Fig. 5.
Silencing of SlLecRK-IX.1/LecRK-IX.2 compromises Phytophthora resistance in tomato. (A) Relative SlLecRK transcript levels in TRV:GUS- and TRV:SlIX-treated tomato leaves. Transcript levels were normalized with SlActin and expressed as mean fold changes across four biological replicates (±SD) relative to the transcript level in TRV:GUS-treated leaves, which was arbitrarily set as 1. * indicates significant difference in expression levels (P<0.05, two-tailed t-test) between TRV:GUS- and TRV:SlIX-treated plants. (B, C) Disease symptoms (B) and quantified lesion sizes (C) on TRV:GUS- and TRV:SlIX-treated tomato leaves inoculated with P. capsici LT263 (1×105 zoospores ml–1) and P. infestans 14-3-GFP (5×105 zoospores ml–1). Each experiment included at least 20 leaves from four independent plants treated with each construct. Bars represent the mean lesion sizes (±SE). * indicates significant difference (P<0.05) in lesion sizes between TRV:GUS- and TRV:SlIX-treated plants according to a two-tailed t-test. The infection assay with P. capsici was performed twice, whereas infection assays with P. infestans were repeated four times with similar results. (This figure is available in colour at JXB online.)