Research article - Peer-reviewed, 2021
Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of Wheat Lines in the Field Reveals Multiple Essential Biochemical Pathways Suppressed by Obligate Pathogens
Poretti, Manuel; Sotiropoulos, Alexandros G.; Graf, Johannes; Jung, Esther; Bourras, Salim; Krattinger, Simon G.; Wicker, ThomasAbstract
Mildew and rust are the most devastating cereal pathogens, and in wheat they can cause up to 50% yield loss every year. Wheat lines containing resistance genes are used to effectively control fungal diseases, but the molecular mechanisms underlying the interaction between wheat and its fungal pathogens are poorly understood. Here, we used RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) to compare the transcriptomic landscape of susceptible and resistant wheat lines to identify genes and pathways that are targeted by obligate biotrophic fungal pathogens. The five lines differed in the expression of thousands of genes under infection as well as control conditions. Generally, mixed infection with powdery mildew and leaf rust resulted in downregulation of numerous genes in susceptible lines. Interestingly, transcriptomic comparison between the nearly isogenic lines Thatcher and Thatcher-Lr34 identified 753 genes that are uniquely downregulated in the susceptible line upon infection. Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis, revealed the suppression of six major biochemical pathways, namely nuclear transport, alternative splicing, DNA damage response, ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, phosphoinositol signaling, and photosynthesis. We conclude that powdery mildew and leaf rust evade the wheat defense system by suppression of programmed cell death (PCD) and responses to cellular damage. Considering the broad range of the induced changes, we propose that the pathogen targets "master regulators" at critical steps in the respective pathways. Identification of these wheat genes targeted by the pathogen could inspire new directions for future wheat breeding.Keywords
RNA-Seq; field trial; wheat; obligate pathogens; compatible interactionPublished in
Frontiers in Plant Science2021, volume: 12, article number: 720462
Publisher: FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
Authors' information
Poretti, Manuel
University of Bern
Poretti, Manuel
University of Zurich
Sotiropoulos, Alexandros G.
University of Zurich
Graf, Johannes
University of Zurich
Jung, Esther
University of Zurich
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology
Krattinger, Simon G.
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Wicker, Thomas
University of Zurich
UKÄ Subject classification
Agricultural Science
Publication Identifiers
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.720462
URI (permanent link to this page)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/114186