Overexpression of twin-arginine translocation (TAT) pathway conferred immunity to Xanthomonas oryzae v. oryzae in rice

  • Nino, Marjohn C. (Dept. of Crop Science, Chungbuk National University) ;
  • Song, Jae-Young (Dept. of Crop Science, Chungbuk National University) ;
  • Nogoy, Franz Marielle (Dept. of Crop Science, Chungbuk National University) ;
  • Kang, Kwon-Kyoo (Dept. of Horticulrue, Hankyong National University) ;
  • Cho, Yong-Gu (Dept. of Crop Science, Chungbuk National University)
  • Published : 2017.06.04

Abstract

OsTAT encodes a twin-arginine translocator (TAT) pathway signal protein. It contains a TRANS membrane domain and a chloroplast transit peptide. mRNA transcription profiling of OsTAT1 revealed that it is highly overexpressed in the leaves corroborating reports on its role in chloroplast. Moreover, its level of expression is more pronounced during earlier stages (germination, 3-leaf stage, and maximum tillering) of growth in rice. A lower disease progress curve of bacterial blight is evident in transgenic lines compared with the wild type, Dongjin indicating its involvement in immunity to Xoo. Expression pattern following infection of Xoo strain K2 depicts highest levels at 4 and 8 hour post-inoculation which implies crucial induction of resistance during early response. This study initially reports a new overview on the biological functions of plant's TAT pathway. Further molecular and genetic analyses are underway to provide detailed involvement of OsTAT in disease resistance.

Keywords