PAMP perception during Fusarium graminearum pathogenesis
E. BRAUER (1) (1) Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada

Resistant wheat cultivars recognize unknown signals during Fusarium graminearum infection to limit the fungi’s spread to healthy spikelets. Fungal infection of a spikelet induces signaling and defense gene expression, cell wall thickening and resistance to subsequent infections in the surrounding spikelets. Together with studies demonstrating that salicylic acid and jasmonic acid modulate resistance to F. graminearum in Arabidopsis, this suggests that F. graminearum pathogenesis is influenced by host immune responses. To determine the identity of F. graminearum factors which activate host immunity, we first determined that F. graminearum extracts produced dose-dependent protection against subsequent bacterial infection in Arabidopsis. This protection was conferred by a proteinaceous elicitor as protease treatments abolished the effect. Next, using both total protein extracts and purified proteins, we identified several candidate F. graminearum elicitor proteins which induce protection against subsequent infection. Preliminary results indicate that these elicitors induce PAMP-like signaling responses, suggesting a potential role for PAMP perception in the Arabidopsis-F. graminearum interaction.

Abstract Number: P17-500
Session Type: Poster