Spatial dynamics of systemic acquired resistance-associated metabolites in the wheat cultivar fielder infected by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici
Abstract
IntroductionSystemic acquired resistance (SAR) is a whole-plant immune response in which localized pathogen attack primes distant tissues for enhanced defense. In Arabidopsis thaliana, this response is associated with the systemic accumulation of salicylic acid (SA), pipecolic acid (Pip), and N-hydroxypipecolic acid (NHP), but their spatial dynamics in wheat remain poorly understood.MethodsHere, we investigated the spatial dynamics of SA, Pip, and NHP accumulation in the wheat cultivar Fielder following infection with the powdery mildew fungus Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici. Their accumulation was examined between leaves, within a single leaf, and at 1–3 cm from the infection site.ResultsInfection induced strong local accumulation of all three metabolites, with NHP showing the largest response, increasing approximately 751-fold in infected primary leaves, 65-fold in the infected proximal leaf sectors, and 71-fold within infected lesions. Pip also increased markedly in infected tissues, whereas SA showed more moderate increases. These metabolic changes were accompanied by local induction of SA- and NHP-biosynthesis-related genes and pathogenesis-related (PR) genes. Despite the strong response at infection sites, protected distal leaves and non-infected tissues within the same leaf showed little or no accumulation of SA, Pip, or NHP. The same spatial restriction was observed for defense-related gene expression, while Bgt detection confirmed that fungal colonization was confined to infected regions.DiscussionThese findings indicate that Fielder develops a strong local defense-associated metabolic response to powdery mildew infection, but corresponding accumulation of SA, Pip, and NHP was not detected in non-infected tissues at the spatial scales examined. This spatial pattern differs from the systemic accumulation described in the Arabidopsis SAR model and suggests that systemic immune signaling in Fielder may not rely on long-distance accumulation of these metabolites.
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BibTeX
@article{weng2026spatial,
title = {{Spatial dynamics of systemic acquired resistance-associated metabolites in the wheat cultivar fielder infected by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici}},
author = {Yuanjie Weng and Yuki Sato and Yumiko Takebayashi and Yuri Kanno and Kenichi Nihei and Masanori Okamoto},
journal = {Frontiers in Plant Science},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3389/fpls.2026.1936964},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1936964},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Spatial dynamics of systemic acquired resistance-associated metabolites in the wheat cultivar fielder infected by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici
AU - Yuanjie Weng
AU - Yuki Sato
AU - Yumiko Takebayashi
AU - Yuri Kanno
AU - Kenichi Nihei
AU - Masanori Okamoto
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/02
JO - Frontiers in Plant Science
DO - 10.3389/fpls.2026.1936964
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1936964
AB - IntroductionSystemic acquired resistance (SAR) is a whole-plant immune response in which localized pathogen attack primes distant tissues for enhanced defense. In Arabidopsis thaliana, this response is associated with the systemic accumulation of salicylic acid (SA), pipecolic acid (Pip), and N-hydroxypipecolic acid (NHP), but their spatial dynamics in wheat remain poorly understood.MethodsHere, we investigated the spatial dynamics of SA, Pip, and NHP accumulation in the wheat cultivar Fielder following infection with the powdery mildew fungus Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici. Their accumulation was examined between leaves, within a single leaf, and at 1–3 cm from the infection site.ResultsInfection induced strong local accumulation of all three metabolites, with NHP showing the largest response, increasing approximately 751-fold in infected primary leaves, 65-fold in the infected proximal leaf sectors, and 71-fold within infected lesions. Pip also increased markedly in infected tissues, whereas SA showed more moderate increases. These metabolic changes were accompanied by local induction of SA- and NHP-biosynthesis-related genes and pathogenesis-related (PR) genes. Despite the strong response at infection sites, protected distal leaves and non-infected tissues within the same leaf showed little or no accumulation of SA, Pip, or NHP. The same spatial restriction was observed for defense-related gene expression, while Bgt detection confirmed that fungal colonization was confined to infected regions.DiscussionThese findings indicate that Fielder develops a strong local defense-associated metabolic response to powdery mildew infection, but corresponding accumulation of SA, Pip, and NHP was not detected in non-infected tissues at the spatial scales examined. This spatial pattern differs from the systemic accumulation described in the Arabidopsis SAR model and suggests that systemic immune signaling in Fielder may not rely on long-distance accumulation of these metabolites.
SN - 1664-462X
ER -