Arabidopsis WRKY55 Transcription Factor Enhances Soft Rot Disease Resistance with ORA59

Pectobacterium is a major bacterial causal agent leading to soft rot disease in host plants. With the Arabidopsis-Pectobacterium pathosystem, we investigated the function of an Arabidopsis thaliana WRKY55 during defense responses to Pectobacterium carotovorum ssp. carotovorum (Pcc). Pcc-infection specifically induced WRKY55 gene expression. The overexpression of WRKY55 was resistant to the Pcc infection, while wrky55 knockout plants compromised the defense responses against Pcc. WRKY55 expression was mediated via Arabidopsis COI1-dependent signaling pathway showing that WRKY55 can contribute to the gene expression of jasmonic acid-mediated defense marker genes such as PDF1.2 and LOX2. WRKY55 physically interacts with Arabidopsis ORA59 facilitating the expression of PDF1.2</i. Our results suggest that WRKY55 can function as a positive regulator for resistance against Pcc in Arabidopsis.