Abstract
Pseudomonas cichorii causes bacterial rot in lettuce, and apoptotic programmed cell death is closely associated with the disease development. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of lettuce-P.cichorii interaction, we have been isolated and analyzed P. cichorii-responsive genes (PcRG) from lettuce plants. In this report, we focused on PcRG4-5-2 gene, of which expression was strongly induced in lettuce leaves inoculated with P. cichorii. Deduced amino acid sequence of PcRG4-5-2 contained Plant AT-rich sequence and Zn-binding protein (PLATZ) motif. Then, we designated PcRG4-5-2 as Lactuca sativa PLATZ (LsPLATZ). Expression of LsPLATZgene was not induced by inoculation with Pectobacterium cartovora subsp. cartovora, P. syringae pv. syringae and P. syringae pv. phaseolicola. The expression was scarcely affected by the treatment with salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, and hydrogen peroxide. These results suggested thatLsPLATZ gene may regulate novel intracellular signaling pathway(s) and have important roles in development of bacterial rot disease in lettuce.
