CsBZIP40 confers resistance against citrus bacterial canker by repressing CsWRKY43-CsPrx53/CsSOD13 cascade mediated ROS scavenging

As the bacterial etiologic agent causing citrus bacterial canker(CBC),Xanthomonas citri subsp.citri(Xcc)seriously impacts citrus plantation and fruit production globally.In an earlier study,we demonstrated that CsBZIP40 can positively impact CBC resistance in the sweet orange(Citrus sinensis).However,the mechanistic basis for the protective benefits conferred by CsBZIP40 is yet to be delineated.Here,we show that CsBZIP40 positively regulates CBC resistance and reactive oxygen species(ROS)homeostasis in transgenic sweet orange overexpressing CsBZIP40.CsBZIP40 directly binds to the TGA-box of the CsWRKY43 promoter to repress its transcriptional activity.CsWRKY43 overexpression induces CBC susceptibility in transgenic sweet oranges.In contrast,its inhibition produces strong resistance to CBC.CsWRKY43 directly binds to the W-boxes of the CsPrx53 and CsSOD13 promoters to positively regulate the activities of these antioxidant enzymes,resulting in the negative regulation of ROS homeostasis and CBC resistance in sweet orange plants.CsPrx53/CsSOD13 knockdown enhances ROS accumulation and CBC resistance.Overall,our results outline a regulatory pathway through which CsBZIP40 transcriptionally represses CsWRKY43-CsPrx53/CsSOD13 cascade-mediated ROS scavenging in a manner conducive to CBC resistance.These mechanisms underscore the potential importance of CsBZIP40,CsWRKY43,CsPrx53,and CsSOD13,providing promising strategies for the prevention of CBC.

CitGVD:a comprehensive database of citrus genomic variations

Citrus is one of the most important commercial fruit crops worldwide.With the vast genomic data currently available for citrus fruit,genetic relationships,and molecular markers can be assessed for the development of molecular breeding and genomic selection strategies.In this study,to permit the ease of access to these data,a web-based database,the citrus genomic variation database(CitGVD,http://citgvd.cric.cn/home)was developed as the first citrusspecific comprehensive database dedicated to genome-wide variations including single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)and insertions/deletions(INDELs).The current version(V1.0.0)of CitGVD is an open-access resource centered on 1,493,258,964 high-quality genomic variations and 84 phenotypes of 346 organisms curated from in-house projects and public resources.CitGVD integrates closely related information on genomic variation annotations,related gene annotations,and details regarding the organisms,incorporating a variety of built-in tools for data accession and analysis.As an example,CitGWAS can be used for genome-wide association studies(GWASs)with SNPs and phenotypic data,while CitEVOL can be used for genetic structure analysis.These features make CitGVD a comprehensive web portal and bioinformatics platform for citrus-related studies.It also provides a model for analyzing genome-wide variations for a wide range of crop varieties.

Antisense oligonucleotide technology can be used to investigate a circular but not linear RNA-mediated function for its encoded gene locus

As a class of powerful molecular tool,antisense oligonucleotides(ASOs)are not only broadly used in protein and RNA biology,but also a highly selective therapeutic strategy for many diseases.Although the concept that ASO reagents only reduce expression of the targeted gene in a post-transcriptional manner has long been established,the effect and mechanism of ASO reagents on RNA polymerase II(Pol II)transcription are largely unknown.This raised question is particularly important for the appropriate use of ASOs and the valid interpretation of ASO-mediated experiments.In this study,our results show that linear RNA ASO attenuates transcription of nascent transcripts by inducing premature transcription termination which is combinatorially controlled by Integrator,exosome,and Rat1 in Drosophila.However,circular RNA(circRNA)ASO transfection does not affect transcription activity of the encoded gene.These data suggest that the ASO technique can be applied to study a circRNA-mediated but not linear RNA-mediated function for its encoded gene locus.