Physiological and Molecular Characteristics of Elicitin-Induced Systemic Acquired Resistance in Tobacco

Elicitins are low molecular weight proteins secreted by all Phytophthora species analyzed so far. Application of the purified proteins to tobacco Nicotiana tabacum leads to the induction of resistance to subsequent inoculations with the black shank-causing agent, Phytophthora parasitica var nicotianae. In this paper, we describe the systemic characteristics of elicitin-induced acquired resistance in tobacco. Elicitin application is followed by the rapid translocation of the protein in the plant. The basic elicitin, cryptogein, induces necrosis formation in the leaves, which results from accumulation of the protein in these organs. Necrosis does not seem to be essential for the establishment…

Identity–expression interaction in face perception: Sex, visual field, and psychophysical factors

International audience; We investigated the psychophysical factors underlying the identity-emotion interaction in face perception. Visual field and sex were also taken into account. Participants had to judge whether a probe face, presented in either the left or the right visual field, and a central target face belonging to same person while emotional expression varied (Experiment 1) or to judge whether probe and target faces expressed the same emotion while identity was manipulated (Experiment 2). For accuracy we replicated the mutual facilitation effect between identity and emotion; no sex or hemispheric differences were found. Processing speed measurements, however, showed a lesser degree…

Acquired resistance triggered by elicitins in tobacco and other plants

Elicitins are a family of proteins excreted byPhytophthora spp. They exhibit high sequence homology but large net charge differences. They induce necrosis in tobacco plants which then become resistant to the tobacco pathogenPhytophthora parasitica var.nicotianae. In stem-treated plants, resistance was not restricted to the site of elicitin application, but could be demonstrated by petiole inoculation at all levels on the stem. Resistance was already maximum after two days and lasted for at least two weeks. It was effective not only towardsP. p. var.nicotianae infection, but also against the unrelated pathogenSclerotinia sclerotiorum. In contrast to dichloroisonicotinic acid, an artificial i…

Cohomologie relative des applications polynomiales

Let F be a polynomial dominating mapping from Cn to Cq with n>q. We study the de Rham cohomology of the fibres of F, and its relative cohomology groups. Let us fix a strictly positive weighted homogeneous degree on C[x1,…,xn]. With the leading terms of the coordinate functions of F, we construct a fibre of F that is said to be “at infinity”. We introduce the cohomology groups of F at infinity. These groups, denoted by Hk(F−1(∞)), enable us to study all the other cohomology groups of F. For instance, if the fibre at infinity has an isolated singularity at the origin, we prove that any quasi-homogeneous basis of Hn−q(F−1(∞)) provides a basis of all groups Hn−q(F−1(y)), as well as a basis of t…

Relative differential forms and complex polynomials

Responses of tobacco to elicitins, proteins from Phytophthora spp. eliciting acquired resistance

With the exception of Phytophthora parasitica var. nicotianae (Ppn), the tobacco black-shank causing agent, Phytophthoras give rise to non-host interactions with tobacco. The resulting local hypersensitive response (HR) is accompanied by necrotic spots on the leaves at distance from the infection site [1]. Low molecular weight proteins are excreted by these Phytophthoras, both in planta and in vitro. They form a family of highly homologous holoproteins, called elicitins [2]. Tobacco plants treated with purified elicitins develop necrotic symptoms similar to those induced by the live fungus, and become resistant to further inoculation with Ppn [3]. Elicitin-treated tobacco represent an attra…