1. Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Candidate Genes Responsive to Sclerotinia scleroterum and Cloning of the Ss-Inducible Chitinase Genes in Morus laevigata
- Author
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Jin Xiaoyun, Lijuan Wei, Huanhuan Jiang, Liangjing Tong, Xiaodan Liu, Yufei Xue, Ruifang Xie, Chunxing Zhang, Xiaofeng Shi, Jiang Jiayi, Yourong Chai, Yuan Chenglong, Xuemei Liu, Lejing Li, and Du Youjie
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,0301 basic medicine ,Candidate gene ,RNA-Seq ,01 natural sciences ,lcsh:Chemistry ,Transcriptome ,Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ,Gene expression ,lcsh:QH301-705.5 ,Spectroscopy ,Phylogeny ,Disease Resistance ,Plant Proteins ,Genetics ,biology ,Sclerotinia sclerotiorum ,Chitinases ,food and beverages ,Morus laevigata ,General Medicine ,Computer Science Applications ,chitinase ,Sclerotinia stem rot ,Sclerotinia ,Catalysis ,Article ,Inorganic Chemistry ,03 medical and health sciences ,Ascomycota ,Complementary DNA ,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry ,Molecular Biology ,Gene ,Plant Diseases ,Gene Expression Profiling ,Organic Chemistry ,biology.organism_classification ,Plant Leaves ,mulberry ,030104 developmental biology ,lcsh:Biology (General) ,lcsh:QD1-999 ,Morus ,RNA-seq ,010606 plant biology & botany - Abstract
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Ss) is a devastating fungal pathogen that causes Sclerotinia stem rot in rapeseed (Brassica napus), and is also detrimental to mulberry and many other crops. A wild mulberry germplasm, Morus laevigata, showed high resistance to Ss, but the molecular basis for the resistance is largely unknown. Here, the transcriptome response characteristics of M. laevigata to Ss infection were revealed by RNA-seq. A total of 833 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected after the Ss inoculation in the leaf of M. laevigata. After the GO terms and KEGG pathways enrichment analyses, 42 resistance-related genes were selected as core candidates from the upregulated DEGs. Their expression patterns were detected in the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits of M. laevigata. Most of them (30/42) were specifically or mainly expressed in flowers, which was consistent with the fact that Ss mainly infects plants through floral organs, and indicated that Ss-resistance genes could be induced by pathogen inoculation on ectopic organs. After the Ss inoculation, these candidate genes were also induced in the two susceptible varieties of mulberry, but the responses of most of them were much slower with lower extents. Based on the expression patterns and functional annotation of the 42 candidate genes, we cloned the full-length gDNA and cDNA sequences of the Ss-inducible chitinase gene set (MlChi family). Phylogenetic tree construction, protein interaction network prediction, and gene expression analysis revealed their special roles in response to Ss infection. In prokaryotic expression, their protein products were all in the form of an inclusion body. Our results will help in the understanding of the molecular basis of Ss-resistance in M. laevigata, and the isolated MlChi genes are candidates for the improvement in plant Ss-resistance via biotechnology.
- Published
- 2020