GhACL5 Gene is Involved in Stem Elongation and Plant Defense Response to Verticillium dahliae

The Arabidopsis thaliana gene ACAULIS5 (ACL5), which encodes thermospermine (T-Spm) synthase, causes a defect in stem elongation when inactive. However, limited information is available about the effects of overexpressing ACL5 and its functions in response to biotic stress. Huijuan Mo of Hebei Agricultural University in China, together with colleagues, studied the expression of the cotton ACL5 gene (GhACL5) in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Overexpression of GhACL5 significantly increased plant height and elevated the level of T-Spm. Moreover, silencing the gene in cotton reduced the amount of T-Spm and caused severe dwarf phenotypes. Expression of GhACL5 was also induced upon treatment with the fungal pathogen Verticillium dahliae as well as by plant hormones salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, and ethylene in cotton plants resistant to Verticillium dahliae. Gene silencing in cotton enhanced their susceptibility to V. dahliae infection.

Results show that GhACL5 expression is involved in stem elongation and defense responses against V. dahliae.

For more information, you can read the article in Plant Cell Reports.