Transcriptomics Analysis and Candidate Genes Associated With Xinjiang Jujubes in Response to Alternaria Alternata Infection

BackgroundBlack spot disease, caused by Alternaria altrenata, is one of the most destructive diseases of jujube worldwide. To better understand the resistance mechanisms of jujube to A. altrenata infection to be able to improve disease control and resistance breeding. Two different cultivars, Zizyphus jujuba Mill. var. Jun jujube (susceptible) and Zizyphus jujuba Mill. var. Hui jujube (resistant), were tested. ResultsIn this study, we identified 2235 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the disease-resistant cultivar and 4958 in the susceptible cultivar. To better understand these DEGs, the datasets were analyzed using Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome (KEGG) database. Most of them were associated with plant phytohormone synthesis and signal transduction, flavonoid synthesis, and glutathione metabolism. The expression of 6 DEGs associated with disease resistance were detected by real time-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), consistent with the results of Illumina transcriptome sequencing. Moreover, the expression level of the six DEGs differently in Jun jujube and Hui jujube, verified they are defense response factors. Conclusions The present study identified several candidate resistance genes and signal transduction pathways that may contribute to black spot disease resistance in jujube, which will assist the investigation of resistance mechanisms in the response of jujube to A. altrenata infection.