OsWRKY114 Is a Player in Rice Immunity against Fusarium fujikuroi

Abstract

Every year, invasive pathogens cause significant damage to crops. Thus, identifying genes conferring broad-spectrum resistance to invading pathogens is critical for plant breeding. We previously demonstrated that OsWRKY114 contributes to rice (Oryza sativa L.) immunity against the bacterial pathovar Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). However, it is not known whether OsWRKY114 is involved in defense responses to other pathogens. In this study, we revealed that OsWRKY114 enhances innate immunity in rice against the fungal pathogen Fusarium fujikuroi, which is the causal agent of bakanae disease. Transcript levels of various gibberellin-related genes that are required for plant susceptibility to F. fujikuroi were reduced in rice plants overexpressing OsWRKY114. Analysis of disease symptoms revealed increased innate immunity against F. fujikuroi in OsWRKY114-overexpressing rice plants. Moreover, the expression levels of OsJAZ genes, which encode negative regulators of jasmonic acid signaling that confer immunity against F. fujikuroi, were reduced in OsWRKY114-overexpressing rice plants. These results indicate that OsWRKY114 confers broad-spectrum resistance not only to Xoo but also to F. fujikuroi. Our findings provide a basis for developing strategies to mitigate pathogen attack and improve crop resilience to biotic stress.