RNase activity of Halostachys caspica pathogenesis-related protein 10 contributes to enhanced biotic tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis

Xinting Liu; Dilinuer Ailimujiang; Ayxamgul Matturzi; Bin Lei; Yan Wang

doi:10.1016/j.plaphy.2025.110344

RNase activity of Halostachys caspica pathogenesis-related protein 10 contributes to enhanced biotic tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis

Plant Physiol Biochem. 2025 Aug 7;229(Pt B):110344. doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2025.110344. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Xinting Liu¹, Dilinuer Ailimujiang¹, Ayxamgul Matturzi¹, Bin Lei², Yan Wang³

Affiliations

¹ Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China.
² Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Urumqi 830091, China. Electronic address: leib668@xaas.ac.cn.
³ Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China. Electronic address: wangyanxju@xju.edu.cn.

PMID: 40934616
DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2025.110344

Abstract

Pathogenesis-related protein 10 (PR10) is an important member of the PR protein family, known for its versatile functions and crucial role in plant defense mechanisms. While ribonuclease (RNase) activity is considered a key factor in PR10-mediated biotic stress resistance, the precise relationship between RNase activity and pathogen resistance remains unclear. Here, we investigated the role of Halostachys caspica PR10 (HcPR10) in biotic stress resistance and its association with RNase activity. We found that HcPR10 expression was markedly induced by the exogenous application of stress-related hormones and pathogen infection. Heterologous expression of HcPR10 in Arabidopsis enhanced resistance to Verticillium dahliae (V. dahliae) and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst DC3000), which was associated with significantly elevated RNase activity and the upregulation of defense-related genes. Additionally, we generated HcPR10 mutants (E150A and L153F) through site-directed mutagenesis. Relative to HcPR10-overexpressors, homozygous lines expressing HcPR10-E150 demonstrated greater phytopathogen susceptibility and lower RNase activity. We show that HcPR10 drives Arabidopsis biotic stress resilience via RNase-mediated mechanisms and regulation of defense gene expression. Furthermore, we identified E150 as a critical amino acid residue required for the RNase activity of HcPR10. Collectively, these results provide new insights into the mechanism by which HcPR10 enhances plant resistance to pathogens.

Keywords: Biotic stress; Pathogen resistance; Pathogenesis-related protein 10; Pseudomonas syringae; Ribonuclease activity; Verticillium dahliae.