Abstract
ER is the most multitalented compartment in plant cells. A wound-inducible organelle, which is derived from ER and designated ER body, was found in Arabidopsis. Wounding by insects induce many ER bodies in rosette leaves, which have no ER bodies under normal condition. In contrast, tender seedlings have a wide distribution of the ER bodies especially in all the epidermal cells. The NAI1 gene, which encodes a transcription factor that has a bHLH domain, regulates the development of ER bodies. A putative lectin was depressed in nai1 mutants, as a β-glucosidase (PYK10) was. A bHLH protein might play a role in the formation of ER bodies. The ER bodies play a role in a novel type of endomembrane system in the response of plant cells to wounding by insects and pathogens.
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