ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE published: 12 April 2013 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2013.00088 The Arabidopsis NIMIN proteins affect NPR1 differentially Meike Hermann‡, Felix Maier‡, Ashir Masroor, Sofia Hirth†, Artur J. P.Pfitzner and Ursula M. Pfitzner* FG Allgemeine Virologie, Institut für Genetik, Universität Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany Edited by: NON-EXPRESSOR OF PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENES1 (NPR1) is the central regulator Saskia C. Van Wees, Utrecht of the pathogen defense reaction systemic acquired resistance (SAR). NPR1 acts by sens- University, Netherlands ing the SAR signal molecule salicylic acid (SA) to induce expression of PATHOGENESIS- Reviewed by: RELATED (PR) genes. Mechanistically, NPR1 is the core of a transcription complex Steven H. Spoel, University of Edinburgh, UK interacting with TGA transcription factors and NIM1-INTERACTING (NIMIN) proteins. Daguang Cai, Christian Albrechts Arabidopsis NIMIN1 has been shown to suppress NPR1 activity in transgenic plants. University of Kiel, Germany The Arabidopsis NIMIN family comprises four structurally related, yet distinct members. *Correspondence: Here, we show that NIMIN1, NIMIN2, and NIMIN3 are expressed differentially, and that Ursula M. Pfitzner, FG Allgemeine the encoded proteins affect expression of the SAR marker PR-1 differentially. NIMIN3 is Virologie, Institut für Genetik, Universität Hohenheim, expressed constitutively at a low level, but NIMIN2 and NIMIN1 are both responsive to Emil-Wolff-Strasse 14, D-70593 SA. While NIMIN2 is an immediate early SA-induced and NPR1-independent gene, NIMIN1 Stuttgart, Germany. is activated after NIMIN2, but clearly before PR-1. Notably, NIMIN1, like PR-1, depends e-mail: pfi
[email protected] on NPR1. In a transient assay system, NIMIN3 suppresses SA-induced PR-1 expression, † Present address: albeit to a lesser extent than NIMIN1, whereas NIMIN2 does not negatively affect PR-1 Sofia Hirth, Molecular Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine II, gene activation.