Methyl salicylate glucosylation regulates plant defense signalling and systemic acquired resistance.

Plant systemic acquired resistance (SAR) provides an efficient broad-spectrum immune response to pathogens. SAR involves mobile signal molecules that are generated by infected tissues and transported to systemic tissues. Methyl salicylate (MeSA), a molecule that can be converted to salicylic acid (SA), is an essential signal for establishing SAR, particularly under a short period of exposure to light after pathogen infection. Thus, the control of MeSA homeostasis is important for an optimal SAR response. Here, we characterized a uridine diphosphate-glycosyltransferase, UGT71C3, in Arabidopsis thaliana, which was induced mainly in leaf tissue by pathogens including Pst DC3000/avrRpt2 (Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato strain DC3000 expressing avrRpt2). Biochemical analysis indicated that UGT71C3 exhibited strong enzymatic activity towards MeSA to form MeSA glucosides in vitro and in vivo. Following primary pathogen infection by Pst DC3000/avrRpt2, ugt71c3 knockout mutants exhibited more powerful systemic resistance to secondary pathogen infection than that of wild-type (WT) plants, whereas systemic resistance in UGT71C3 overexpression lines was compromised. In agreement, following primary infection of local leaves, ugt71c3 knockout mutants accumulated significantly more systemic MeSA and SA than that in WT plants whereas UGT71C3 overexpression lines accumulated less. Our results suggest that MeSA glucosylation by UGT71C3 facilitates negative regulation of the SAR response by modulating homeostasis of MeSA and SA. This study unveils further SAR regulation mechanisms and highlights the role of glucosylation of MeSA and potentially other systemic signals in negatively modulating plant systemic defense.