The apple receptor-like kinase MdSRLK3 positively regulates resistance against pathogenic fungus Valsa mali by affecting the Ca2+ signaling pathway.

Valsa mali is the main pathogenic fungus that causes the apple Valsa canker, a destructive disease severely threatening apple production in the world. However, the underlying key components involved in resistance against V. mali in apple trees remain largely unexplored. Here, we isolated and functionally characterized a G-type Lectin S-receptor-like protein kinase MdSRLK3 from the cultivar Royal Gala derivative line GL-3. qRT-PCR showed that the relative expression of MdSRLK3 in apple branches reached its highest level at 24 hours post V. mali inoculation, which was 13.42 times higher than without inoculation. Transient overexpression of MdSRLK3 enhanced apple resistance against V. mali, while transient silencing of MdSRLK3 reduced its resistance against the pathogen. More importantly, stable silencing of MdSRLK3 resulted in reduced resistance against this fungus. Furthermore, we demonstrated that MdSRLK3 positively regulated apple resistance by affecting the Ca2+ signaling pathway, and the regulation was also related to the H2O2 and callose signaling pathways. Overall, our data reveals that MdSRLK3 is a positive regulator of apple immunity.