Transcriptomic dissection reveals wide spread differential expression in chickpea during early time points of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceri Race 1 attack

Abstract

Plants’ reaction to underground microorganisms is complex as sessile nature of plants compels them to prioritize their responses to diverse microorganisms both pathogenic and symbiotic. Roots of important crops are directly exposed to diverse microorganisms, but investigations involving root pathogens are significantly less. Thus, more studies involving root pathogens and their target crops are necessitated to enrich the understanding of underground interactions. Present study reported the molecular complexities in chickpea during Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceri Race 1 (Foc1) infection. Transcriptomic dissections using RNA-seq showed significantly differential expression of molecular transcripts between infected and control plants of both susceptible and resistant genotypes. Radar plot analyses showed maximum expressional undulations after infection in both susceptible and resistant plants. Gene ontology and functional clustering showed large number of transcripts controlling basic metabolism of plants. Network analyses demonstrated defense components like peptidyl cis/trans isomerase, MAP kinase, beta 1,3 glucanase, serine threonine kinase, patatin like protein, lactolylglutathione lyase, coproporphyrinogen III oxidase, sulfotransferases; reactive oxygen species regulating components like respiratory burst oxidase, superoxide dismutases, cytochrome b5 reductase, glutathione reductase, thioredoxin reductase, ATPase; metabolism regulating components, myo inositol phosphate, carboxylate synthase; transport related gamma tonoplast intrinsic protein, and structural component, ubiquitins to serve as important nodals of defense signaling network. These nodal molecules probably served as hub controllers of defense signaling. Functional characterization of these hub molecules would not only help in developing better understanding of chickpea-Foc1 interaction but also place them as promising candidates for resistance management programs against vascular wilt of legumes.

Integration of Cross Species RNA-seq Meta-Analysis and Machine-Learning Models Identifies the Most Important Salt Stress–Responsive Pathways in Microalga Dunaliella

“…The results of transcriptome meta-analysis along with machine-learning weighting confirmed the importance of PSAG and LHCA2 in adaptation responses to salt stress condition ( Table 2 ). It has been proposed that salt stress weakens the connection between LHCs and PSI and consequently reduces the conversion of light energy to chemical energy (Gupta et al, 2017). Our hypothesis has been also confirmed by recent study (Wang et al, 2019).…”

“…The downregulation of rbcL, HSP90A, and LHC in the PPI network was also consistent with previous findings (Wang et al, 2019). It has also been found that chlorophyll a–/b–binding proteins such as LHCA2 are affected by light, oxidative stress, and chlorophyll retrograde signaling (Gupta et al, 2017). Downregulation of LHC under the stress condition corroborates these earlier finding that downregulation of the LHC under stress conditions is an attempt to minimize energy utilization by lowering photosynthetic demands (Xu et al, 2012).…”

Candidate genes expression profiling during wilting in chickpea caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris race 5

“…In legumes, this gene class has been pointed out as responsible for resistance against the nematode Heterodera glycines [75]. The expression levels of LOC101510206 is an interesting finding as another locus from the same family mapped onto chromosome 8 has been found to be regulated in chickpea during Foc1 attack [17].…”

Integrative network analyses of wilt transcriptome in chickpea reveal genotype dependent regulatory hubs in immunity and susceptibility

“…Plants adapt to water stress condition by increased concentration of intracellular solutes, such as proline, which facilitate the maintenance of cell pressure potential 34 . Moreover, role of proline as osmoprotectant in plant defense against invading pathogen has earlier been documented 35 , 36 . We observed that WR-315 was able to maintain Relative Water Content (RWC) considerably at higher level while JG-62 showed the maximum decline, suggesting inability of susceptible genotype to take up water due to maximum colonization of the pathogen in the xylem (Fig.…”