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Signals induced by exogenous nitric oxide and their role in controlling brown rot disease caused by Monilinia fructicola in postharvest peach fruit

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Abstract

Recent evidence suggests that nitric oxide (NO) signaling plays an important role in plant–pathogen interactions and that aconitase is a major target of NO. In the present study on the signaling role of NO in the elicitation of defense responses in peach fruit against Monilinia fructicola and subsequent effect on brown rot disease, 15 μM NO solution induced disease resistance in harvested peaches. As a potentiated elicitor, NO induced high levels of endogenous NO and superoxide (O2 −), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and NADPH oxidase and Ca2+-ATPase activity in the fruit. Aconitase activity in peach fruit was inhibited by NO. Activity of partially purified aconitase was inhibited in vitro by sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and H2O2; however, the inhibition could be relieved by carboxy-2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl 3-oxide (cPTIO) or catalase (CAT), indicating that the defense response and signals induced by NO transduction depend on aconitase and conditions leading to elevated levels of NO; otherwise, H2O2 would inactivate aconitase directly in fruit. Treatment with NO resulted in salicylic acid (SA) accumulating during storage. Higher levels of jasmonic acid (JA) were detected in NO-treated fruit 48 h after the treatment. But after NO was removed, the level of SA and JA were lower than in the control. The results suggest that exogenous NO enhances resistance of harvested peach fruit against the fungus by inducing signals such as endogenous NO, reactive oxygen species (ROS), SA and JA and by inhibiting aconitase activity.

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Acknowledgments

The research work was supported by the Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China (31101371), Shandong Natural Science Foundation (ZR2010CQ039) and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (201104605).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Food Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018, Shandong, China

    Jing Ying Shi, Na Liu, Chang Zhang, Qing Guo Wang, Zhong Hua Lei, Yun Yun Liu & Ji Yun Ren

  2. Institute of Agro-product Processing, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, 210014, Jiangsu, China

    Rong Xin Gu

  3. College of Food Science and Engineering, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, 330045, Jiangxi, China

    Li Qin Zhu

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  1. Jing Ying Shi
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Shi, J.Y., Liu, N., Gu, R.X. et al. Signals induced by exogenous nitric oxide and their role in controlling brown rot disease caused by Monilinia fructicola in postharvest peach fruit. J Gen Plant Pathol 81, 68–76 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10327-014-0562-y

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