Arabidopsis WRKY55 Transcription Factor Enhances Soft Rot Disease Resistance with ORA59

Abstract

Pectobacterium is a major bacterial causal agent leading to soft rot disease in host plants. With the Arabidopsis-Pectobacterium pathosystem, we investigated the function of an Arabidopsis thaliana WRKY55 during defense responses to Pectobacterium carotovorum ssp. carotovorum (Pcc). Pcc-infection specifically induced WRKY55 gene expression. The overexpression of WRKY55 was resistant to the Pcc infection, while wrky55 knock-out plants compromised the defense responses against Pcc. WRKY55 expression was mediated via Arabidopsis COI1-dependent signaling pathway showing that WRKY55 can contribute to the gene expression of jasmonic acid-mediated defense marker genes such as PDF1.2 and LOX2. WRKY55 physically interacts with Arabidopsis ORA59 facilitating the expression of PDF1.2. Our results suggest that WRKY55 can function as a positive regulator for resistance against Pcc in Arabidopsis.

Keywords

• jasmonic acid (ja)
• pectobacterium carotovorum ssp. carotovorum (pcc)
• plant disease resistance
• wrky transcription