Lipopolysaccharides elicit an oxidative burst as a component of the innate immune system in the seagrass Thalassia testudinum

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-1-2013

Abstract

This study represents the first report characterizing the biological effects of a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) immune modulator on a marine vascular plant. LPS was shown to serve as a strong elicitor of the early defense response in the subtropical seagrass Thalassia testudinum Banks ex König and was capable of inducing an oxidative burst identified at the single cell level. The formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), detected by a redox-sensitive fluorescent probe and luminol-based chemiluminescence, included a diphenyleneiodonium sensitive response, suggesting the involvement of an NADPH oxidase. A 900bp cDNA fragment coding for this enzyme was sequenced and found to encode a NAD binding pocket domain with extensive homology to the Arabidopsis thaliana rbohF (respiratory burst oxidase homolog) gene. The triggered release of ROS occurred at 20min post-elicitation and was dose-dependent, requiring a minimal threshold of 50μg/mL LPS. Pharmacological dissection of the early events preceding ROS emission indicated that the signal transduction chain of events involved extracellular alkalinization, G-proteins, phospholipase A2, as well as K+, Ca2+, and anion channels. Despite exclusively thriving in a marine environment, seagrasses contain ROS-generating machinery and signal transduction components that appear to be evolutionarily conserved with the well-characterized defense response systems found in terrestrial plants. © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS.

Publication Title

Plant Physiology and Biochemistry

Volume

70

First Page

295

Last Page

303

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1016/j.plaphy.2013.05.023

PubMed ID

23807482

ISSN

09819428

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