Transcripts of disease resistance gene are under surveillance by of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay
H. JUNG (1), G. Jung (2), Y. Lee (2), K. Shin (3), S. Kim (3) (1) Dong-A University, Korea; (2) Dong-A University, Korea; (3) Myongji University, Korea

During race-specific resistance, recognition of pathogen-derived effector protein by cytoplasmic immune receptor is the forefront of the battle between plant and pathogen. Even if it has been reported that small RNAs controlled transcription of disease resistance (R) genes, we did not fully understand the molecular mechanism for R gene-expression in plants. Here we introduce role of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) in post-transcriptional regulation of R gene-expression. As one of post-transcriptional events, NMD eliminates aberrant mRNAs to avoid accumulation of truncated polypeptides. We have recently found that a significant number of R gene transcripts are NMD-sensitive, and that they are dramatically stabilized in the NMD-suppressed mutants. Interestingly both natural transcripts and alternative splicing variants of R genes were highly accumulated in wild-type plants at early infection phase after virulent P. syringae infection. These results show a possibility that NMD participates in plant immunity via tuning up R-gene expression. Furthermore, infection with a virulent Pseudomonas syringae strain caused hypersensitive response (HR)-like cell death in the infected leaves of the NMD-suppressed mutants. Taken together NMD is a main machinery to control R gene-expression in Arabidopsis.

Abstract Number: P17-540
Session Type: Poster