Overexpression of a kinase-deficient form of the EDR1 gene enhances powdery mildew resistance and ethylene-induced senescence in Arabidopsis

The EDR1 gene of Arabidopsis has previously been reported to encode a Raf-like mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK) kinase, and to function as a negative regulator of disease resistance. A phylogenetic analysis of plant and animal protein kinases revealed, however, that plant Raf-like kinases are more closely related to animal mixed lineage kinases (MLKs) than Raf-like kinases, and are deeply divergent from both classes of animal kinases, making inferences of substrate specificity questionable. We, therefore, assayed the kinase activity of recombinant EDR1 protein in vitro . The EDR1 kinase domain displayed autophosphorylation activity and phosphorylated the common MAP kinase substrate myelin basic protein. The EDR1 kinase domain also phosphorylated a kinase-deficient EDR1 protein, indicating that EDR1 autophosphorylation can occur via an intermolecular mechanism. Overexpression of a kinase-deficient full-length EDR1 gene (35S::dnEDR1 ) in wild-type Arabidopsis plants caused a dominant negative phenotype, conferring resistance to powdery mildew (Erysiphe cichoracearum ) and enhancing ethylene-induced senescence. RNA-gel blot analyses showed that the 35S::dnEDR1 transgene was highly transcribed in transgenic plants. Western blot analysis, however, revealed that neither the wild-type nor mutant EDR1 protein could be detected in these lines, indicating that the dominant negative phenotype may be caused by a translational inhibition mechanism rather than by a protein level effect. Overexpression of orthologous dnEDR1 constructs may provide a novel strategy for controlling powdery mildew disease in crops.