Salicylic acid and jasmonic acid biosynthetic pathways are simultaneously activated in transgenic Arabidopsis expressing the rolB/C gene from Ipomoea batatas

• DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.108521
• Publication Date: 2024-03-11T17:20:17Z
• Authors: Y.N. Shkryl; E.A. Vasyutkina; T.V. Gorpenchenko; A.A. Mironova; T.V. Rusapetova; P.V. Velansky; V.P. Bulgakov; Y.A. Yugay

The Agrobacterium rhizogenes root oncogenic locus (rol) genes interfere with hormone balance by altering their synthesis and/or recognition, giving rise to varied impacts on the physiological characteristics of plants and cell cultures. The homolog of the rolB and rolC genes from Ipomoea batatas, named Ib-rolB/C, similarly induces morphological and physiological alterations in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana; however, its role in plant hormonal homeostasis has not been previously defined. In this study, we found that external application of salicylic acid (SA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) significantly upregulated Ib-rolB/C in detached I. batatas leaves. Furthermore, heterologous expression of Ib-rolB/C in A. thaliana markedly enhanced the accumulation of SA and MeJA, and to a lesser extent, elevated abscisic acid (ABA) levels, through the modulation of genes specific to hormone biosynthesis. Even though the RolB/RolC homolog protein has a notable structural resemblance to the RolB protein from A. rhizogenes, it exhibits a distinct localization pattern, predominantly residing in the cytoplasm and certain discrete subcellular structures, instead of the nucleus. Consequently, the functions of RolB/RolC in both naturally and artificially transgenic plants are linked to changes in the hormonal state of the cells, though the underlying signaling pathways remain to be elucidated.