PLA2A gene from Arabidopsis thaliana in response to infection by Ustilago maydis

Abstract

In this work, U. maydis-Arabidopsis pathosystem was used to evaluate the PLP2A Arabidopsis gene roll in response to U. maydis infection. For this, both wild-type and pla2a mutant plants were inoculated with a haploid strain of U. maydis, and the progress of the infection was followed, results show that transcript plays an important role in the establishment of the infection being evident in the mutant plant compared to wild-type plants. On the other hand, the orthologous gene was found in corn, the natural host of U. maydis, with 69% identity to the AtPLA2A gene. The PLP2A gene expression was analyzed by RT-PCR assays and the results showed that this gene is induced from the first day after inoculation, the transcript increases as the infection progresses; this supports the theory that the transcript AtPLA2A is involved in the mechanisms of resistance and susceptibility to the pathogen. The use of Arabidopsis has made it possible to understand the defense responses in the plant and the pathogenic process of U. maydis, therefore, the results obtained can clarify the role of PLA2A in a comparative and integrative way in host and non-host plants of U. maydis.