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Response of Arabidopsis thaliana to N-hexanoyl-dl-homoserine-lactone, a bacterial quorum sensing molecule produced in the rhizosphere

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Abstract

The bacterial quorum sensing signals N-acyl-l-homoserine lactones enable bacterial cells to regulate gene expression depending on population density, in order to undertake collective actions such as the infection of host cells. Only little is known about the molecular ways of plants reacting to these bacterial signals. In this study we show that the contact of Arabidopsis thaliana roots with N-hexanoyl-dl-homoserine-lactone (C6-HSL) resulted in distinct transcriptional changes in roots and shoots, respectively. Interestingly, unlike most other bacterial signals, C6-HSL influenced only a few defense-related transcripts. Instead, several genes associated with cell growth as well as genes regulated by growth hormones showed changes in their expression after C6-HSL treatment. C6-HSL did not induce plant systemic resistance against Pseudomonas syringae. The inoculation of roots with different types of AHLs led predominantly for short chain N-butyryl-dl-homoserine lactone and C6-HSL to root elongation. Determination of plant hormone concentrations in root and shoot tissues supported alterations of auxin to cytokinin ratio. Finally, we provide evidence that Arabidopsis takes up bacterial C6-HSL and allows systemic distribution throughout the plant. In sum, the bacterial quorum sensing signal C6-HSL does induce transcriptional changes in Arabidopsis and may contribute to tuning plant growth to the microbial composition of the rhizosphere.

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Abbreviations

AHL:

N-acyl-l-homoserine lactones

ARR:

Arabidopsis response regulators

C4-HSL:

N-butyryl-dl-HSL

C6-HSL:

N-hexanoyl-dl-HSL

C10-HSL:

N-decanoyl-dl-homoserine lactone

IAA:

Indole-3-acetic acid

3-Oxo-C12-HSL:

N-3-oxo-dodecanoyl homoserine lactone

PGPR:

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria

SA:

Salicylic acid

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Deutsche Forschungsgeeinschaft (IK, UvR, JD) and by the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic, project LC06034 (PID, JK, EZ). The authors thank Elke Mattes for excellent technical assistance and J. Malbeck for accomplishment of MS analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biochemical Plant Pathology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, 85764, Munich/Neuherberg, Germany

    Uta von Rad, Ilona Klein & Jörg Durner

  2. Institute of Experimental Botany ASCR, Rozvojova 135, 165 02, Prague 6, Czech Republic

    Petre I. Dobrev, Jana Kottova & Eva Zazimalova

  3. Institute of Ecological Chemistry, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, 85764, Munich/Neuherberg, Germany

    Agnes Fekete & Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin

  4. Department of Microbe-Plant-Interaction, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, 85764, Munich/Neuherberg, Germany

    Anton Hartmann

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  1. Uta von Rad
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  2. Ilona Klein
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  3. Petre I. Dobrev
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  9. Jörg Durner
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Correspondence to Jörg Durner.

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U. von Rad and I. Klein contributed equally.

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von Rad, U., Klein, I., Dobrev, P.I. et al. Response of Arabidopsis thaliana to N-hexanoyl-dl-homoserine-lactone, a bacterial quorum sensing molecule produced in the rhizosphere. Planta 229, 73–85 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-008-0811-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-008-0811-4

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