Abstract Detail

Biotic and abiotic stress

Carella, Philip [1], Yeo, May T.S. [1], Fletcher, Jean [1], Champigny, Marc [1], Weretilnyk, Elizabeth A. [1], Cameron, Robin K. [2].

Development of a Eutrema salsugineum-Pseudomonas syringae pathosystem to investigate disease resistance in an extremophile model plant.

To improve our ability to understand how plants respond to multiple and/or concurrent stresses, disease resistance was investigated in Eutrema salsugineum, an extremophile model plant that is highly tolerant of abiotic stress. Compared to Arabidopsis (Col-0), both Yukon and Shandong Eutrema accessions exhibit increased resistance to Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst) and pv. maculicola (Psm), with Shandong Eutrema exhibiting greater resistance to Pst than Yukon Eutrema. RT-PCR of the EsPR1 (Pathogenesis-Related 1) defence marker gene confirmed RNA-Seq data that healthy Shandong Eutrema constitutively expresses EsPR1. The data suggests that Shandong Eutrema exists in a highly primed state of defence preparedness. Pathogen-triggered EsPR1 expression was delayed in Yukon Eutrema; however, these plants were resistant to Pst suggesting that Yukon Eutrema employs a PR1-independent mechanism to resist Pst. This work demonstrates that Eutrema is a new and interesting model for biotic stress tolerance studies. The Eutrema–P. syringae pathosystem will facilitate future studies to understand how this extremophile tolerates both abiotic and biotic stress, and will allow us to explore the interplay of these responses in order to better inform efforts to improve stress tolerance in crops.

1 - McMaster University, 1280 Main St. W, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
2 - McMaster University, Biology, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON, L8s 4K1, Canada

Keywords:
Eutrema salsugineum
Pseudomonas syringae
Pathosystem
plant diseases
Extremophile.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Topics
Session: 20
Location: Salon 13/14/The Shaw Conference Centre
Date: Monday, July 27th, 2015
Time: 4:15 PM
Number: 20009
Abstract ID:921
Candidate for Awards:CSPB President's Award for Best Student Presentation