AUTHOR=Lawaju Bisho Ram , Niraula Prakash , Lawrence Gary W. , Lawrence Kathy S. , Klink Vincent P. 

TITLE=The Glycine max Conserved Oligomeric Golgi (COG) Complex Functions During a Defense Response to Heterodera glycines

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2020.564495

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2020.564495

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>The conserved oligomeric Golgi (COG) complex, functioning in retrograde trafficking, is a universal structure present among eukaryotes that maintains the correct Golgi structure and function. The COG complex is composed of eight subunits coalescing into two sub-complexes. COGs1–4 compose Sub-complex A. COGs5–8 compose Sub-complex B. The observation that COG interacts with the syntaxins, suppressors of the erd2-deletion 5 (Sed5p), is noteworthy because Sed5p also interacts with Sec17p [alpha soluble NSF attachment protein (α-SNAP)]. The α-SNAP gene is located within the major <italic>Heterodera glycines</italic> [soybean cyst nematode (SCN)] resistance locus (<italic>rhg1</italic>) and functions in resistance. The study presented here provides a functional analysis of the <italic>Glycine max</italic> COG complex. The analysis has identified two paralogs of each COG gene. Functional transgenic studies demonstrate at least one paralog of each COG gene family functions in <italic>G. max</italic> during <italic>H. glycines</italic> resistance. Furthermore, treatment of <italic>G. max</italic> with the bacterial effector harpin, known to function in effector triggered immunity (ETI), leads to the induced transcription of at least one member of each COG gene family that has a role in <italic>H. glycines</italic> resistance. In some instances, altered COG gene expression changes the relative transcript abundance of syntaxin 31. These results indicate that the <italic>G. max</italic> COG complex functions through processes involving ETI leading to <italic>H. glycines</italic> resistance.</p>