TAL effector driven induction of a SWEET gene confers susceptibility to bacterial blight of cotton. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Transcription activator-like (TAL) effectors from Xanthomonas citri subsp. malvacearum (Xcm) are essential for bacterial blight of cotton (BBC). Here, by combining transcriptome profiling with TAL effector-binding element (EBE) prediction, we show that GhSWEET10, encoding a functional sucrose transporter, is induced by Avrb6, a TAL effector determining Xcm pathogenicity. Activation of GhSWEET10 by designer TAL effectors (dTALEs) restores virulence of Xcm avrb6 deletion strains, whereas silencing of GhSWEET10 compromises cotton susceptibility to infections. A BBC-resistant line carrying an unknown recessive b6 gene bears the same EBE as the susceptible line, but Avrb6-mediated induction of GhSWEET10 is reduced, suggesting a unique mechanism underlying b6-mediated resistance. We show via an extensive survey of GhSWEET transcriptional responsiveness to different Xcm field isolates that additional GhSWEETs may also be involved in BBC. These findings advance our understanding of the disease and resistance in cotton and may facilitate the development cotton with improved resistance to BBC.

published proceedings

  • Nat Commun

altmetric score

  • 67.18

author list (cited authors)

  • Cox, K. L., Meng, F., Wilkins, K. E., Li, F., Wang, P., Booher, N. J., ... Shan, L.

citation count

  • 122

complete list of authors

  • Cox, Kevin L||Meng, Fanhong||Wilkins, Katherine E||Li, Fangjun||Wang, Ping||Booher, Nicholas J||Carpenter, Sara CD||Chen, Li-Qing||Zheng, Hui||Gao, Xiquan||Zheng, Yi||Fei, Zhangjun||Yu, John Z||Isakeit, Thomas||Wheeler, Terry||Frommer, Wolf B||He, Ping||Bogdanove, Adam J||Shan, Libo

publication date

  • January 2017