Polyethyleneimine-coated MXene quantum dots improve cotton tolerance to Verticillium dahliae by maintaining ROS homeostasis

Abstract

Verticillium dahliae is a soil-borne hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen that threatens cotton production worldwide. In this study, we assemble the genomes of two V. dahliae isolates: the more virulence and defoliating isolate V991 and nondefoliating isolate 1cd3-2. Transcriptome and comparative genomics analyses show that genes associated with pathogen virulence are mostly induced at the late stage of infection (Stage II), accompanied by a burst of reactive oxygen species (ROS), with upregulation of more genes involved in defense response in cotton. We identify the V991-specific virulence gene SP3 that is highly expressed during the infection Stage II. V. dahliae SP3 knock-out strain shows attenuated virulence and triggers less ROS production in cotton plants. To control the disease, we employ polyethyleneimine-coated MXene quantum dots (PEI-MQDs) that possess the ability to remove ROS. Cotton seedlings treated with PEI-MQDs are capable of maintaining ROS homeostasis with enhanced peroxidase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase activities and exhibit improved tolerance to V. dahliae. These results suggest that V. dahliae trigger ROS production to promote infection and scavenging ROS is an effective way to manage this disease. This study reveals a virulence mechanism of V. dahliae and provides a means for V. dahliae resistance that benefits cotton production.

Comprehensive analysis of MAPK gene family in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) and functional characterization of GhMPK31 in regulating defense response to insect infestation

“…The expression data of GhMPK genes in various tissues and abiotic stresses were downloaded from the transcriptome data of TM-1(Zhang et al 2015 ), and the transcriptome data of GhMPK gene in response to H. armigera OS at different time periods were derived from NCBI Sequence Read Archive (accession number: PRJNA522889) (Si et al 2020 ). Transcriptome data for stress of Verticillium dahliae was obtained from Ping Qiu’s study (Qiu et al 2023 ).…”

Rational design of ROS scavenging and fluorescent gold nanoparticles to deliver siRNA to improve plant resistance to Pseudomonas syringae

“…In addition, without targeting genes, polyethyleneimine-coated MXene quantum dots (PEI-MQDs) with reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging activity directly enhanced cotton Verticillium. dahlia resistance by reducing the ROS content at the infection site [23]. Therefore, combining ROS scavenging nanomaterials with an RNAi approach to control plant diseases is probably the next generation of nano-technology.…”

Genome-Wide Identification and Analysis of the WNK Kinase Gene Family in Upland Cotton

“…However, the function of WNKs cells in response to biotic stress has not yet been reported. Upland cotton, a prominent fiber source in the textile industry, faces numerous biotic and abiotic stresses during production [19][20][21]. The development of cotton germplasm resources resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses has significant economic implications, and many genes, including protein kinases, play important roles in the response to these stresses [20,22].…”