Involvement of NtERF3 in the cell death signalling pathway mediated by SIPK/WIPK and WRKY1 in tobacco plants

We previously reported that one of the ethylene response factors (ERFs), NtERF3, and other members of the subgroup VIII-a ERFs of the AP2/ERF family exhibit cell death-inducing ability in tobacco leaves. In this study, we focused on the involvement of NtERF3 in a cell death signalling pathway in tobacco plants, particularly downstream of NtSIPK/NtWIPK and NtWRKY1, which are mitogen-activated protein kinases and a phosphorylation substrate of NtSIPK, respectively. An ERF-associated amphiphilic repression (EAR) motif-deficient NtERF3b mutant (NtERF3bΔEAR) that lacked cell death-inducing ability suppressed the induction of cell death caused by NtERF3a. The transient co-expression of NtERF3bΔEAR suppressed the hypersensitive reaction (HR)-like cell death induced by NtSIPK and NtWRKY1. The induction of cell death by NtSIPK and NtWRKY1 was also inhibited in transgenic plants expressing NtERF3bΔEAR. Analysis of gene expression, ethylene production and cell death symptoms in salicylic acid-deficient tobacco plants suggested the existence of some feedback regulation in the HR cell death signalling pathway mediated by SIPK/WIPK and WRKY1. Overall, these results suggest that NtERF3 functions downstream of NtSIPK/NtWIPK and NtWRKY1 in a cell death signalling pathway, with some feedback regulation.