BioProject

In compatible interactions, biotrophic microbial phytopathogens rely on the supply of carbon and nitrogen assimilates by the colonized host tissue. More...

In compatible interactions, biotrophic microbial phytopathogens rely on the supply of carbon and nitrogen assimilates by the colonized host tissue. Successful biotrophs need to reprogram host metabolism, which also involves the stimulation of assimilate export from living host cells into the plant-pathogen interface at the infection site. In rice and cassava, SWEET sucrose transporters, are induced by bacterial TAL (transcriptional activator-like) effectors to establish compatibility. A pathogen-specific transcriptional induction of SWEET transporters has also been observed in Arabidopsis leaves upon microbial challenge. Here, we have assessed the question, whether the phloem localized AtSWEET11 and AtSWEET12 transporters represent susceptibility factors in the interaction of Arabidopsis with the fungal hemibiotroph Colletotrichum higginsianum (Ch). Compared to wild type, sweet11/sweet12 double mutants exhibited priming of the SA pathway in mock conditions. Overall design: To investigate transcriptional changes in C. higgsinanum infected leaves, five-week old Arabidopsis plants were spray infected with 2 Mio. conidia/ ml 1h before lights off and fully expanded leaves of wild type Col-0 and the sweet11/sweet12 double mutant were harvested in three situations: 1) immediately before treatment, 2) from mock treated plants (sprayed with water) at 2.5 days post treatment and 3) from C. higginsianum inoculated leaves during biotrophic colonization at 2.5 days post treatment Less...