Transient Expression of Hen Egg White Lysozyme (EWL) in Nicotiana benthamiana Influences Plant Pathogen Infection

Lysozyme is an enzyme that hydrolyzes bacterial cell walls, which is functional for destroying the integrity of bacteria, enhancing the activity of immune cells, participating in immune signal transmission, helping to maintain the micro-ecological balance of the gastrointestinal tract, etc. Egg white lysozyme (EWL), as one of the typical representatives of lysozyme, is the most widely used enzyme in production so far, and is also one of the most complex structures of lysozyme. EWL also helps protect plants from fungal and bacterial diseases. Here, we report the effect of EWL on infections from plant viruses. The EWL gene was cloned and characterized. The EWL protein sequence analysis identified a conserved domain of lysozyme activity and the sharing of a 100% identical EWL protein from the <i>Coturnix japonica</i> lysozyme. Then, the EWL gene was cloned into the plant expression vector pEAQ-HT-DEST3 and transiently expressed in <i>Nicotiana benthamiana (N. benthamiana)</i>. We found that EWL expression in <i>N. benthamiana</i> significantly contributed to infections by the turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) but not by the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). Plants that transiently expressed EWL showed an obvious increase in resistance to <i>Botrytis cinerea (B.cinerea)</i>. Our results suggested a new research point for the application of EWL on plant pathogen infections.