteriophages

et al. 1997

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A novel bacteriophage protection system for Lactococcus lactis based on a genetic trap, in which a strictly phage-inducible promoter isolated from the lytic phage 31 is used to activate a bacterial suicide system after infection, was developed. The lethal gene of the suicide system consists of the three-gene restriction cassette LlaIR ؉ , which is lethal across a wide range of gram-positive bacteria. The phage-inducible trigger promoter (31P) and the LlaIR ؉ restriction cassette were cloned in Escherichia coli on a high-copy-number replicon to generate pTRK414H. Restriction activity was not apparent in E. coli or L. lactis prior to phage infection. In phage challenges of L. lactis(pTRK414H) with 31, the efficiency of plaquing was lowered to 10 ؊4 and accompanied by a fourfold reduction in burst size. Center-of-infection assays revealed that only 15% of infected cells released progeny phage. In addition to phage 31, the 31P/LlaIR ؉ suicide cassette also inhibited four 31-derived recombinant phages at levels at least 10-fold greater than that of 31. The 31P/LlaIR ؉ -based suicide system is a genetically engineered form of abortive infection that traps and eliminates phages potentially evolving in fermentation environments by destroying the phage genome and killing the propagation host. This type of phage-triggered suicide system could be designed for any bacterium-phage combination, given a universal lethal gene and an inducible promoter which is triggered by the infecting bacteriophage.Many important industrial bioprocesses and food fermentations are susceptible to attack by bacteriophages. Control of phage problems in the commercial arena requires prevention of phage contamination, employment of strains that are resistant to phage infection, and minimization of opportunities for the appearance of new virulent phages. With the diversity of fermentation systems, it is not always possible to operate an aseptic fermentation or, if available, to maintain its integrity. Therefore, the longevity of any highly specialized strain in a commercial situation depends on the bacterium's relative phage resistance or sensitivity and how quickly defiant phages appear and proliferate against it. Modern biotechnology continues to provide increasing opportunities to create specialized strains with valuable processing or product characteristics. In dairy fermentations, which are plagued by phage attacks more often than any other bioprocessing industry, this problem has been traditionally approached with varying success by isolating phage-resistant mutants and incorporating the derivatives into the starter culture formulations. Over the last decade, a number of naturally occurring plasmid-encoded defenses in Lactococcus species have been discovered which prevent phage adsorption, prevent DNA injection, restrict unmodified phage DNA by resident restriction and modification (R/M) systems, or abort the phage infection following the early stages of phage development (21, 27). By using conjugation or transformation approaches, these phage...

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“…The avirulence gene Avr9 of Cladosporium fulvum and its matching resistance gene Cf9 were the first pair to be used in this strategy. Constructs were made fusing either the Avr9 or the Cf9 gene with the infection site specific promoter Pgst1 of a potato defence gene (Strittmatter et al, 1995), then transferred to tomato. Several tomato transgenic lines were identified which showed resistance to a wild type Avr9-strain of C. fulvum by inducing the HR at the infection sites.…”

Section: Two Component Pathogen Sensory Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genes of Microorganisms: Paving Way to Tailor Next Generation Fungal Disease Resistant Crop Plants

et al. 2011

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The automation of sequencing technologies, flooding in the knowledge of plant-pathogen interactions and advancements in bioinformatics provide tools leading to better knowledge not only of the genome of plant pathogens or microorganism beneficial to plants but also of ways of incorporating genes from microbes into plants as microbial-derived resistance. The identification of various microorganism genes playing key role during pathogensis and the dissection of the signal transduction components of the hypersensitive response and systemic acquired resistance pathways have greatly increased the diversity of options available for tailoring fungus resistant crops. The genetically engineered plants carrying these genes showed spontaneous activation of different defense mechanisms, leading the plant in an elevated state of defense. This 'defense mode' greatly enhances the plant's ability to quickly react to a pathogen invasion and more successfully overcome the infection. The aim of this review is to highlight the dynamic use of genes of microorganisms in enhancing crop tolernace towards fungal intruders by examining the most relevant research in this field.

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Inhibition of Fungal Disease Development in Plants by Engineering Controlled Cell Death

Cited by 86 publications

References 22 publications

Non-self recognition, transcriptional reprogramming, and secondary metabolite accumulation during plant/pathogen interactions

Non-self recognition, transcriptional reprogramming, and secondary metabolite accumulation during plant/pathogen interactions

A triggered-suicide system designed as a defense against bacteriophages

Genes of Microorganisms: Paving Way to Tailor Next Generation Fungal Disease Resistant Crop Plants

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