AUTHOR=Khatri Rishi , Pant Shankar R. , Sharma Keshav , Niraula Prakash M. , Lawaju Bisho R. , Lawrence Kathy S. , Alkharouf Nadim W. , Klink Vincent P. 

TITLE=Glycine max Homologs of DOESN'T MAKE INFECTIONS 1, 2, and 3 Function to Impair Heterodera glycines Parasitism While Also Regulating Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase Expression

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.842597

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2022.842597

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Glycine max</italic> root cells developing into syncytia through the parasitic activities of the pathogenic nematode <italic>Heterodera glycines</italic> underwent isolation by laser microdissection (LM). Microarray analyses have identified the expression of a <italic>G. max DOESN'T MAKE INFECTIONS3</italic> (<italic>DMI3</italic>) homolog in syncytia undergoing parasitism but during a defense response. <italic>DMI3</italic> encodes part of the common symbiosis pathway (CSP) involving <italic>DMI1, DMI2</italic>, and other CSP genes. The identified <italic>DMI</italic> gene expression, and symbiosis role, suggests the possible existence of commonalities between symbiosis and defense. <italic>G. max</italic> has 3 <italic>DMI1</italic>, 12 <italic>DMI2</italic>, and 2 <italic>DMI3</italic> paralogs. LM-assisted gene expression experiments of isolated syncytia under further examination here show <italic>G. max DMI1-3, DMI2-7</italic>, and <italic>DMI3-2</italic> expression occurring during the defense response in the <italic>H. glycines</italic>-resistant genotypes <italic>G</italic>.<italic>max</italic><sub>[Peking/PI548402]</sub> and <italic>G</italic>.<italic>max</italic><sub>[PI88788]</sub> indicating a broad and consistent level of expression of the genes. Transgenic overexpression (OE) of <italic>G. max DMI1-3, DMI2-7</italic>, and <italic>DMI3-2</italic> impairs <italic>H. glycines</italic> parasitism. RNA interference (RNAi) of <italic>G. max DMI1-3, DMI2-7</italic>, and <italic>DMI3-2</italic> increases <italic>H. glycines</italic> parasitism. The combined opposite outcomes reveal a defense function for these genes. Prior functional transgenic analyses of the 32-member <italic>G. max mitogen activated protein kinase</italic> (<italic>MAPK</italic>) gene family has determined that 9 of them act in the defense response to <italic>H. glycines</italic> parasitism, referred to as defense <italic>MAPK</italic>s. RNA-seq analyses of root RNA isolated from the 9 <italic>G. max</italic> defense <italic>MAPK</italic>s undergoing OE or RNAi reveal they alter the relative transcript abundances (RTAs) of specific <italic>DMI1, DMI2</italic>, and <italic>DMI3</italic> paralogs. In contrast, transgenically-manipulated <italic>DMI1-3, DMI2-7</italic>, and <italic>DMI3-2</italic> expression influences <italic>MAPK3-1</italic> and <italic>MAPK3-2</italic> RTAs under certain circumstances. The results show <italic>G. max</italic> homologs of the CSP, and defense pathway are linked, apparently involving co-regulated gene expression.</p>