1-Methyltryptophan Treatment Increases Defense-Related Proteins in the Apoplast of Tomato Plants

The activation of induced resistance in plants may enhance the production of defensive proteins to avoid the invasion of pathogens. In this way, the composition of the apoplastic fluid could represent an important layer of defense that plants can modify to avoid the attack. In this study, we performed a proteomic study of the apoplastic fluid from plants treated with the resistance inducer 1-methyltryptophan (1-MT) as well as infected with Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst). Our results showed that both the inoculation with Pst and the application of the inducer provoke changes in the proteomic composition in the apoplast enhancing the accumulation of proteins involved in plant defense. Finally, one of the identified proteins that are over-accumulated upon the treatment have been expressed in Escherichia coli and purified in order to test their antimicrobial effect. The result showed that the tested protein is able to reduce the growth of Pst in vitro. Taken together, in this work, we described the proteomic changes in the apoplast induced by the treatment and by the inoculation, as well as demonstrated that the proteins identified have a role in the plant protection.

Automated summary

The study demonstrates that the activation of induced resistance in plants leads to an increase in defensive proteins, altering the composition of the apoplastic fluid to enhance defense against pathogen invasion. Proteomic analysis showed changes in protein composition in the apoplast after treatment and infection, with identified proteins playing a role in plant protection. Additionally, one of the over-accumulated proteins showed antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato in vitro.