NAC (NAM, ATAF and CUC) transcriptional factors constitute a large family with more than 150 members in rice and several members of this family have been demonstrated to play crucial roles in rice abiotic stress response. In the present study, we report the function of a novel stress-responsive NAC gene, ONAC066, in rice drought and oxidative stress tolerance. ONAC066 was localized in nuclei of cells when transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana and is a transcription activator with the binding ability to NAC recognition sequence (NACRS) and AtJUB1 binding site (JBS). Expression of ONAC066 was significantly induced by PEG, NaCl, H2O2 and abscisic acid (ABA). Overexpression of ONAC066 in transgenic rice improved drought and oxidative stress tolerance and increased ABA sensitivity, accompanied with decreased rate of water loss, increased contents of proline and soluble sugars, decreased accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and upregulated expression of stress-related genes under drought stress condition. By contrast, RNAi-mediated suppression of ONAC066 attenuated drought and oxidative stress tolerance and decreased ABA sensitivity, accompanied with increased rate of water loss, decreased contents of proline and soluble sugars, elevated accumulation of ROS and downregulated expression of stress-related genes under drought stress condition. Furthermore, yeast one hybrid and chromatin immunoprecipitation-PCR analyses revealed that ONAC066 bound directly to a JBS-like cis-elements in OsDREB2A promoter and activated the transcription of OsDREB2A. ONAC066 is a nucleus-localized transcription activator that can respond to multiple abiotic stress factors. Functional analyses using overexpression and RNAi-mediated suppression transgenic lines demonstrate that ONAC066 is a positive regulator of drought and oxidative stress tolerance in rice.

Plants host diverse but taxonomically structured communities of microorganisms, called microbiome, which colonize various parts of host plants. Plant-associated microbial communities have been shown to confer multiple beneficial advantages to their host plants, such as nutrient acquisition, growth promotion, pathogen resistance, and environmental stress tolerance. Systematic studies have provided new insights into the economically and ecologically important microbial communities as hubs of core microbiota and revealed their beneficial impacts on the host plants. Microbiome engineering, which can improve the functional capabilities of native microbial species under challenging agricultural ambiance, is an emerging biotechnological strategy to improve crop yield and resilience against variety of environmental constraints of both biotic and abiotic nature. This review highlights the importance of indigenous microbial communities in improving plant health under pathogen-induced stress. Moreover, the potential solutions leading towards commercialization of proficient bioformulations for sustainable and improved crop production are also described.

NADPH oxidases (also known as respiratory burst oxidase homologues, Rbohs) are the enzymes that catalyze the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plants. In the present study, eight SlRboh genes were identified in tomato and their possible involvement in resistance to Botrytis cinerea and drought tolerance was examined. Expression of SlRbohs was induced by B. cinerea and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato but displayed distinct patterns. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS)-based silencing of SlRbohB resulted in reduced resistance to B. cinerea but silencing of each of other SlRbohs did not affect the resistance. The SlRbohB-silenced plants accumulated more ROS and attenuated expression of defense genes after infection of B. cinerea than the nonsilenced plants. Silencing of SlRbohB also suppressed flg22-induced ROS burst and the expression of SlLrr22, a marker gene related to PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI). Transient expression of SlRbohB in Nicotiana benthamiana led to enhanced resistance to B. cinerea. Furthermore, silencing of SlRbohB resulted in decreased drought tolerance, accelerated water loss in leaves and altered expression of drought-responsive genes. Our data demonstrate that SlRbohB positively regulates the resistance to B. cinerea, flg22-induced PTI and drought tolerance in tomato.

The SR/CAMTA proteins represent a small family of transcription activators that play important roles in plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Seven SlSR/CAMTA genes were identified in tomato as tomato counterparts of SR/CAMTA; however, the involvement of SlSRs/CAMTAs in biotic and abiotic stress responses is not clear. In this study, we performed functional analysis of the SlSR/CAMTA family for their possible functions in defense response against pathogens and tolerance to drought stress. Expression of SlSRs was induced with distinct patterns by Botrytis cinerea and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS)-based knockdown of either SlSR1 or SlSR3L in tomato resulted in enhanced resistance to B. cinerea and Pst DC3000 and led to constitutive accumulation of H2O2, elevated expression of defense genes, marker genes for pathogen-associated molecular pattern-triggered immunity, and regulatory genes involved in the salicylic acid- and ethylene-mediated signaling pathways. Furthermore, the expression of SlSR1L and SlSR2L in detached leaves and whole plants was significantly induced by drought stress. Silencing of SlSR1L led to decreased drought stress tolerance, accelerated water loss in leaves, reduced root biomass and attenuated expression of drought stress responsive genes in tomato. The SlSR1 and SlSR3L proteins were localized in the nucleus of plant cells when transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana and had transcriptional activation activity in yeast. VIGS-based functional analyses demonstrate that both SlSR1 and SlSR3L in the tomato SlSR/CAMTA family are negative regulators of defense response against B. cinerea and Pst DC3000 while SlSR1L is a positive regulator of drought stress tolerance in tomato.

Histone H2B monoubiquitination pathway has been shown to play critical roles in regulating growth/development and stress response in Arabidopsis. In the present study, we explored the involvement of the tomato histone H2B monoubiquitination pathway in defense response against Botrytis cinerea by functional analysis of SlHUB1 and SlHUB2, orthologues of the Arabidopsis AtHUB1/AtHUB2. We used the TRV-based gene silencing system to knockdown the expression levels of SlHUB1 or SlHUB2 in tomato plants and compared the phenotype between the silenced and the control plants after infection with B. cinerea and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000. Biochemical and interaction properties of proteins were examined using in vitro histone monoubiquitination and yeast two-hybrid assays, respectively. The transcript levels of genes were analyzed by quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR). The tomato SlHUB1 and SlHUB2 had H2B monoubiquitination E3 ligases activity in vitro and expression of SlHUB1 and SlHUB2 was induced by infection of B. cinerea and Pst DC3000 and by treatment with salicylic acid (SA) and 1-amino cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC). Silencing of either SlHUB1 or SlHUB2 in tomato plants showed increased susceptibility to B. cinerea, whereas silencing of SlHUB1 resulted in increased resistance against Pst DC3000. SlMED21, a Mediator complex subunit, interacted with SlHUB1 but silencing of SlMED21 did not affect the disease resistance to B. cinerea and Pst DC3000. The SlHUB1- and SlHUB2-silenced plants had thinner cell wall but increased accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), increased callose deposition and exhibited altered expression of the genes involved in phenylpropanoid pathway and in ROS generation and scavenging system. Expression of genes in the SA-mediated signaling pathway was significantly upregulated, whereas expression of genes in the jasmonic acid (JA)/ethylene (ET)-mediated signaling pathway were markedly decreased in SlHUB1- and SlHUB2-silenced plants after infection of B. cinerea. VIGS-based functional analyses demonstrate that both SlHUB1 and SlHUB2 contribute to resistance against B. cinerea most likely through modulating the balance between the SA- and JA/ET-mediated signaling pathways.

NAC (NAM/ATAF/CUC) transcription factors comprise a large plant-specific gene family that contains more than 149 members in rice. Extensive studies have revealed that NAC transcription factors not only play important roles in plant growth and development, but also have functions in regulation of responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, biological functions for most of the members in the NAC family remain unknown. In this study, microarray data analyses revealed that a total of 63 ONAC genes exhibited overlapping expression patterns in rice under various abiotic (salt, drought, and cold) and biotic (infection by fungal, bacterial, viral pathogens, and parasitic plants) stresses. Thirty-eight ONAC genes exhibited overlapping expression in response to any two abiotic stresses, among which 16 of 30 selected ONAC genes were upregulated in response to exogenous ABA. Sixty-five ONAC genes showed overlapping expression patterns in response to any two biotic stresses. Results from the present study suggested that members of the ONAC genes with overlapping expression pattern may have pleiotropic biological functions in regulation of defense response against different abiotic and biotic stresses, which provide clues for further functional analysis of the ONAC genes in stress tolerance and pathogen resistance.