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Isochorismate synthase is required to synthesize salicylic acid for plant defence

Nature volume 414, pages 562–565 (2001)Cite this article

A Corrigendum to this article was published on 30 May 2002

Abstract

Salicylic acid (SA) mediates plant defences against pathogens, accumulating in both infected and distal leaves in response to pathogen attack1,2,3,4,5. Pathogenesis-related gene expression and the synthesis of defensive compounds associated with both local and systemic acquired resistance (LAR and SAR) in plants require SA. In Arabidopsis, exogenous application of SA suffices to establish SAR, resulting in enhanced resistance to a variety of pathogens. However, despite its importance in plant defence against pathogens, SA biosynthesis is not well defined. Previous work has suggested that plants synthesize SA from phenylalanine6,7,8,9,10; however, SA could still be produced when this pathway was inhibited6,8, and the specific activity of radiolabelled SA in feeding experiments was often lower than expected7,8. Some bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa synthesize SA using isochorismate synthase (ICS) and pyruvate lyase11. Here we show, by cloning and characterizing an Arabidopsis defence-related gene (SID2) defined by mutation, that SA is synthesized from chorismate by means of ICS, and that SA made by this pathway is required for LAR and SAR responses.

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Figure 1: ICS1 is induced in response to pathogens.
Figure 2: SID2 encodes ICS1.
Figure 3: ICS1 mediates SA-dependent LAR and SAR defence responses.
Figure 4: Proposed salicylic acid biosynthetic pathways in plants.

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Acknowledgements

We thank S. Volko for RNA from leaves infected with Pseudomonas pathovar maculicola strain ES4326, C. Nawrath for the sid2-1 seeds, and D. Lee, J. Stone, J. Dangl and E. Meyerowitz for comments on drafts of the manuscript. This work was supported by a National Institutes of Health grant to F.M.A. and a National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program/USDA postdoctoral fellowship to M.C.W.

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Author notes

  1. Gang Wu

    Present address: Strong Systems, 1077 Lexington Street, Waltham, Massachusetts, 02452, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02115, Massachusetts

    Mary C. Wildermuth, Julia Dewdney & Frederick M. Ausubel

  2. Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, 02114, Massachusetts, USA

    Mary C. Wildermuth, Julia Dewdney & Frederick M. Ausubel

  3. Michtom School of Computer Science, Brandeis University, Waltham, 02254, Massachusetts, USA

    Gang Wu

Authors
  1. Mary C. Wildermuth
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  4. Frederick M. Ausubel
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Frederick M. Ausubel.

Supplementary information

Supplemental Figure 5

(JPG 23.48 KB)

Northern blot analysis of total RNA from Erysiphe-infected and uninfected leaves of wild type or mutant Arabidopsis plants. Duplicate samples are shown from a representative experiment. Each experiment was performed at least twice. Experiments were performed as described in Methods. ICS1/UBQ for npr1 averaged 1.5x of wild type for the experiment shown. In additional experiments, ICS1/UBQ for npr1 averaged >2x above wild type for each experiment. Note that PR1 was not detected in Erysiphe-infected leaves of sid2 or nahG plants, but low levels of PR1 were consistently observed in the npr1 mutant.

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Wildermuth, M., Dewdney, J., Wu, G. et al. Isochorismate synthase is required to synthesize salicylic acid for plant defence. Nature 414, 562–565 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35107108

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