Abstract
Fusarium wilt is one of the major biotic stresses reducing chickpea productivity. The use of wilt-resistant cultivars is the most appropriate means to combat the disease and secure productivity. As a step towards understanding the molecular basis of wilt resistance in chickpea, we investigated the transcriptomes of wilt-susceptible and wilt-resistant cultivars under both Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ciceri (Foc) challenged and unchallenged conditions. Transcriptome profiling using LongSAGE provided a valuable insight into the molecular interactions between chickpea and Foc, which revealed several known as well as novel genes with differential or unique expression patterns in chickpea contributing to lignification, hormonal homeostasis, plant defense signaling, ROS homeostasis, R-gene mediated defense, etc. Similarly, several Foc genes characteristically required for survival and growth of the pathogen were expressed only in the susceptible cultivar with null expression of most of these genes in the resistant cultivar. This study provides a rich resource for functional characterization of the genes involved in resistance mechanism and their use in breeding for sustainable wilt-resistance. Additionally, it provides pathogen targets facilitating the development of novel control strategies.
Highlights
IntroductionChickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is the third most important grain legume considering worldwide production (http://www.cgiar.org/our-strategy/crop-factsheets/chickpea/) and is a valuable source of dietary protein especially for the majority of the vegetarian population in the Indian sub-continent
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is the third most important grain legume considering worldwide production and is a valuable source of dietary protein especially for the majority of the vegetarian population in the Indian sub-continent
Comparison of four LongSAGE libraries elucidated key factors involved in chickpea resistance mechanisms upon Foc inoculation
Summary
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is the third most important grain legume considering worldwide production (http://www.cgiar.org/our-strategy/crop-factsheets/chickpea/) and is a valuable source of dietary protein especially for the majority of the vegetarian population in the Indian sub-continent. High throughput sequencing has identified wilt responsive microRNAs involved in regulating plant development and pathogen growth by acting as positive or negative regulators, depending on their target genes[4]. These studies revealed activation of primary metabolism during the interplay between the fungus and the host[5]. Significant transcriptional changes in both susceptible and resistant chickpea cultivars upon Foc inoculation were revealed using the LongSAGE approach[14] coupled with generation sequencing. While in the susceptible cultivar, the pathogen modulated the expression of a majority of the plant genes to support its own establishment, growth and proliferation
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