Oral Presentation International Plant Molecular Biology Conference 2024

Transcriptional landscape of rice receptor-like cytoplasmic kinases involved in rice immunity (#349)

Wanqing WW Wang 1 , Yoji YK Kawano 1
  1. Okayama University, Institute of Plant Science and Resources, Kita-Ku, OKAYAMA, Japan

Rice plants are pivotal for their consumption and cultural values. Rice blast, caused by Magnaporthe oryzae, is considered one of the most serious diseases of cultivated rice. During infection, plants can employ Pattern Triggered Immunity (PTI) to detect pathogens. Receptor-like cytoplasmic kinases, RLCKs, act as links to relay pathogen signals perceived by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) to downstream signalings to trigger multiple immune responses to counter pathogen strikes. Most of the previous studies have focused on kinase functions of RLCKs. However, a limited number of studies suggest that RLCK expressions can also be essential for plant immunity. More research is needed to understand the exact transcriptional roles of RLCKs in plant immunity. In this study, through bioinformatic analysis on 371 RLCK expression patterns when treated with chitin elicitor and rice blast fungus, we were able to identify 104 RLCKs that were differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and locate two RLCKs from this DEG list. Furthermore, based on the cis-element analysis of the up-regulated RLCKs, we isolated two ERF transcription factors (TFs) that potentially regulate RLCK expressions. Knockout mutant plants in one of the ERF genes when infected with M. oryzae, showed significantly different lesion length developments compared to the wild-type plants, supporting this ERF’s involvement in rice immunity. ERFs acting as TFs to induce RLCK expressions were also explored. In the end, we hope this study will provide more information for understanding RLCKs’ involvement in rice immunity on the transcriptional level.