OsWRKY114 Inhibits ABA-Induced Susceptibility to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae in Rice

Abstract

The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) regulates various aspects of plant growth, development, and stress responses. ABA suppresses innate immunity to <i>Xanthomonas oryzae</i> pv. <i>oryzae</i> (<i>Xoo</i>) in rice (<i>Oryza sativa</i>), but the identity of the underlying regulator is unknown. In this study, we revealed that OsWRKY114 is involved in the ABA response during <i>Xoo</i> infection. ABA-induced susceptibility to <i>Xoo</i> was reduced in <i>OsWRKY114</i>-overexpressing rice plants. OsWRKY114 attenuated the negative effect of ABA on salicylic acid-dependent immunity. Furthermore, OsWRKY114 decreased the transcript levels of ABA-associated genes involved in ABA response and biosynthesis. Moreover, the endogenous ABA level was lower in <i>OsWRKY114</i>-overexpressing plants than in the wild-type plants after <i>Xoo</i> inoculation. Taken together, our results suggest that OsWRKY114 is a negative regulator of ABA that confers susceptibility to <i>Xoo</i> in rice.