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Expression profiling of a complex thaumatin-like protein family in western white pine

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Abstract

The protein content in the plant apoplast is believed to change dramatically as a result of host defense response upon infection with various pathogens. In this study, six novel thaumatin-like proteins (TLPs) were identified in western white pine (Pinus monticola) needle apoplast by a proteomic strategy using two-dimensional protein electrophoresis followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Sequent cDNA cloning found that ten P. monticola TLP genes (PmTLP-L1 to -L6 and -S1 to -S4) were expressed in various tissues. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that these PmTLP genes belong to a large, complex, and highly diverse plant TLP family. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) using gene-specific primer pairs showed that each PmTLP gene exhibited a characteristic pattern of mRNA expression based on their unique organ distribution, seasonal regulation, and response to abiotic and biotic stresses. A time-course analysis at the early stages of infection by white pine blister rust pathogen Cronartium ribicola revealed that a coordinated upregulation of multiple PmTLP genes was involved in P. monticola major gene (Cr2) resistance. The structural and expressional differentiations suggest that the PmTLP family may contribute to host defense as well as other mechanism.

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Abbreviations

HR:

Hypersensitive response

MALDI-TOF-MS:

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

PmTLP:

Pinus monticola thaumatin-like protein

PR:

Pathogenesis-related

RACE:

Rapid amplification of cDNA ends

RT-qPCR:

Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction

WPBR:

White pine blister rust

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported in part by Canadian Forest Service and CFS-Genomics R&D Initiative.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Pacific Forestry Centre, 506 West Burnside Road, Victoria, BC, V8Z 1M5, Canada

    Jun-Jun Liu, Arezoo Zamani & Abul K. M. Ekramoddoullah

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  1. Jun-Jun Liu
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  2. Arezoo Zamani
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Correspondence to Jun-Jun Liu.

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Liu, JJ., Zamani, A. & Ekramoddoullah, A.K.M. Expression profiling of a complex thaumatin-like protein family in western white pine. Planta 231, 637–651 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-009-1068-2

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