Comparative Proteomics of Yeast-Elicited Medicago truncatula Cell Suspensions Reveals Induction of Isoflavonoid Biosynthesis and Cell Wall Modifications

The temporal proteome response of Medicago truncatula suspension cell cultures to yeast elicitation (which mimics fungal infection) was investigated using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and nanoliquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (nano LC−MS/MS). Reproducibility of 2-DE was assessed using the number of the visualized protein spots and spot volume. Average coefficient of variation was determined to be less than 6% for the number of spots and around 50% for spot volume. About 4% of the total visualized proteins, that is, 34 out of 861, were differentially accumulated in the suspension cells 24 h after yeast elicitation, including isoflavononid biosynthetic enzymes and a putative laccase. The induction of the putative laccase was highly correlated with the polymerization of phenolics such as 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, and ferulic acid into cell walls. In contrast, lignin was only induced at the later stages of the temporal study, indicating that this specific laccase is primarily involved in cell wall modifications and/or fortifications rather than in lignification in response to yeast elicitation.