The WRKY30 transcription factor: a node of convergence for abiotic and biotic signals in plant defence

SCARPECI TE; ZANOR MI; VALLE EM

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

Congreso; Plant Biology 2009; 2009

American Society of Plant Biology (ASPB)

In plants, oxidative stress is one of the major causes of damage as a result of various environmental stresses. Oxidative stress arises from an imbalance in the generation and removal of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Despite the deleterious effects of ROS, recent studies indicate that ROS act as signalling molecules. We used the GeneChip technology in order to monitor gene expression of the entire genome of A. thaliana under oxidative stress generated by MV. WRKY30 transcription factor was highly expressed under this MV treatment. Its expression profile was studied in silico using Genevestigator database and in vivo with the reporter gene GUS fused to the WRKY30 promoter. WRKY30 was clearly induced under biotic or abiotic oxidative stress conditions. The convergence of these stresses was also analysed by cross tolerance experiments carried out with Arabidopsis plants. Results showed that there are multiple stress perception and signalling pathways, some of which are specific, but others may cross-talk at various steps. WRKY30 could be a node of convergence for integrating biotic and abiotic signalling events, regulating downstream genes involved in the defence against ROS damage.