Long distance signaling during pathogen-induced systemic acquired resistance in plants: lipid requisites and their interface(s) with salicylates

• Antragstellerin: Dr. Caroline Clara von Dahl
• Fachliche Zuordnung: Organismische Interaktionen, chemische Ökologie und Mikrobiome pflanzlicher Systeme
• Förderung: Förderung von 2009 bis 2012
• Projektkennung: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 156530520

Systemic acquired resistance (SAR) is a potent long-lasting resistance that is induced throughout the plant by an initial pathogen infection. This increased protection of healthy tissue is triggered by a set of recognition systems that elicit distinct local defense responses and is effective against a broad spectrum of plant pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, and oomycetes. Methyl salicylate (MeSA) was identified as a mobile signal initiating SAR in Nicotiana tabacum; it also has been implicated as an SAR signal in Arabidopsis thaliana. In addition, lipid signaling has been proposed to have a role in SAR, based on experiments with Arabidopsis mutants. These findings raise several questions, including: i) what is the nature of the lipid signal(s) involved in SAR activation and ii) do the lipid signals and MeSA act independently or are they connected in a single signaling pathway? The proposed research will investigate the hypothesis that MeSA-based signaling requires specific lipid preconditions, which will be assessed by characterizing salicylic acid (SA)-signaling in several lipid-related Arabidopsis mutants. 2D-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy will be used to identify the putative lipid-derived mobile signal through bioassay-aided analysis of the phloem exudates of these mutant plants. Finally, by performing detailed analyses of three putative SA-binding proteins involved in lipid metabolism, my research will explore potential new interfaces between SA and lipid-signaling.

• DFG-Verfahren: Forschungsstipendien
• Internationaler Bezug: USA
• Gastgeber: Professor Dr. Daniel F. Klessig
• Kooperationspartner: Professor Dr. Frank Clemens Schröder