Εμπλοκή του ACC(1- Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid) στην άμυνα των φυτών εναντίων των παθογόνων των αδρομυκώσεων

Abstract

Fungal wilts are widespread and devastating diseases of a wide range of plant hosts. They cause serious economic losses and they are a major threat for many crops worldwide since at present there are no effective chemical agents available to limit the diseases once the plants get infected. The symptoms of these diseases are the result of the presence and activity of the causative pathogens in the xylem vessels of the plants. In this study, the involvement of ACC (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid), a precursor of ethylene biosynthesis in plants, was evaluated in defense responses of Arabidopsis thaliana plants to the fungal wilt pathogens Verticillium dahliae and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. raphani. Initially, pathogenicity experiments were performed in vitro to investigate the involvement of ACC in the interaction of A. thaliana plants with V. dahliae and F. oxysporum f. sp. raphani. Subsequently, pathogenicity experiments were carried out in planta with the same plant material and V. dahliae, where the plants were treated with ACC or AOA [2-(aminooxy)acetic acid, ACC synthase inhibitor]. The results from the pathogenesis experiments in planta showed that the plants treated with ACC exhibited reduced disease severity suggesting a possible involvement of ACC in plants defense against the fungal wilt pathogens.