FaWRKY7 modulates jasmonate signaling responses and enhances strawberry fruit resistance to Botrytis cinerea.

FaWRKY7 induction at 72 h after Botrytis cinerea inoculation is linked to stronger resistance in strawberry fruit and transgenic Arabidopsis, with MeJA responsiveness increased.

• Why it matters: WRKY transcription factors and jasmonate signaling are key to stress responses, yet how they shape strawberry fruit defense against B. cinerea is unclear.
• What they did: The study tested FaWRKY7 in strawberry fruit and transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana using transient overexpression/silencing, MeJA treatments, Jarin-1 inhibition, and promoter binding assays (DAP-seq, yeast one-hybrid, EMSA, dual-luciferase).
• The result: FaWRKY7 overexpression enhanced resistance and MeJA responsiveness, while silencing increased susceptibility; it directly binds and represses FaJAZ4 and FaJAZ8, and resistance under MeJA is only partially reduced by Jarin-1.

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