# Infiltration-RNAseq Reveals Enhanced Defense Responses in Nicothiana benthamiana Leaves Overexpressing the Banana Gene MaWRKY45

## TL;DR

Overexpression of the banana gene MaWRKY45 in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves enhances plant defense responses, as revealed by RNA sequencing.

## Contribution

The study identifies transcriptome-wide effects of MaWRKY45 overexpression and its role in plant immunity.

## Key findings

- Overexpression of MaWRKY45 leads to 2473 differentially expressed genes in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves.
- Up-regulated genes include those involved in plant immunity, such as disease resistance receptors and antimicrobial proteins.
- MaWRKY45 is associated with enhanced defense responses through activation of immune-related pathways.

## Abstract

The banana gene MaWRKY45 gene encodes a WRKY transcription factor (TF) that is closely related to OsWRKY45, which is a master regulator of defense responses in rice. MaWRKY45 is a transcription factor with proven transactivation activity and nuclear localization. Its expression is upregulated by the defense phytohormones salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA). Despite these findings, its transcriptome-wide impact during overexpression remains unexplored. Accordingly, the present study employed the Infiltration-RNAseq method to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) resulting from the overexpression of MaWRKY45 in the leaves of the model plant Nicotiana benthamiana. A total of 2473 DEGs were identified in N. benthamiana leaves overexpressing the banana gene MaWRKY45. Of these, 1092 were up-regulated and 1381 were down-regulated. Among the genes that were found to be up-regulated, those encoding proteins that are involved in plant immunity were identified. These included disease resistance receptors, proteins that are involved in cell wall reinforcement, proteins that possess antimicrobial and insecticidal activities, and defense-related TFs. It was thus concluded that the function of the banana gene MaWRKY45 is associated with the plant immune system, and that its overexpression can lead to enhance defense responses.