Fitness Costs of Mutations Affecting the Systemic Acquired Resistance Pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana

• DOI: 10.1534/genetics.104.032193
• Publication Date: 2004-12-20T17:12:40Z
• Authors: Andrew J Heidel; Joseph D Clarke; Janis Antonovics; Xinnian Dong
• Keywords: Systemic Acquired Resistance

This study investigated the fitness effects of four mutations (npr1, cpr1, cpr5, and cpr6) two transgenic genotypes (NPR1-L NPR1-H) affecting different points systemic acquired resistance (SAR) signaling pathway associated with pathogen defense in Arabidopsis thaliana. The npr1 mutation, which resulted a failure to express SAR, had no effect on under growth chamber conditions, but decreased field. expression NPR1 positively correlated Constitutive activation SAR by cpr6 generally field nutrient levels conditions. At low-nutrient levels, differences between wild type constitutive mutants were unchanged or reduced (especially cpr5). suggests that this is costly, precise consequences highly dependent environmental context.