Chloroplast redox state changes indicate cell-to-cell signalling during the hypersensitive response

Abstract

Hypersensitive response (HR)-conferred resistance is associated with an induction of programmed cell death (PCD) and pathogen spread restriction in its proximity. While the pivotal role of salicylic acid (SA) in the restriction of pathogen spread during HR has been confirmed, the exact role of chloroplastic reactive oxygen species and the link between SA signalling and chloroplast redox state during HR remain unexplained. To unravel these relationships, we performed detailed spatiotemporal analysis of chloroplast redox response to potato virus Y (PVY) infection in resistant Ny-1-gene-bearing potato and its transgenic counterpart with impaired SA accumulation and compromised resistance. We found that the chloroplasts are highly oxidized in the cells adjacent to the cell death zone at different stages after virus inoculation in both genotypes. Moreover, we detected individual cells with moderately oxidized chloroplasts, which we call "signalling cells", in close proximity as well as farther from the cell death zone. These are relatively rare in SA-deficient plants, suggesting their role in signalling for HR-conferred resistance. This hypothesis is further supported by highly induced formation of stroma filled tubules that extend from chloroplasts (stromules) in the cells adjacent to signalling cells. Unexpectedly, the cells with the highest occurrence of stromules have chloroplasts in more reduced state than the adjacent ones. In addition, we show that stromules are induced also at the edge of PVY multiplication zone. We conclude that chloroplast redox state and stromule formation are tightly spatiotemporally regulated by SA-signalling which leads to effective HR response.