Arabidopsis GLYI4 Reveals Intriguing Insights into the JA Signaling Pathway and Plant Defense
Author(s)
Date Issued
2024
Type
article
Volume
25
Issue
22
Start Page
1
End Page
19
Abstract
Plant hormones play a central role in various physiological functions and mediate defense
responses against (a)biotic stresses. Jasmonic acid (JA) has emerged as one of the key phytohormones
involved in the response to necrotrophic pathogens. Under stressful conditions, plants can also
produce small molecules, such as methylglyoxal (MG), a cytotoxic aldehyde. The enzymes glyoxalase
I (GLYI) and glyoxalase II primarily detoxify MG. In Arabidopsis thaliana, GLYI4 has been recently
characterized as having a crucial role in MG detoxification and emerging involvement in the JA
pathway. Here, we investigated the impact of a GLYI4 loss-of-function on the Arabidopsis JA
pathway and how MG affects it. The results showed that the glyI4 mutant plant had stunted growth, a
smaller rosette diameter, reduced leaf size, and an altered pigment concentration. A gene expression
analysis of the JA marker genes showed significant changes in the JA biosynthetic and signaling
pathway genes in the glyI4 mutant. Disease resistance bioassays against the necrotroph Botrytis
cinerea revealed altered patterns in the glyI4 mutant, likely due to increased oxidative stress. The
MG effect has a further negative impact on plant performance. Collectively, these results contribute
to clarifying the intricate interconnections between the GLYI4, MG, and JA pathways, opening
up new avenues for further explorations of the intricate molecular mechanisms controlling plant
stress responses.
Project(s)
PRIN PROSPECT 2017JLN833_005