Abstract
Rapid production of nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species, called NO burst and oxidative burst, respectively, is characterized during diverse physiological processes, such as resistance to biotic and abiotic stress, hormonal signaling and development. MAPK cascade is a major evolutionary conserved signaling pathway used to transduce extracellular stimuli into intracellular responses among eukaryotes. In this study, we investigated the roles of MEK2-WIPK/SIPK and cytokinesis-related NPK1-MEK1-NTF6 cascades in the regulation of NO and oxidative bursts in N. benthamiana. Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression and virus-induced gene silencing as gain and loss of function analyses, respectively, showed that MEK2-SIPK cascade controls the NbNOA1-mediated NO burst, and that MEK2-SIPK and NPK1-MEK1-NTF6 cascades regulate the NbRBOHB-dependent oxidative burst.
