Uncovering the Role of PdePrx12 Peroxidase in Enhancing Disease Resistance in Poplar Trees.

Peroxidase (Prx)-related genes are reported to be involved in the metabolism of hydrogen peroxide (HO) in plants. Here, we found that the expression of the gene was upregulated in wild-type (WT) poplar line NL895 infected with the pathogens strain 3C and strain 3E. The gene was cloned in the poplar line NL895 and its overexpression (OE) and reduced-expression (RE) vectors were constructed. OE and RE transgenic lines were then generated. The HO content in the leaves was measured by DAB staining and spectrophotometric analysis, and the data revealed that the OE line had a reduced HO content, whereas the RE line had an increased HO content. These transgenic and WT plants were also inoculated with the 3C/3E pathogens. The leaf area infected by pathogen 3C/3E was determined and the OE line was found to have a larger area of infection, whereas the RE line was found to have a smaller area of infection. This result suggested is involved in disease resistance in poplar. Given these results, this study demonstrated that when poplar is infected by pathogens, the expression of is inhibited, leading to an increase in HO content, thereby enhancing disease resistance.