Abstract
BackgroundBarley leaf stripe disease, caused by the fungus Pyrenophora graminea (Pg), is a worldwide crop disease that results in significant loss of barley yield. The purpose of the present work was to use transcriptomic profiling to highlight barley genes and metabolic pathways affected or altered in response to Pg infection and consequently elucidate their involvement and contribution in resistance to leaf stripe.ResultsOur study examined and compared the transcriptomes of two barley genotypes using an established differential display reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (DDRT-PCR) strategy at 14 and 20 days post-inoculation (dpi). A total of 54 significantly modulated expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were identified. The analysis of gene expression changes during the course of infection with Pg suggested the involvement of 15 upregulated genes during the immunity response. By using network-based analyses, we could establish a significant correlation between genes expressed in response to Pg invasion. Microscopic analysis and quantitative PCR (qPCR) profiling of callose synthase and cellulose synthases revealed a direct involvement of cell wall reinforcement and callose deposition in the Pg-resistant phenotype.ConclusionsWe have identified a number of candidate genes possibly involved in the host-pathogen interactions between barley and Pg fungus, 15 of which are specifically expressed in Pg-resistant plants. Collectively, our results suggest that the resistance to leaf stripe in barley proceeds through callose deposition and different oxidation processes.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-016-2573-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Barley leaf stripe disease, caused by the fungus Pyrenophora graminea (Pg), is a worldwide crop disease that results in significant loss of barley yield
By the 26th dpi, symptoms started to appear with very low percentage of leaf stripe and insignificant amount of Pg-1 transcripts was detectable when augmenting the number of PCR cycles to 29 (Fig. 1b)
The generation of RNA-seq data from infected host-plants of both genotypes has revealed a number of new differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that are possibly involved in the interactions between barley and Pg fungus
Summary
Barley leaf stripe disease, caused by the fungus Pyrenophora graminea (Pg), is a worldwide crop disease that results in significant loss of barley yield. The purpose of the present work was to use transcriptomic profiling to highlight barley genes and metabolic pathways affected or altered in response to Pg infection and elucidate their involvement and contribution in resistance to leaf stripe. Barley (Hordeum vulgare) ranks among the most important cereals cultivated by humans in diverse environmental conditions worldwide [1]. Barley crop production is endangered by varied biotic stresses [2]. In this case crops like barley can become targets for variable biotic stresses and suffer from diseases [2, 3].
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