AUTHOR=Hang Tianlu , Ling Xuezhi , He Cheng , Xie Shanshan , Jiang Haiyang , Ding Ting 

TITLE=Isolation of the ZmERS4 Gene From Maize and Its Functional Analysis in Transgenic Plants

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.632908

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2021.632908

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>A gene encoding a protein similar to ethylene receptor was isolated from maize (<italic>Zea mays</italic> L.), which was named as <italic>ZmERS4</italic>.The gene was 1,905 bp in length with an open reading frame that encoded a protein consisting of 634 amino acids. The homologous analysis showed that <italic>ZmERS4</italic> shared high similarity with the ethylene receptor protein, OsERS1, from rice (<italic>Oryza sativa</italic> L.). <italic>ZmERS4</italic> grouped into the ETR1 subfamily of ethylene receptors based on its conserved domain and phylogenetic status. Tissue-specific and induced expression analyses indicated that <italic>ZmERS4</italic> was differentially expressed in maize tissues, predominantly in the stems and leaves, and was induced by salicylic acid (SA). Overexpression of <italic>ZmERS4</italic> in <italic>Arabidopsis</italic> improved resistance against the bacterial pathogen, <italic>Pst</italic>DC3000, by inducing the expression of SA signaling-related genes. Moreover, treatment with flg22 induced the expression of the defense-related gene, <italic>PR1</italic>, in maize protoplasts that transiently expressed <italic>ZmERS4</italic>. Furthermore, the ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) analysis showed that the SA contents in <italic>ZmERS4</italic>-overexpressing <italic>Arabidopsis</italic> lines were significantly higher than the control lines. Additionally, the improved resistance of <italic>ZmERS4</italic>-overexpressing <italic>Arabidopsis</italic> against <italic>Pst</italic>DC3000 was blocked after pretreatment with the SA biosynthetic inhibitor, ABT. Based on the collective findings, we hypothesize that <italic>ZmERS4</italic> plays an important role in disease resistance through SA-mediated signaling pathways.</p>