R2R3-type Lo MYB21 affects jasmonate-regulated development and dehiscence of anthers in lily(Lilium oriental hybrids)

Lilies are widely cultivated for cut flowers,but their large anthers carry a considerable amount of colored pollen that is dispersed easily.Studying the molecular mechanism of anther development and dehiscence could help solve this problem.LoMYB21,encoding a putative R2R3v-myb avian myeloblastosis viral oncogene homolog(MYB)transcription factor,was identified from oriental lilies(Lilium‘Siberia’).Real-time quantitative PCR analysis showed that LoMYB21 was mainly expressed in the anther,filament and stigma and had high expression during the late stages of lily anther development.LoMYB21 had transactivation activity and was located in the nucleus through yeast one-hybrid assays and transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana.Suppression of LoMYB21 by virus-induced gene silencing(VIGS)in Lilium‘Siberia’led to anther indehiscence and reduced the expression of genes related to Jasmonate acid(JA)biosynthesis and signal transduction.Induction of LoMYB21 in DEX::LoMYB21 transgenic Arabidopsis caused procumbent inflorescences that became infertile,accompanied by higher expression of JA biosynthetic and signaling genes.These results demonstrated that JA content and signaling were abnormal in silenced lily and transgenic LoMYB21 Arabidopsis,which affected anther development.Our study indicated that LoMYB21 could regulate lily anther dehiscence through JA biosynthesis and signaling during the late stages of anther development.

Overexpression of auxin/indole-3-acetic acid gene MdIAA24 enhances Glomerella leaf spot resistance in apple(Malus domestica)

Auxin is throughout the entire life process of plants and is involved in the crosstalk with other hormones,yet its role in apple disease resistance remains unclear.In this study,we investigated the function of auxin/indole-3-acetic acid(IAA)gene Md IAA24 overexpression in enhancing apple resistance to Glomerella leaf spot(GLS)caused by Colletotrichum fructicola(Cf).Analysis revealed that,upon Cf infection,35S::Md IAA24 plants exhibited enhanced superoxide dismutase(SOD)and peroxidase(POD)activity,as well as a greater amount of glutathione(reduced form)and ascorbic acid accumulation,resulting in less H_(2)O_(2)and superoxide anion(O_(2)^(-))in apple leaves.Furthermore,35S::Md IAA24 plants produced more protocatechuic acid,proanthocyanidins B1,proanthocyanidins B2 and chlorogenic acid when infected with Cf.Following Cf infection,35S::Md IAA24 plants presented lower levels of IAA and jasmonic acid(JA),but higher levels of salicylic acid(SA),along with the expression of related genes.The overexpression of Md IAA24 was observed to enhance the activity of chitinase andβ-1,3-glucanase in Cfinfected leaves.The results indicated the ability of Md IAA24 to regulate the crosstalk between IAA,JA and SA,and to improve reactive oxygen species(ROS)scavenging and defense-related enzymes activity.This jointly contributed to GLS resistance in apple.

VPD modifies CO_(2) fertilization effect on tomato plants via abscisic acid and jasmonic acid signaling pathways

Atmospheric CO_(2)concentration is elevated globally,which has“CO_(2)fertilization effects”and potentially improves plant photosynthesis,yield,and productivity.Despite the beneficial effect of CO_(2)fertilization being modulated by vapor pressure deficit(VPD),the underlying mechanism is highly uncertain.In the present study,the potential roles of hormones in determining CO_(2)fertilization effects under contrasting high and low VPD conditions were investigated by integrated physiological and transcriptomic analyses.Beneficial CO_(2)fertilization effects were offset under high VPD conditions and were constrained by plant water stress and photosynthetic CO_(2)utilization.High VPD induced a large passive water driving force,which disrupted the water balance and consequently caused plant water deficit.Leaf water potential,turgor pressure,and hydraulic conductance declined under high VPD stress.The physiological evidence combined with transcriptomic analyses demonstrated that abscisic acid(ABA)and jasmonic acid(JA)potentially acted as drought-signaling molecules in response to high VPD stress.Increased foliar ABA and JA content triggered stomatal closure to prevent excessive water loss under high VPD stress,which simultaneously increased the diffusion resistance for CO_(2)uptake from atmosphere to leaf intercellular space.High VPD also significantly increased mesophyll resistance for CO_(2)transport from stomatal cavity to fixation site inside chloroplast.The chloroplast“sink”CO_(2)availability was constrained by stomatal and mesophyll resistance under high VPD stress,despite the atmospheric“source”CO_(2)concentration being elevated.Thus,ABA-and JA-mediated drought-resistant mechanisms potentially modified the beneficial effect of CO_(2)fertilization on photosynthesis,plant growth,and yield productivity.This study provides valuable information for improving the utilization efficiency of CO_(2)fertilization and a better understanding of the physiological processes.

GhWRKY33 negatively regulates jasmonate-mediated plant defense to Verticillium dahliae

Verticillium wilt,caused by Verticillium dahliae,seriously restricts the yield and quality improvement of cotton.Previous studies have revealed the involvement of WRKY members in plant defense against V.dahliae,but the underlying mechanisms involved need to be further elucidated.Here,we demonstrated that Gossypium hirsutum WRKY DNA-binding protein 33(GhWRKY33) functions as a negative regulator in plant defense against V.dahliae.GhWRKY33 expression is induced rapidly by V.dahliae and methyl jasmonate,and overexpression of GhWRKY33 reduces plant tolerance to V.dahliae in Arabidopsis.Quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that expression of several JA-associated genes was significantly repressed in GhWRKY33 overexpressing transgenic plants.Yeast one-hybrid analysis revealed that GhWRKY33 may repress the transcription of both AtERF1 and GhERF2 through its binding to their promoters.Protein-protein interaction analysis suggested that GhWRKY33 interacts with G.hirsutum JASMONATE ZIM-domain protein 3(GhJAZ3).Similarly,overexpression of GhJAZ3 also decreases plant tolerance to V.dahliae.Furthermore,GhJAZ3 acts synergistically with GhWRKY33 to suppress both AtERF1 and GhERF2 expression.Our results imply that GhWRKY33 may negatively regulate plant tolerance to V.dahliae via the JA-mediated signaling pathway.

Regulatory effect of salicylic acid and methyl jasmonate supplementation on ergosterol production in Hericium erinaceus mycelia

We evaluated the biomass and ergosterol content of Hericium erinaceus mycelium, and extracellular enzyme activities in H. erinaceus liquid culture following salicylic acid（SA） and methyl jasmonic acid（Me JA）supplementation. The optimal SA concentration was100 lmoláL-1, where the highest ergosterol content of 2.33 mgág-1was obtained following 6-day cultivation with100 lmoláL-1SA supplementation, and which was significantly higher than the unsupplemented control（p ／ 0.01）. Following 4-day supplementation with50 lmoláL-1Me JA, the highest ergosterol content obtained was 1.988 mgág-1, which was 25.8 % higher than the unsupplemented control. Our data indicate that SA and Me JA supplementation improves ergosterol content in H.erinaceus mycelium.

High-temperature stress suppresses allene oxide cyclase 2 and causes male sterility in cotton by disrupting jasmonic acid signaling

Cotton(Gossypium spp.) yield is reduced by stress. In this study, high temperature(HT) suppressed the expression of the jasmonic acid(JA) biosynthesis gene allene oxide cyclase 2(GhAOC2), reducing JA content and causing male sterility in the cotton HT-sensitive line H05. Anther sterility was reversed by exogenous application of methyl jasmonate(MeJA) to early buds. To elucidate the role of GhAOC2 in JA biosynthesis and identify its putative contribution to the anther response to HT, we created gene knockout cotton plants using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Ghaoc2 mutant lines showed male-sterile flowers with reduced JA content in the anthers at the tetrad stage(TS), tapetum degradation stage(TDS), and anther dehiscence stage(ADS). Exogenous application of MeJA to early mutant buds(containing TS or TDS anthers) rescued the sterile pollen and indehiscent anther phenotypes, while ROS signals were reduced in ADS anthers. We propose that HT downregulates the expression of GhAOC2 in anthers, reducing JA biosynthesis and causing excessive ROS accumulation in anthers, leading to male sterility. These findings suggest exogenous JA application as a strategy for increasing male fertility in cotton under HT.

Jasmonic acid-mediated stress responses share the molecular mechanism underlying male sterility induced by deficiency of ZmMs33 in maize

Plant male reproduction is a fine-tuned developmental process that is susceptible to stressful environments and influences crop grain yields.Phytohormone signaling functions in control of plant normal growth and development as well as in response to external stresses,but the interaction or crosstalk among phytohormone signaling,stress response,and male reproduction in plants remains poorly understood.Cross-species comparison among 514 stress-response transcriptomic libraries revealed that ms33-6038,a genic male sterile mutant deficient in the Zm Ms33/Zm GPAT6 gene,displayed an excessive drought stress-like transcriptional reprogramming in anthers triggered mainly by disturbed jasmonic acid(JA)homeostasis.An increased level of JA appeared in Zm Ms33-deficient anthers at both meiotic and postmeiotic stages and activated genes involved in JA biosynthesis and signaling as well as genes functioning in JA-mediated drought response.Excessive accumulation of JA elevated expression level of a gene encoding a WRKY transcription factor that activated the Zm Ms33 promoter.These findings reveal a feedback loop of Zm Ms33-JA-WRKY-Zm Ms33 in controlling male sterility and JA-mediated stress response in maize,shedding light on the crosstalk of stress response and male sterility mediated by phytohormone homeostasis and signaling.

The Relationship of Methyl Jasmonate Enhanced Powdery Mildew Resistance in Wheat and the Expressions of 9 Disease Resistance Related Genes

[Objective] This study was carried out to determine the induction effect of jasmonic acid（JA）on powdery mildew resistance in wheat,the activation effect on the expressions of plant disease resistance related genes,and to investigate the relationship between the induced resistance and the gene expression patterns.[Method] Three powdery mildew susceptible cultivars of ＂Chinese Spring＂,＂Pumai 9＂ and ＂Zhoumai 18＂ typically representing different phenotypes in the field were employed.The powdery mildew was assessed by detached leaf assay,and real time quantitative RT-PCR was used to determine the expression patterns of 9 disease resistance related genes of PR1（PR1.1）,PR2（β,1-3 glucanase）,PR3（chitinase）,PR4（wheatwin1）,PR5（thaumatin-like protein）,PR9（TaPERO,peroxidase）,PR10,TaGLP2a（germin-like）and Ta-JA2（jasmonate-induced protein）in leaf of the three cultivars.[Result] MeJA application enhanced the powdery mildew resistances of ＂Chinese Spring＂,＂Pumai 9＂ and ＂Zhoumai 18＂.The induced powdery mildew resistance could be detected from 12 h to 96 h after MeJA treatment,and the peak value was at 24 h.Though there were differences between the three cultivars,MeJA significantly effect on the expressions of the 8 disease resistance related genes except TaGLP2a,and the peak values were at 12 h,24 h or 48 h after treatments.The strongest activation of MeJA was on PR9 and PR1 that their expressions could reach more than 100 times of the untreated samples.MeJA strongly activated PR2、PR4、PR5、PR3、PR10 and Ta-JA2,their expression could reach 10 to 70 times,and there was almost no activation effect on TaGLP2a.The induced powdery mildew resistance positively correlated with the induced expressions of the 8 disease related genes.[Conclusion] The induced powdery mildew resistance positively correlated with the induced expressions of the disease related genes.Jasmonate signalling plays a role in defence against Blumeria graminis f.sp.tritici.and future manipulation of this pathway may improve powdery mildew resistance in wheat.

Localized Effects of Mechanical Wounding and Exogenous Jasmonic Acid on the Induction of Secondary Laticifer Differentiation in Relation to the Distribution of Jasmonic Acid in Hevea brasiliensis

The relationship between the effect of exogenous jasmonic acid (JA) on the induction of secondary laticifer differentiation and the distribution of JA in the seedling of Hevea brasiliensis Mull. Arg. was investigated with the aid of experimental morphological and radioisotope technique. Most radioactivity of H-3-JA sustained in treated site within one hour while no radioactivity was detected in new shoot and the radioactivity in upper leaf was much less than that in the parts below the treated site, suggesting that JA was mainly transported downwards in the shoot of H brasiliensis. Mechanical wounding hindered the entrance of exogenous JA remarkably while held back the entered JA to the regions around wounded site. The effect of exogenous JA and mechanical wounding on the induction of the secondary laticifer differentiation was limited to treated site where high level of JA was expected. Mechanical wounding reduced the effect of exogenous JA on the differentiation of secondary laticifer, which could be ascribed to the hindrance of mechanical wounding to the entrance of exogenous JA. It was concluded from the combined data that a high accumulation of JA was required for inducing the secondary laticifer differentiation in H. brasiliensis.

Effect of Jasmonic Acid on Lateral Root Formation in Rice Seedling

实验材料为水稻 (OryzasativaL .)栽培品种“IR8”(国际水稻所 8号 )及其少侧根突变体MT10。将 2d水稻幼苗种子根全部浸入 0 .0 16～ 5 0 μmol/L茉莉酸 (JA)溶液处理 2d ,结果表明JA显著抑制种子根的伸长 ,其抑制程度与JA浓度成正比。不高于 2 μmol/L的JA显著促进侧根的发生 ,每cm的侧根数目随浓度的增加而增加 ,最多可增加到原来的 16 8% (“IR8”)和 2 85 % (MT10 )。 10 μmol/L的JA仍促进处理过程中和处理后生成根区段的侧根数目的增加 ,但明显抑制处理前生成根区段侧根的发生 。

Effect of Localized Scorch on the Transport and Distribution of Exogenous Jasmonic Acid in Vicia faba

Exogenous jasmonic acid (JA) has been showed to be able to induce stomatal closure in Vicia faba L. in previous investigations. The transport and distribution of 3H-JA affected by localized scorch on V. faba seedling were studied with radioisotope technique. The results showed that 3H-JA could be transported up or down at the rate of 4-5 cm·min -1 following feeding into root or shoot tip. The transport of 3H-JA in shoot reached a relative stable rate at 30 min after being fed through root. Wounding by scorch in the youngest leaf caused an increase in the transport of 3H-JA from root to shoot and enhanced the distribution of 3H-JA in the wounded leaf. However, distribution of 3H-JA in unwounded leaves increased after 5 h being fed through the youngest leaf. It was noticed that wounding improved accumulation of 3H-JA in abaxial epidermis. Consistent results were obtained: wounding prevented transport of 3H-JA out from the youngest leaf to root; These observations suggest that JA plays an important role as a defense signal and might be involved in the regulation of the stomatal movement in response to wounding stress.

Research on Expression of LeWRKY1 in Tomato Induced by Jasmonic Acid and Other Two Factors

[Objective]The aim was to explore the molecular mechanism of plant resistance to various stress response.[Method]The expression of LeWRKY1 in tomato seedlings under treatment with B.cinerea,exogenous JA and SA were explored by real time quantitative RT-PCR technology.[Result]JA induced the expression of LeWRKY1,but SA did not.LeWRKY1 expression was up-regulated under B.cinerea infection.[Conclusion]LeWRKY1 might be involved in the tomato defense response to B.cinerea through JA dependent but SA independent signal pathway.

Basal defense is enhanced in a wheat cultivar resistant to Fusarium head blight

Fusarium head blight(FHB),mainly caused by the fungal pathogen Fusarium graminearum,is one of the most destructive wheat diseases.Besides directly affecting the yield,the mycotoxin residing in the kernel greatly threatens the health of humans and livestock.Xinong 979(XN979)is a widely cultivated wheat elite with high yield and FHB resistance.However,its resistance mechanism remains unclear.In this study,we studied the expression of genes involved in plant defense in XN979 by comparative transcriptomics.We found that the FHB resistance in XN979 consists of two lines of defense.The first line of defense,which is constitutive,is knitted via the enhanced basal expression of lignin and jasmonic acid(JA)biosynthesis genes.The second line of defense,which is induced upon F.graminearum infection,is contributed by the limited suppression of photosynthesis and the struggle of biotic stress-responding genes.Meanwhile,the effective defense in XN979 leads to an inhibition of fungal gene expression,especially in the early infection stage.The formation of the FHB resistance in XN979 may coincide with the breeding strategies,such as selecting high grain yield and lodging resistance traits.This study will facilitate our understanding of wheat-F.graminearum interaction and is insightful for breeding FHB-resistant wheat.

Rice gene OsUGT75A regulates seedling emergence under deep-sowing conditions

Poor seedling emergence is a challenge for direct seeding of rice under deep-sowing field conditions.Here we reveal that UDP-glucosyltransferase OsUGT75A promotes rice seedling emergence under deepsowing conditions by increasing shoot length.Expression of OsUGT75A was higher in the middle regions of the shoot and in shoots under deep-sowing conditions.Levels of free abscisic acid(ABA)and jasmonates(JA)were higher in shoots of OsUGT75A mutants than in those of wild-type plants,and OsUGT75A mutants were more sensitive to ABA and JA treatments.Reduced shoot length was attributed to higher ABA INSENSITIVE 3(OsABI3)expression and lower JASMONATE-ZIM domain protein(OsJAZ)expression in shoots.Shoot extension by OsUGT75A is achieved mainly by promotion of cell elongation.An elite haplotype of OsUGT75A associated with increased shoot length was identified among indica rice accessions.OsUGT75A acts to increase seedling emergence under deep-sowing conditions.

JA-mediated MYC2/LOX/AOS feedback loop regulates osmotic stress response in tea plant

Osmotic stress caused by low-temperature,drought and salinity was a prevalent abiotic stress in plant that severely inhibited plant development and agricultural yield,particularly in tea plant.Jasmonic acid(JA)is an important phytohormone involving in plant stress.However,underlying molecular mechanisms of JA modulated osmotic stress response remains unclear.In this study,high concentration of mannitol induced JA accumulation and increase of peroxidase activity in tea plant.Integrated transcriptome mined a JA signaling master,MYC2 transcription factor is shown as a hub regulator that induced by mannitol,expression of which positively correlated with JA biosynthetic genes(LOX and AOS)and peroxidase genes(PER).CsMYC2 was determined as a nuclei-localized transcription activator,furthermore,ProteinDNA interaction analysis indicated that CsMYC2 was positive regulator that activated the transcription of CsLOX7,CsAOS2,CsPER1 and CsPER3via bound with their promoters,respectively.Suppression of CsMYC2 expression resulted in a reduced JA content and peroxidase activity and osmotic stress tolerance of tea plant.Overexpression of CsMYC2 in Arabidopsis improved JA content,peroxidase activity and plants tolerance against mannitol stress.Together,we proposed a positive feedback loop mediated by CsMYC2,CsLOX7 and CsAOS2 which constituted to increase the tolerance of osmotic stress through fine-tuning the accumulation of JA levels and increase of POD activity in tea plant.

Differences between two wheat genotypes in the development of floret primordia and contents of pigments and hormones

Promoting more floret primordia within a spike to acquire fertile potential during the differentiation and pre-dimorphism phases is critical for increasing the number of fertile florets per spike(NFFs).However,it is yet unknown the physiological mechanism regulating the complex and dynamic process.This study aimed to clarify how intra-spike hormones,pigments,and assimilates coordinate with each other to regulate spike morphology and then floret primordia development.A two-year field experiment was conducted with two winter wheat genotypes:N50(big-spike with greater NFFs)and SM22(mediumspike with fewer NFFs).We monitored high temporal and spatial-resolution changes in the number and morphology of floret primordia within a spike,as well as in intra-spike hormones,pigments,and assimilates.Our results revealed that the big-spike genotype had more NFFs than the medium-spike genotype,not only because they had more spikelets,but also because they had greater NFFs mainly at central spikelets.More floret primordia at central spikelets had sufficient time to develop and acquire fertile potential during the differentiation phase(167-176 d after sowing,DAS)and the pre-dimorphism phase(179 DAS)for the big-spike genotype than the medium-spike genotype.Floret primordia with fertile morphology during the pre-dimorphism phase always developed into fertile florets during the dimorphism phase.Those early-developed floret primordia most proximal and intermediate to the rachis in the big-spike genotype developed faster than the medium-spike genotype.Correspondingly,the spike dry matter and pigments(chlorophyll a,chlorophyll b,carotene,and carotenoids)content during 170-182 DAS,auxin(IAA)and cytokinin(CTK)content on 167 DAS were significantly higher in the big-spike genotype than in the medium-spike genotype,while jasmonic acid(JA)content was significantly lower in the big-spike genotype compared to the medium-spike genotype during 167-182 DAS.Since the significant differences in intra-spike hormone content of the two genotypes appear earlier than those in dry matter and pigments,we propose a possible model that helped the N50 genotype(big-spike)to form more fertile florets,taking the intra-spike hormone content as a signaling molecule induced assimilates and pigments synthesis,which accelerated the development of more floret primordia during the differentiation phase and then acquired fertile potential during the pre-dimorphism phase,finally improved the NFFs.Our high temporal and spatial-resolution analysis provides an accurate time window for precision cultivation and effective physiological breeding to improve the number of fertile florets in wheat.

Plant Chemical Defenses against Insect Herbivores—Using theWild Tobacco as a Model

The Nicotiana genus, commonly known as tobacco, holds significant importance as a crucial economic crop. Confrontedwith an abundance of herbivorous insects that pose a substantial threat to yield, tobacco has developed adiverse and sophisticated array of mechanisms, establishing itself as a model of plant ecological defense. Thisreview provides a concise overview of the current understanding of tobacco’s defense strategies against herbivores.Direct defenses, exemplified by its well-known tactic of secreting the alkaloid nicotine, serve as a potent toxinagainst a broad spectrum of herbivorous pests. Moreover, in response to herbivore attacks, tobacco enhancesthe discharge of volatile compounds, harnessing an indirect strategy that attracts the predators of the herbivores.The delicate balance between defense and growth leads to the initiation of most defense strategies only after aherbivore attack. Among plant hormones, notably jasmonic acid (JA), play central roles in coordinating thesedefense processes. JA signaling interacts with other plant hormone signaling pathways to facilitate the extensivetranscriptional and metabolic adjustments in plants following herbivore assault. By shedding light on these ecologicaldefense strategies, this review emphasizes not only tobacco’s remarkable adaptability in its natural habitatbut also offers insights beneficial for enhancing the resilience of current crops.

Effects of Calcium and Jasmonic Acid on CBF Expression in Spinach

[Objective] This experiment aimed to evaluate the effects of calcium and Jasmonic acid（JA） on the expression of CBF in spinach. [Methods] The seedlings of spinach were treated with low temperature （4 ℃）, JA or A23187, then used for detecting the expression of CBF by northern blotting. [Results] The results showed that the CBF expression was regulated by low temperature and JA positively. [Conclusions] Low temperature may increase the JA content of the cell firstly, then JA induced the increase of cytosolic calcium concentration （[Ca2＋]cyt）, and the JA induced Ca2＋ transmitted the low temperature signal through CaM or CaM related proteins, regulating the CBF expression.

IP_3 Sensitive Calcium Channel Involved in the Jasmonic Acid Induced Calcium Mobilization

[Objective] This study was to investigate the role of IP3 sensitive calcium channel in the JA-induced calcium mobilization pathway.[Method] Arabidopsis thaliana leaves were labeled by Fluorescent probe Fluo-3/AM under low temperature at 4 ℃ to measure the fluorescent intensity of intracellular Ca2＋ which was pretreated with heparin on jasmonic acid（JA）-induced.[Results] When A.thaliana leaf cells were pretreated with 10,50 or 100 ng/ml heparin,intercellular free Ca2＋ fluorescence intensity was reduced in comparison with negative control.Once the heparin-pretreated A.thaliana leaf cells were stimulated with 100 μmol/L JA,intercellular Ca2＋ fluorescence intensity increased gradually and tended to be stable at a degree equivalent with that in negative control.[Conclusion] The experiment showed that the pretreatment with heparin could inhibit the increase of the intracellular Ca2＋ concentration significantly which JA-induced in leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana.

Role of the Arabidopsis thafiana NAC transcription factors ANAC019 and ANAC055 in regulating jasmonic acid-signaled defense responses

Jasmonic acid （JA） is an important phytohormone that regulates plant defense responses against herbivore attack, pathogen infection and mechanical wounding. In this report, we provided biochemical and genetic evidence to show that the Arabidopsis thaliana NAC family proteins ANAC019 and ANAC055 might function as transcription activators to regulate JA-induced expression of defense genes. The role of the two NAC genes in JA signaling was examined with the anacO19 anac055 double mutant and with transgenic plants overexpressing ANACO19 or ANAC055. The anacO19 anac055 double mutant plants showed attenuated JA-induced VEGETATIVE STORAGE PROTEIN1 （VSP1） and LIPOXYGENASE2 （LOX2） expression, whereas transgenic plants overexpressing the two NAC genes showed enhanced JA-induced VSP1 and LOX2 expression. That the JA-induced expression of the two NAC genes depends on the function of COIl and AtMYC2, together with the finding that overexpression of ANACO19 partially rescued the JA-related phenotype of the atmyc2-2 mutant, has led us to a hypothesis that the two NAC proteins act downstream of AtMYC2 to regulate JA-signaled defense responses. Further evidence to substantiate this idea comes from the observation that the response of the anacO19 anac055 double mutant to a necrotrophic fungus showed high similarity to that of the atmyc2-2 mutant.