# The Laccase Family Gene CsLAC37 Participates in Resistance to Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Infection in Tea Plants

## TL;DR

A gene called CsLAC37 in tea plants helps resist a harmful fungus, offering new insights for breeding disease-resistant tea varieties.

## Contribution

The study identifies CsLAC37 as a laccase gene involved in tea plant resistance to Colletotrichum gloeosporioides infection.

## Key findings

- CsLAC37 is highly expressed in mature leaves and stems and localizes to the cell membrane.
- CsLAC37 expression increases under stress treatments and in response to fungal infections.
- Reducing CsLAC37 activity lowers peroxidase activity and increases hydrogen peroxide in tea leaves.

## Abstract

Fungal attacks have become a major obstacle in tea plantations. Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is one of the most devastating fungal pathogens in tea plantations that can severely affect tea yield and quality. However, the molecular mechanism of resistance genes involved in anthracnose is still largely unknown in tea plants. Here, we found that the laccase gene CsLAC37 was involved in the response to fungal infection based on a transcriptome analysis. The full-length CDS of CsLAC37 was cloned, and its protein sequence had the closest relationship with the Arabidopsis AtLAC15 protein compared to other AtLACs. Tissue-specific expression analysis showed that CsLAC37 had higher expression levels in mature leaves and stems than in the other tissues. Subcellular localization showed that the CsLAC37 protein was predominantly localized in the cell membrane. The expression levels of CsLAC37 were upregulated at different time points under cold, salt, SA, and ABA treatments. qRT-PCR confirmed that CsLAC37 responded to both Pestalotiopsis-like species and C. gloeosporioides infections. Functional validation showed that the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content increased significantly, and POD activity decreased in leaves after antisense oligonucleotide (AsODN) treatment compared to the controls. The results demonstrated that CsLAC37 may play an important role in resistance to anthracnose, and the findings provide a theoretical foundation for molecular breeding of tea varieties with resistance to fungal diseases.