Sheng Yang He
Duke University
Sheng-Yang He is Benjamin E. Powell Distinguished Professor of Biology at Duke University and an Investigator at Howard Hughes Medical institute. His lab is interested in elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying plant-microbe interactions. Results from his lab have led to foundational insights into processes that govern bacterial pathogenesis, plant immunity, plant hormone signaling and the immune function of plant stomata. Recent research in his lab begins to shed light on how climate conditions influence infectious diseases and how plants regulate microbiota to prevent dysbiosis. Dr. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Zhejiang University (Agricultural campus), China, and a PhD degree from Cornell University, USA. He is a Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher, a Past-President of the International Society of Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, an editorial board member of Current Biology and PNAS, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences.
Sheng-Yang He is now unable to attend the symposium in person, and his co-author Li Zhang will present his planned talk on Role of stomata in plant-microbiota interaction.
Title of presentation
The TRICHOME BIREFRINGENCE gene is required for Arabidopsis stomatal defense
Authors
Li Zhang, Brad C. Paasch, Yu Ti Cheng, Sheng Yang He
School of Biology & Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, China; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Duke University, USA; Department of Biology, Duke University, USA
Abstract
Plants reduce stomatal aperture as an innate immune response to restrict foliar pathogen infection into the leaf apoplastic space. Highly evolved pathogens produce virulence factors, such as coronatine from Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000, to counteract stomatal and/or apoplastic defenses. In a previous genetic screen, we isolated eight Arabidopsis susceptible to coronatine-deficient Pst DC3000 (scord) mutants, which exhibit defects in either stomatal defense, apoplast defense or both. Among them, the scord7 mutant is specifically compromised in stomatal defense. In this study, we cloned the SCORD7/ TRICHOME BIREFRINGENCE (TBR) gene. The scord7 and tbr-1 mutants showed similar phenotypes in plant morphological and anatomic features and immunity, including loss of trichome bi-refringence and compromised stomatal defense. Several TBR-LIKE (TBL) family proteins are associated with cell wall polymer O-acetylation. Characterization of additional mutants defective in O-acetylation of cell wall components further implicated a link between cell wall O-acetylation and stomatal defense. Interestingly, although the scord7 mutant as well as other stomatal defense mutants maintain a normal level of endophytic and total phyllosphere microbiota comparing to wild-type plants, compositional differences were detected between the mutants and wild-type plants, indicating that stomata may contribute to the final composition of endophytic leaf microbiota.
Poster number: P20