Hormone signaling and its interplay with development and defense responses in Verticillium-plant interactions

Authors: DHAR, NIKHILESH - University Of California; CHEN, JIE-YIN - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; SUBBARAO, KRISHNA - University Of California; Klosterman, Steven

Submitted to: Frontiers in Plant Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/12/2020
Publication Date: 11/4/2020
Citation: Dhar, N., Chen, J.-Y., Subbarao, K.V., Klosterman, S.J. 2020. Hormone signaling and its interplay with development and defense responses in Verticillium-plant interactions. Frontiers in Plant Science. 11. Article 584997. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.584997.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.584997

Interpretive Summary: Verticillium wilt disease on plants, caused by fungi in the genus Verticillium, results in billions of dollars in annual losses annually. Though genetic resistance to Verticillium wilt has been identified in some plant species this type of resistance is not widely available in all plant species. This research review article describes accumulated findings on how various plant hormones interplay with disease resistance and susceptibility to Verticillium species. It also describes our recent research results on the findings of the involvement of the plant hormone gibberellic acid in Verticillium-related defense responses and potentially fruitful areas of future research in this area. Deciphering hormonal responses of plants in response to Verticillium species provides insights into mechanisms in the plant that may be manipulated for disease control and increased plant yields.

Technical Abstract: Soil-borne plant pathogenic species in the fungal genus Verticillium cause destructive Verticillium wilt disease on economically important crops worldwide. Since R gene-mediated resistance is only effective against race 1 of V. dahliae, fortification of plant basal resistance along with cultural practices are essential to combat Verticillium wilts. Plant hormones involved in cell signaling impact defense responses and development. In this review, we examine the current knowledge of the interplay between plant hormones salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, ethylene, brassinosteroids, cytokinin, gibberellic acid, auxin, and nitric oxide, and the defense responses and signaling pathways that contribute to resistance and susceptibility in Verticillium-host interactions. Though we make connections where possible to non-model systems, the emphasis is placed on Arabidopsis-V. dahliae and V. longisporum interactions since much of the research on this interplay is focused on these systems. An understanding of hormone signaling in Verticillium-host interactions will help determine the molecular basis of Verticillium wilt progression in the host and potentially provide insight on alternative approaches for disease management.