2. Academic Validation
  3. HY5 integrates light and electrical signaling to trigger a jasmonate burst for nematode defense in tomato

HY5 integrates light and electrical signaling to trigger a jasmonate burst for nematode defense in tomato

  • Nat Commun. 2025 Oct 1;16(1):8750. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-63779-3.
Ting Sun # 1,  Chaoyi Hu # 1 2,  Changan Zhu # 1,  Jiaxing Cai 1,  Guoting Wang 1,  Xiaojian Xia 1,  Kai Shi 1,  Yanhong Zhou 3 4,  Jingquan Yu 5 6,  Christine H Foyer 7,  Jie Zhou 8
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Horticulture, Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
  • 2 Hainan Institute, Zhejiang University, Sanya, China.
  • 3 Department of Horticulture, Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. yanhongzhou@zju.edu.cn.
  • 4 Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plants Growth, Development and Quality Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Hangzhou, China. yanhongzhou@zju.edu.cn.
  • 5 Department of Horticulture, Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. jqyu@zju.edu.cn.
  • 6 Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plants Growth, Development and Quality Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Hangzhou, China. jqyu@zju.edu.cn.
  • 7 School of Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK. c.h.foyer@bham.ac.uk.
  • 8 Department of Horticulture, Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. jie@zju.edu.cn.
  • # Contributed equally.
PMID: 41034216 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-63779-3
Abstract

Plants have evolved sophisticated defense systems to protect against herbivory, including the systemic induction of jasmonic acid (JA) synthesis. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this process remain poorly understood. Here, we report that root-knot nematode (RKN) attack induced a phyB-dependent accumulation of ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (HY5) in the leaves, which activates the expression of JA biosynthesis genes and HY5 itself in tomato. In addition, the systemic transmission of GLUTAMATE RECEPTOR-LIKE 3.5 (GLR3.5)-dependent electrical signals induced by RKN triggers the physical interaction between Calmodulin 2 (CaM2) and HY5 to amplify the transcriptional regulation of HY5 and JA synthesis. HY5 functions as a systemic signal that moves from leaves to roots to maintain the electrical signaling from roots to leaves by activating GLR3.5 expression. Together, these results reveal a HY5-dependent systemic signaling cascade that integrates light and electrical signals to activate JA-mediated defense against nematodes in tomato.

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