SIERF2 Is Associated with Methyl Jasmonate-Mediated Defense Response against Botrytis cinerea in Tomato Fruit

摘要

Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and ethylene play important roles in mediating defense responses against Botrytis cinerea. Ethylene response factors (ERFs) are the final components of ethylene signal transduction; whether SIERF2 participates in disease resistance against Botrytis cinerea is unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of SIERF2 in MeJA-mediated defense response by using both sense and antisense SIERF2 tomato fruit. Our results showed that both MeJA treatment and pathogen infection upregulated SIERF2 expression level. Overexpression of SIERF2 enhanced tomato fruit resistance against Botrytis cinerea. MeJA treatment increased ethylene production, promoted the activities of chitinase, beta-1,3-glucanase, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, and peroxidase, and elevated pathogenesis-related protein content and total phenolic content. Moreover, the effects of MeJA on disease response were reinforced in sense SIERF2 tomato fruit, while they were weakened in antisense SIERF2 tomato fruit. These results indicated that SIERF2 was involved in MeJA-mediated disease resistance against Botrytis cinerea in tomato fruit.