AUTHOR=Wang Ping , Sun Yun , Pei Yakun , Li Xiancai , Zhang Xueyan , Li Fuguang , Hou Yuxia 

TITLE=GhSNAP33, a t-SNARE Protein From Gossypium hirsutum, Mediates Resistance to Verticillium dahliae Infection and Tolerance to Drought Stress

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2018.00896

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2018.00896

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Soluble <italic>N</italic>-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins mediate membrane fusion and deliver cargo to specific cellular locations through vesicle trafficking. Synaptosome-associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP25) is a target membrane SNARE that drives exocytosis by fusing plasma and vesicular membranes. In this study, we isolated <italic>GhSNAP33</italic>, a gene from cotton (<italic>Gossypium hirsutum</italic>), encoding a SNAP25-type protein containing glutamine (Q)b- and Qc-SNARE motifs connected by a linker. <italic>GhSNAP33</italic> expression was induced by H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>, salicylic acid, abscisic acid, and polyethylene glycol 6000 treatment and <italic>Verticillium dahliae</italic> inoculation. Ectopic expression of <italic>GhSNAP33</italic> enhanced the tolerance of yeast cells to oxidative and osmotic stresses. Virus-induced gene silencing of <italic>GhSNAP33</italic> induced spontaneous cell death and reactive oxygen species accumulation in true leaves at a later stage of cotton development. <italic>GhSNAP33</italic>-deficient cotton was susceptible to <italic>V. dahliae</italic> infection, which resulted in severe wilt on leaves, an elevated disease index, enhanced vascular browning and thylose accumulation. Conversely, <italic>Arabidopsis</italic> plants overexpressing <italic>GhSNAP33</italic> showed significant resistance to <italic>V. dahliae</italic>, with reduced disease index and fungal biomass and elevated expression of <italic>PR1</italic> and <italic>PR5</italic>. Leaves from <italic>GhSNAP33</italic>-transgenic plants showed increased callose deposition and reduced mycelia growth. Moreover, <italic>GhSNAP33</italic> overexpression enhanced drought tolerance in <italic>Arabidopsis</italic>, accompanied with reduced water loss rate and enhanced expression of <italic>DERB2A</italic> and <italic>RD29A</italic> during dehydration. Thus, GhSNAP33 positively mediates plant defense against stress conditions and <italic>V. dahliae</italic> infection, rendering it a candidate for the generation of stress-resistant engineered cotton.</p>