Zhaohui Chu

Wuhan University | WHU · College of Life Sciences

Rhizoctonia solani is a widely distributed phytopathogen that causes banded leaf and sheath blight in maize and sheath blight in rice. Here, we identified an F-box protein (ZmFBL41) that confers resistance to banded leaf and sheath blight through a genome-wide association study in maize. Rice overexpressing ZmFBL41 showed elevated susceptibility to...

Transcription activator‐like (TAL) effectors are major virulence factors secreted by the type III secretion systems of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola (Xoc) and X. oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), causing bacterial leaf streak and bacterial blight, respectively, in rice. However, the knowledge of Xoc TAL effector function in promoting bacterial virulence...

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola (Xoc), causing rice bacterial leaf streak, invades leaves mainly through stomata, which are often closed as a plant immune response against pathogen invasion. How Xoc overcomes stomatal immunity is unclear. Here, we show that the effector protein AvrRxo1, an ATP-dependent protease, enhances Xoc virulence and inhibit...

The clade III subfamily of OsSWEETs includes transmembrane proteins necessary for susceptibility to bacterial blight (BB). These genes are targeted by the specific transcription activator‐like effector (TALE) of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and mediate sucrose efflux for bacterial proliferation. However, the mechanism through which OsSWEETs regula...

Background Two-tiered plant immune responses involve cross-talk among defense-responsive (DR) genes involved in pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)-triggered immunity (PTI), effector-triggered immunity (ETI) and effector-triggered susceptibility (ETS). Bacterial leaf streak (BLS), caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola (Xoc) is an impo...

Rice is a staple food for more than half of the global population due to its food security and sustainable development. Weeds compete with crops for sunlight and indispensable nutrients, affecting the yield and quality of crops. Breeding herbicide-tolerant rice varieties paired with herbicide application is expected to help with weed control. In th...

Key message The maize F-box protein ZmFBL41 targets abscisic acid synthase 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase 6 for degradation, and this regulatory module is exploited by Rhizoctonia solani to promote infection. Abstract F-box proteins are crucial regulators of plant growth, development, and responses to abiotic and biotic stresses. Previous resea...

Downy Mildew Resistance 6-like (DMR6-like) genes are identified as salicylic acid (SA) hydroxylases and negative regulators of plant immunity. Previously, we identified two rice DMR6-like genes, OsF3H03g, and OsF3H04g, that act as susceptible targets of transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) from Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola (Xoc), whic...

Plants experience numerous biotic stresses throughout their lifespan, such as pathogens and pests, which can substantially affect crop production. In response, plants have evolved various metabolites that help them withstand these stresses. Here, we show that two specialized metabolites in the herbaceous perennial Belamcanda chinensis, tectorigenin...

Copper (Cu)-based antimicrobial compounds (CBACs) have been widely used to control phytopathogens for nearly fourteen decades. Since the first commercialized Bordeaux mixture was introduced, CBACs have been gradually developed from highly to slightly soluble reagents and from inorganic to synthetic organic, with nanomaterials being a recent develop...

One of the most important phytohormones is salicylic acid (SA), which is essential for the regulation of plant growth, development, ripening, and defense responses. The role of SA in plant–pathogen interactions has attracted a lot of attention. Aside from defense responses, SA is also important in responding to abiotic stimuli. It has been proposed...

High temperature causes devasting effects on many aspects of plant cells and thus enhancing plant heat tolerance is critical for crop production. Emerging studies have revealed the important roles of chromatin modifications in heat stress responses. However, how chromatin is regulated during heat stress remains unclear. We show that heat stress res...

Background Plants are continuously challenged with biotic stress from environmental pathogens, and precise regulation of defense responses is critical for plant survival. Defense systems require considerable amounts of energy and resources, impairing plant growth, and plant hormones controlling transcriptional regulation play essential roles in est...

Introduction Beneficial microorganisms play essential roles in plant growth and induce systemic resistance (ISR) by releasing signaling molecules. Our previous study obtained the crude extract from beneficial endophyte Paecilomyces variotii, termed ZNC, which significantly enhanced plant resistance to pathogen even at 100 ng/ml. However, the immuno...

RNA structure plays key roles in plant growth, development, and adaptation. One of the complex RNA structures is the RNA G-quadruplex (RG4) where guanine-rich sequences are folded into two or more layers of G-quartets. Previous computational predictions of RG4 revealed that it is widespread across the whole transcriptomes in many plant species, rai...

Key message The AATCA motif was identified to respond pathogens infection in the promoter of defense-related gene Os2H16. OsbHLH057 bound to the motif to positively regulate rice disease resistance and drought tolerance. Abstract Sheath blight (ShB), caused by the necrotrophic fungus Rhizoctonia solani, is a devastating disease in rice (Oryza sati...

A key step in jasmonic acid (JA) signaling is the ligand-dependent assembly of a coreceptor complex comprising the F-box protein COI1 and JAZ transcriptional repressors. The assembly of this receptor complex results in proteasome-mediated degradation of JAZ repressors, which in turn bind and repress MYC transcription factors. Many studies on JAZs...

Xanthomonas oryzae delivers transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) into plant cells to facilitate infection. Following economic principles, the redundant TALEs are rarely identified in Xanthomonas. Previously, we identified the Tal2b, which activates the expression of the rice 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase gene OsF3H03g to promote in...

Phytopathogens and pests are two major factors that limit the growth of plants. The expression of a flavonoid regulator gene, AtMYB12 ( AT2G47460 ), has been reported to increase the endogenous flavonoid content of tobacco and tomato. Previous research has only focused on the regulation mechanism of v-myb avian myeloblastosis viral oncogene homolog...

Background Anastomosis group 1 IA (AG1-IA) of Rhizoctonia solani is the major agent of banded leaf and sheath blight (BLSB) disease that causes severe yield loss in many worldwide crops. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are ~ 22 nt non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression levels by mRNA degradation or translation inhibition. A better understandin...

Copper ions (Cu²⁺) are key constituents of copper-based antimicrobial compounds (CBACs), which are extensively used in agriculture. Previously, we demonstrated that a low concentration of Cu²⁺ induced plant defenses associated with callose deposition in Arabidopsis as well as flg22, a microbe-associated molecular pattern (MAMP) peptide. However, th...

Plants establish symbioses with mutualistic fungi, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, and bacteria, such as rhizobia, to exchange key nutrients and thrive. Plants and symbionts have coevolved and represent vital components of terrestrial ecosystems. Plants employ an ancestral AM signaling pathway to establish intracellular symbioses, includ...

Late blight (LB), caused by the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora infestans, is a devastating disease of potato that is necessary to control by regularly treatment with fungicides. Silicon (Si) has been used to enhance plant resistance against a broad range of bacterial and fungal pathogens; however, the enhanced LB resistance and the molecular mechan...

Nonspecific lipidtransfer proteins (nsLTPs), which are small, cysteine-rich proteins, belong to the pathogenesis-related protein family, and several of them act as positive regulators during plant disease resistance. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of these proteins in plant immune responses are unclear. In this study, a typical nsLTP...

Potato late blight, which is caused by the destructive oomycete pathogen Phytophthora infestans , is a major threat to global food security. Several nucleotide binding, leucine-rich repeat (NLR) Resistance to P. infestans ( Rpi ) genes have been introgressed into potato cultivars from wild Solanum species that are native to Mexico, but these were q...

Small cysteine-rich peptides (CRPs) are important in plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. OsDT11, encoding an 88 amino acid CRP-type protein, has been reported to enhance tolerance to drought in rice (Oryza sativa L.) without negatively affecting other agronomic traits. However, the molecular mechanisms of OsDT11-mediated drought toleran...

The endophytic Bacillus amyloliquefaciens YTB1407 was previously reported to promote the growth of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas cv. Yanshu 25). Here, we demonstrate in both in vitro and pot trial assays that pre-treatment with YTB1407 suspension could enhance resistance against root rot disease and black rot disease, caused by Fusarium solani Mart...

Background: Bacterial leaf streak (BLS) and bacterial blight (BB) are two major prevalent and devastating rice bacterial diseases caused by the Gram-negative bacteria of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola (Xoc) and Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), respectively. Previously, we identified a defence-related (DR) gene encoding a small heat shock pro...

Genetic engineering (GE) technology is widely used in plant modification. However, the results of modification may not exactly meet the expectations. Herein we propose a new multi-omics method for GE plant evaluation based on the optimized use of the metID algorithm. Using this method, we found that flavonoids accumulation was at the expense of the...

Copper‐based antimicrobial compounds are widely and historically used to control plant diseases, such as late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans, which seriously affects the yield and quality of potato. We previously identified that copper ion (Cu2+) acts as an extremely sensitive elicitor to induce ethylene (ET)‐dependent immunity in Arabidop...

In a recent study, anthocyanins, which have a strong free radical‐scavenging activity, were examined for their potential to effectively prevent cancer. However, clinical trials are limited by the purity of the anthocyanin. Multiple methods are used to extract and purify anthocyanins. Based on previous work on Solanum nigrum, which is a widely distr...

We previously reported on the strong symbiosis of AMF species (Rhizophagus irregularis CD1) with the cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) which is grown worldwide. In current study, it was thus investigated in farmland to determine the biological control effect of AMF on phosphorus acquisition and related gene expression regulation, plant growth and deve...

Some chloroplast proteins are known to serve as messengers to transmit retrograde signals from chloroplasts to the nuclei in response to environmental stresses. However, whether particular chloroplast proteins respond to drought stress and serve as messengers for retrograde signal transduction are unclear. Here, we used isobaric tags for relative a...

Polygalacturonase-inhibiting proteins (PGIPs) have been shown to recognize fungal polygalacturonases (PGs), which initiate innate immunity in various plant species. Notably, the connection between rice OsPGIPs and PGs in Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola (Xoc), which causes bacterial leaf streak (BLS), remains unclear. Here, we show that OsPGIP1 was...

Main conclusion A rice allele of PSKR1 functioning in resistance to bacterial leaf streak was identified. Abstract Phytosulfokine (PSK), a disulfated pentapeptide encoded by precursor genes that are ubiquitously present in higher plants, belongs to the group of plant peptide growth factors. The PSK receptor PSKR1 in Arabidopsis thaliana is an acti...

Background and aims The crude extract of the endophyte Paecilomyces variotii known as ZhiNengCong (ZNC) has function of promoting plant growth and enhancing disease resistance and is widely used in China. Our study aims to evaluate the molecular mechanisms of plant growth promotion and disease protection. Methods We generated transcriptome profile...

Phytophthora infestans causes the severe late blight disease of potato. During its infection process, P. infestans delivers hundreds of RXLR (Arg-x-Leu-Arg, x behalf of any one amino acid) effectors to manipulate processes in its hosts, creating a suitable environment for invasion and proliferation. Several effectors interact with host proteins to...

β-Glucosidase belongs to the glycoside hydrolase I family, which is widely present in multiple species and responds to various biotic and abiotic stresses. In rice, whether β-glucosidase is involved in the interaction between plants and microorganisms is not clear. In this study, we found that the expression of several genes encoding β-glucosidases...

Somatic embryogenesis (SE) plays a vital role in genetic transformation and massive propagation of important agronomical and economical crops. Here, we conducted a systematic assessment of the morphological, cytochemical, and cytogenetical characteristics of six culture strains with various embryogenic/regenerative potential during SE process in co...

Supplementary Fig. 1. Cell death responses upon expressing of AVR2 on Désirée-Rpi-mcq1 and Désirée-Rpi-blb3. Agroinfiltration using A. tumefaciens strain carrying pK7WG2: AVR2, pK7WG2: empty and co-infiltrations of R3a/AVR3a on Désirée-Rpi-mcq1 (A), Désirée-Rpi-blb3 (B), and untransformed ‘Désirée’ (Wild type) (C). Each effector is tested twice on...

The GT-1 cis-element widely exists in many plant gene promoters. However, the molecular mechanism that underlies the response of the GT-1 cis-element to abiotic and biotic stresses remains elusive in rice. We previously isolated a rice short-chain peptide encoding gene, Os2H16, and demonstrated that it plays important roles in both disease resistan...

Late blight caused by the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora infestans is the most devastating disease in potato. For sustainable management of this economically important disease, resistance breeding relies on the availability of resistance (R) genes. Such R genes against P. infestans have evolved in wild tuber-bearing Solanum species from North, Cent...

Copper ions (Cu(2+)) are required by all living organisms and play important roles in many bactericides and fungicides. We previously reported that Cu(2+) could elicit defense responses, which is dependent on the ethylene signaling pathway in Arabidopsis. However, the mechanism by which Cu(2+) elicit the biosynthesis of ethylene remains unclear. He...

Cherry tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum M.) is considered a healthy fruit worldwide due to its wide range of nutrients. Flavonol, one of the major nutrients in cherry tomato, has antioxidant and cell-modulating properties. In this study, we showed a correlation between the expression of SlMYB12 and flavonol content (R2 = 0.922). To characterize the...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play an important role in nutrient cycling processes and plant stress resistance. To evaluate the effect of Rhizophagus irregularis CD1 on plant growth promotion (PGP) and Verticillium wilt disease, the symbiotic efficiency of AMF (SEA) was first investigated over a range of 3% to 94% in 17 cotton varieties. The h...

Little information about the roles of circular RNAs (circRNAs) during potato-Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. brasiliense (Pcb) interaction is currently available. In this study, we conducted the systematic identification of circRNAs from time series samples of potato cultivars Valor (susceptible) and BP1 (disease tolerant) infected by Pcb. A tota...

Background Banded leaf and sheath blight (BLSB), caused by the necrotrophic fungus Rhizoctonia solani, is a highly devastating disease in most maize and rice growing areas of the world. However, the molecular mechanisms of perceiving pathogen signals are poorly understood in hosts. Results Here, we identified a Rhizoctonia solani-inducible promote...

Solanum nigrum fruits have been conventionally used in beverages due to their nutritional substances such as minerals, vitamins, amino acids, proteins, sugars, polyphenols, and anthocyanins. The characterization of components and regulatory mechanism of anthocyanins in S. nigrum fruits have rarely been reported. In this study, we determined that th...

Solanum nigrum fruits have been conventionally available as a material of beverage due to its nutritional substances such as minerals, vitamins, amino acids, proteins, sugars, polyphenols and anthocyanins. Here has rarely reported on the characterizaton of the components and the regulatory mechanism of Anthocyanins in S. nigrum. In this study, we d...

Background The small heat shock proteins represent a large family of proteins that respond to a wide range of abiotic and biotic stresses. OsHsp18.0-CI confers tolerance to salt and cadmium and interacts with viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). However, the direct function of OsHsp18.0-CI in resistance against biotic stresses remains unclear...

Plants are continuously exposed to myriad pathogen stresses. However, the molecular mechanisms by which these stress signals are perceived and transduced are poorly understood. In this study, the maize gene GRMZM2G315431 was identified to be highly inducible by Rhizoctonia solani infection, suggesting that the promoter of GRMZM2G315431 (pGRMZM2G315...

Short-chain peptides play important roles in plant development and responses to abiotic and biotic stresses. Here, we characterized a gene of unknown function termed OsDT11, which encodes an 88 amino acid short-chain peptide and belongs to the cysteine-rich peptide family. It was found that the expression of OsDT11 can be activated by polyethylene...

Background Resistance and growth are opposing characteristics in plants. SA INSENSITIVITY OF npr1-5 (SSI2) encodes a stearoyl-ACP desaturase (S-ACP DES) that has previously been reported to simultaneously enhance resistance and repress growth. ResultsHere, we characterize ssi2-2, a novel mutant allele of SSI2 that has two amino acid substitutions....

Amino acid sequence alignment of basal transcription factor IIA gamma subunit (TFIIAγ) from different species.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19605.014

Measurements of agronomic traits of rice lines IR24 and IRBB5 under natural field conditions. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19605.025

PCR primers used for quantitative RT-PCR assays. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19605.027

The defined domains/motifs and sequences of TALE PthXo1 from Xoo strain PXO99.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19605.007

Amino acid sequence alignment of the TFB regions of TALEs from Xanthomonas oryzae strains, composed of either 134 or 145 amino acids.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19605.008

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the TFIIAγ5 coding region of 1419 rice accessions from RiceVarMap (http://ricevarmap.ncpgr.cn).DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19605.016

Effects of leucine residues of PthXo1 TFB region on TALE-mediated infection.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19605.011

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the TFIIAγ1 coding region of 1419 rice accessions from RiceVarMap (http://ricevarmap.ncpgr.cn).DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19605.015

PCR primers used for construction of vectors for protein–protein interactions and transformation, and detection of positive transgenic plants. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19605.026

Transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) are sequence-specific DNA binding proteins found in a range of plant pathogenic bacteria, where they play important roles in host-pathogen interactions. However, it has been unclear how TALEs, after they have been injected into the host cells, activate transcription of host genes required for infection...

Main conclusion: OsPGIP4 overexpression enhances resistance to bacterial leaf streak in rice. Polygalacturonase-inhibiting proteins are thought to play important roles in the innate immunity of rice against fungi. Here, we show that the chromosomal location of OsPGIP4 coincides with the major bacterial leaf streak resistance quantitative trait loc...

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a major crop worldwide that meets human economic and nutritional requirements. Potato has several advantages over other crops: easy to cultivate and store, cheap to consume and rich in a variety of secondary metabolites. In this study, we generated three marker-free transgenic potato lines that expressed the Arabido...

Flavonoids are ubiquitous in the plant kingdom and have many diverse functions, including UV protection, auxin transport inhibition, allelopathy, flower coloring and insect resistance. Here we show that rutin, a proud member of the flavonoid family, could be functional as an activator to improve plant disease resistances. Three plant species pretre...

The comparison of anti-bacterial activity of rutin and quercetin. aThe growth curve of R. solanacearum SD in N. benthamiana after 2mM rutin and 1mM quercetin pretreatment. The data represent the mean ±SE of 5 plants. b The lesion length causing by Xanthomonas oryzae strain PXO99 after 2mM rutin and 1mM quercetin pretreatment. The data were collecte...

The influence of different concentration of quercetin on bacterial pathogens. The growth condition of various bacterial on the plate with different concentration of quercetin. The photographs were taken after 24 h incubation at 28°C. (TIF)