Lateral organ boundaries domain transcription factors: new roles in plant defense.

Over the last two decades, several transcription factor gene families have been identified with some of them characterized in detail for their roles on transcriptional regulation of plant defense responses against pest or pathogen attack. We have recently added another transcription factor gene family to this list through the characterization of the LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES (LOB) DOMAIN (LBD)-CONTAINING PROTEIN20 (LBD20). We showed LBD20 acts as a repressor of a subset of jasmonate mediated defenses and in susceptibility to the root-infecting fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum. However, possible roles for other members of this gene family in plant defense are currently unknown. Here we searched publically available microarray expression data and provide an overview of the expression patterns of selected members of the LBD gene family for their response to other fungal pathogens and soil nematodes. Distinct expression patterns of the LBD genes suggest that certain members of this gene family have previously undescribed roles in plant defense.