Induction of the Hahsp17.7G4 promoter by root-knot nematodes: involvement of heat-shock elements in promoter activity in giant cells

Root-knot nematodes feed from specialized giant cells induced in the plants that they parasitize. We found that the promoter of the Hahsp17.7G4 gene, which encodes a small heat-shock protein involved in embryogenesis and stress responses, directed GUS expression in tobacco galls induced by the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita., In roots containing a GUS reporter fusion to the Hahsp17.7G4 promoter, 10% of the galls stained for GUS expression 1 to 3 days after infection and the fraction stained increased to 60 to 80% 17 to 20 days after infection. A DNA fragment from -83 to +163, which contains heat-shock element (HSE) core sequences, is sufficient to support a promoter activity largely restricted to giant cells within the galls. Two-point mutations in HSE cores, previously reported to abolish the heat-shock response and to strongly reduce the embryogenesis response of the same promoter, did not reduce expression in giant cells. This suggests a distinct regulation of the promoter by nematodes. However, additional point mutations located at positions crucial for binding of heat-shock transcription factors (HSFs) caused a severe decrease in the nematode response. These results demonstrate that HSEs are involved in the promoter activation in giant cells and suggest that HSFs may mediate this response.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Escobar, Carolina, Barcala, Marta, Portillo, Mary, Almoguera, Concepción, Jordano, Juan, Fenoll, Carmen
Other Authors: European Commission
Format: artículo biblioteca
Language:English
Published: American Phytopathological Society 2003-12
Subjects:Gene-expression, Arabidopsis thaliana, Feeding structures, Developmental regulation, Seed Maturation, Plant, Protein, Tobacco, Embryogenesis, Sequences,
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/31911
http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000780
http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100007273
http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100011698
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Summary:Root-knot nematodes feed from specialized giant cells induced in the plants that they parasitize. We found that the promoter of the Hahsp17.7G4 gene, which encodes a small heat-shock protein involved in embryogenesis and stress responses, directed GUS expression in tobacco galls induced by the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita., In roots containing a GUS reporter fusion to the Hahsp17.7G4 promoter, 10% of the galls stained for GUS expression 1 to 3 days after infection and the fraction stained increased to 60 to 80% 17 to 20 days after infection. A DNA fragment from -83 to +163, which contains heat-shock element (HSE) core sequences, is sufficient to support a promoter activity largely restricted to giant cells within the galls. Two-point mutations in HSE cores, previously reported to abolish the heat-shock response and to strongly reduce the embryogenesis response of the same promoter, did not reduce expression in giant cells. This suggests a distinct regulation of the promoter by nematodes. However, additional point mutations located at positions crucial for binding of heat-shock transcription factors (HSFs) caused a severe decrease in the nematode response. These results demonstrate that HSEs are involved in the promoter activation in giant cells and suggest that HSFs may mediate this response.