A maize WAK-SnRK1a2-WRKY module regulates nutrient availability to defend against head smut disease  

作　　者：Qianqian Zhang Qianya Xu Nan Zhang Tao Zhong Yuexian Xing Zhou Fan Mingzhu Yan Mingliang Xu 

机构地区：[1]State Key Laboratory of Plant Environmental Resilience/College of Agronomy and Biotechnology/National Maize Improvement Center/Center for Crop Functional Genomics and Molecular Breeding,China Agricultural University,Beijing 100193,P.R.China [2]Crops Research Institute,Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences,Guangdong 510640,P.R.China [3]Institute of Maize Research,Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences,Gongzhuling,Jilin 136100,P.R.China

出　　处：《Molecular Plant》2024年第11期1654-1671,共18页分子植物（英文版）

摘　　要：Obligate biotrophs depend on living hosts for nutrient acquisition to complete their life cycle,yet the mechanisms by which hosts restrict nutrient availability to pathogens remain largely unknown.The fungal pathogen Sporisorium reilianum infects maize seedlings and causes head smut disease in inflorescences at maturity,while a cell wall-associated kinase,ZmWAK,provides quantitative resistance against it.In this study,we demonstrate that S.reilianum can rapidly activate ZmWAK kinase activity,which is sustained by the 407th threonine residue in the juxtamembrane domain,enabling it to interact with and phosphorylate ZmSnRK1a2,a conserved sucrose non-fermenting-related kinase a subunit.The activated ZmSnRK1a2 translocates from the cytoplasm to the nucleus,where it phosphorylates and destabilizes the transcription factor ZmWRKY53.The reduced ZmWRKY53 abundance leads to the downregulation of genes involved in transmembrane transport and carbohydrate metabolism,resulting in nutrient starvation for S.reilianum in the apoplast.Collectively,our study uncovers a WAK-SnRK1a2-WRKY53 signaling module in maize that conveys phosphorylation cascades from the plasma membrane to the nucleus to confer plant resistance against head smut in maize,offering new insights and potential targets for crop disease management.

关 键 词：head smut disease Sporisorium reilianum ZmWAK SnRK1a2 PHOSPHORYLATION NUTRIENT 

分 类 号：Q94[生物学—植物学]