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Published on December 7, 2007; 10.1104/pp.107.109686

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Received September 24, 2007
Accepted November 28, 2007

Transgenic Expression of a Fungal Endo-Polygalacturonase Increases Plant Resistance to Pathogens and Reduces Auxin Sensitivity

Simone Ferrari , Roberta Galletti , Daniela Pontiggia , Cinzia Manfredini , Vincenzo Lionetti , Daniela Bellincampi , Felice Cervone , and Giulia De Lorenzo *

Dipartimento di Biologia Vegetale, Universita degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy

* Corresponding author; email: giulia.delorenzo{at}uniroma1.it.

Polygalacturonases (PGs), enzymes that hydrolyze the homogalacturonan (HGA) of the plant cell wall, are virulence factors of several phytopathogenic fungi and bacteria. On the other hand, PGs may activate defence responses by releasing oligogalacturonides (OGs), perceived by the plant cell as host-associated molecular patterns. Tobacco and Arabidopsis plants expressing a fungal PG (PG plants) have a reduced content of HGA. Here we show that PG plants are more resistant to microbial pathogens and have constitutively activated defence responses. Interestingly, either in tobacco PG or wild type plants treated with OGs, resistance to fungal infection is suppressed by exogenous auxin, whereas sensitivity to auxin of PG plants is reduced in different bioassays. The altered plant defence responses and auxin sensitivity in PG plants may reflect an increased accumulation of OGs and subsequent antagonism of auxin action. Alternatively, it may be a consequence of perturbations of cellular physiology and elevated defence status as a result of altered cell wall architecture.






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