A wheat caffeic acid 3-O-methyltransferase TaCOMT-3D positively contributes to both resistance to sharp eyespot disease and stem mechanical strength

Wang, M, Zhu, X, Wang, K, Lu, C ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0064-4725, Luo, M, Shan, T and Zhang, Z, 2018. A wheat caffeic acid 3-O-methyltransferase TaCOMT-3D positively contributes to both resistance to sharp eyespot disease and stem mechanical strength. Scientific Reports, 8: 6543. ISSN 2045-2322

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Abstract

Plant caffeic acid 3-O-methyltransferase (COMT) has been implicated in the lignin biosynthetic pathway through catalyzing the multi-step methylation reactions of hydroxylated monomeric lignin precursors. However, genetic evidence for its function in plant disease resistance is poor. Sharp eyespot, caused primarily by the necrotrophic fungus Rhizoctonia cerealis, is a destructive disease in hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In this study, a wheat COMT gene TaCOMT-3D, is identified to be in response to R. cerealis infection through microarray-based comparative transcriptomics. The TaCOMT-3D gene is localized in the long arm of the chromosome 3D. The transcriptional level of TaCOMT-3D is higher in sharp eyespot-resistant wheat lines than in susceptible wheat lines, and is significantly elevated after R. cerealis inoculation. After R. cerealis inoculation and disease scoring, TaCOMT-3D-silenced wheat plants exhibit greater susceptibility to sharp eyespot compared to unsilenced wheat plants, whereas overexpression of TaCOMT-3D enhances resistance of the transgenic wheat lines to sharp eyespot. Moreover, overexpression of TaCOMT-3D enhances the stem mechanical strength, and lignin (particular syringyl monolignol) accumulation in the transgenic wheat lines. These results suggest that TaCOMT-3D positively contributes to both wheat resistance against sharp eyespot and stem mechanical strength possibly through promoting lignin (especially syringyl monolignol) accumulation.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Scientific Reports
Creators:	Wang, M., Zhu, X., Wang, K., Lu, C., Luo, M., Shan, T. and Zhang, Z.
Publisher:	Nature Publishing Group
Date:	2018
Volume:	8
ISSN:	2045-2322
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1038/s41598-018-24884-0 DOI
Divisions:	Schools > School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences
Record created by:	Jonathan Gallacher
Date Added:	27 Apr 2018 13:28
Last Modified:	03 May 2018 14:16
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/33376

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