Phytophthora elicitor PB90 induced apoptosis in suspension cultures of tobacco

The protein elicitor PB90 secreted by Phytophthora boehmeriae is an efficient elicitor inducing the hypersensitive response and systemic acquired resistance in tobacco plants. Here, we observed cell death in suspension-cultured cells of Nicotiana tabacum BY-2 with PB90 treatment using Trypan blue staining method. And this cell death could be suppressed by cycloheximide, an inhibitor of proteins synthesis, which implies that PB90-induced cell death was an active cell death process requiring new protein synthesis. DAPI staining revealed that PB90 induce rapid chromatin condensation, margination, apoptotic bodies' formation and DNA laddering, further TUNEL assay also observed the specific breakage of 3′-OH ends. All of the above common morphological characteristics indicated that PB90 induced apoptosis in suspension cultures of tobacco, suggesting that hypersensitive response induced by PB90 is an apoptotic process.

疫霉蛋白激发子PB90对病原菌生长与致病力的影响

激发子PB90是由棉疫病菌分泌的可诱发非寄主植物系统获得抗病性的一类新型蛋白激发子。本文就该激发子在棉疫病菌生长发育及致病过程中的作用进行了研究。采用胶体金标记发现该激发子主要分布在棉疫病菌的细胞壁上,该激发子可以分泌到细胞外;在离体条件下,PB90的多克隆抗体并不抑制棉疫病菌游动孢子的萌发和孢子萌发后形成菌落的能力,而且抗体包埋的游动孢子仍能激发非寄主植物烟草的过敏性坏死反应;但是,抗体的包埋处理可以使棉疫病菌的游动孢子丧失对棉花的致病力。结果表明,特异性存在于细胞壁上的疫霉蛋白激发子PB90是棉疫病菌的一种重要的毒性因子,在病菌对棉花的致病过程中具有重要作用;此外本研究结果还提示PB90并不是惟一能诱导非寄主烟草过敏性反应的棉疫病菌激发子,除了PB90之外,棉疫病菌还能产生其它的激发子诱导烟草的过敏性坏死反应。