This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplemental Data All Versions of this Article: 147/2/802    most recent pp.108.119511v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Web of Science (1) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Rudd, J. J. Articles by Hammond-Kosack, K. E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Rudd, J. J. Articles by Hammond-Kosack, K. E. Agricola Articles by Rudd, J. J. Articles by Hammond-Kosack, K. E.

PLANTS INTERACTING WITH OTHER ORGANISMS

The Wheat Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases TaMPK3 and TaMPK6 Are Differentially Regulated at Multiple Levels during Compatible Disease Interactions with Mycosphaerella graminicola^1,[W]

Centre for Sustainable Pest and Disease Management, Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ, United Kingdom

Many race- or isolate-specific disease resistance responses of plants toward pathogens (incompatible interactions) invoke hypersensitive response (HR)-like programmed cell death (PCD) and the coordinated activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases homologous with Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) AtMPK6 and AtMPK3 (or tobacco [Nicotiana tabacum] SIPK and WIPK), respectively. Resistance of wheat (Triticum aestivum) leaves to the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Mycosphaerella graminicola can also operate at an isolate/cultivar-specific level. We confirm here that resistance is achieved without any sign of HR-like PCD during the incompatible interaction. Instead, PCD is strictly associated with the compatible interaction and is triggered during disease symptom expression. A strong transcriptional activation of TaMPK3, the wheat homolog of Arabidopsis AtMPK3, was observed immediately preceding PCD and symptom development in the compatible interaction. Generation and use of TaMPK3- and TaMPK6-specific antibodies on western blots and in coupled immunoprecipitation-protein kinase assays demonstrated that the TaMPK3 protein also accumulated, and was subsequently posttranslationally activated, during the compatible interaction in parallel to PCD. In contrast, no increase in expression, protein levels, or posttranslational activation of TaMPK6 was observed at any stage of either compatible or incompatible interactions. However, the protein levels of TaMPK6 became markedly reduced during the compatible interaction coincident with the onset of TaMPK3 protein accumulation. These data highlight the emerging similarity between the signaling pathways triggered in a host plant during successful infection by a necrotrophic fungal pathogen and the resistance responses normally effective against biotrophs.

The author responsible for distribution of materials integral to the findings presented in this article in accordance with the policy described in the Instructions for Authors (www.plantphysiol.org) is: Jason J. Rudd (jason.rudd{at}bbsrc.ac.uk).

^[W] The online version of this article contains Web-only data.

www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/doi/10.1104/pp.108.119511

^* Corresponding author; e-mail jason.rudd{at}bbsrc.ac.uk.

Received March 20, 2008; accepted April 18, 2008; published April 25, 2008.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				N. P. Shetty, J. D. Jensen, A. Knudsen, C. Finnie, N. Geshi, A. Blennow, D. B. Collinge, and H. J. L. Jorgensen Effects of {beta}-1,3-glucan from Septoria tritici on structural defence responses in wheat J. Exp. Bot., November 1, 2009; 60(15): 4287 - 4300. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]