Expression of genes involved in the salicylic acid pathway in type h1 thioredoxin transiently silenced pepper plants during a begomovirus compatible interaction

The type-h thioredoxins (TRXs) play a fundamental role in oxidative stress tolerance and defense responses against pathogens. In pepper plants, type-h TRXs participate in the defense mechanism against Cucumber mosaic virus. The goal of this study was to analyze the role of the CaTRXh1-cicy gene in pepper plants during compatible interaction with a DNA virus, the Euphorbia mosaic virus-Yucatan Peninsula (EuMV-YP). The effects of a transient silencing of the CaTRXh1-cicy gene in pepper plants wëre evaluated by observing the accumulation of viral DNA and the visible symptoms of pepper plants under different treatments. The accumulation of salicylic acid (SA) and the relative expression of the defense genes NPR1 and PR10 were also evaluated. Results showed that viral DNA accumulation was higher in transiently CaTRXh1-cicy silenced plants that were also infected with EuMV-YP. Symptoms in these plants were more severe compared to the non-silenced plants infected with EuMV-YP. The SA levels in the EuMV-YP-infected plants were rapidly induced at 1 h post infection (hpi) in comparison to the non-silenced plants inoculated with EuMV-YP. Additionally, in pepper plants infected with EuMV-YP, the expression of NPR1 decreased by up to 41 and 58 % at 28 days post infection (dpi) compared to the non-silenced pepper plants infected with only EuMV-YP and healthy non-inoculated pepper plants, respectively. PR10 gene expression decreased by up to 70 % at 28 dpi. Overall, the results indicate that the CaTRXh1-cicy gene participates in defense mechanisms during the compatible interaction of pepper plants with the EuMV-YP DNA virus.