Abstract
BackgroundVerticillium dahliae is a soil-borne fungus that causes vascular wilt diseases in a wide range of plant hosts. V. dahliae produces multicelled, melanized resting bodies, also known as microsclerotia (MS) that can survive for years in the soil. The MS are the primary source of infection of the Verticillium disease cycle. Thus, MS formation marks an important event in the disease cycle of V. dahliae.ResultsIn this study, next generation sequencing technology of RNA-Seq was employed to investigate the global transcriptomic dynamics of MS development to identify differential gene expression at several stages of MS formation in strain XS11 of V. dahliae, isolated from smoke tree. We observed large-scale changes in gene expression during MS formation, such as increased expression of genes involved in protein metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism. Genes involved in glycolytic pathway and melanin biosynthesis were dramatically up-regulated in MS. Cluster analyses revealed increased expression of genes encoding products involved in primary metabolism and stress responses throughout MS development. Differential expression of ubiquitin-dependent protein catabolism and cell death-associated genes during MS development were revealed. Homologs of genes located in the lineage-specific (LS) regions of V. dahliae strain VdLs.17, were either not expressed or showed low expression. Furthermore, alternative splicing (AS) events were analyzed, revealing that over 95.0% AS events involve retention of introns (RI).ConclusionsThese data reveal the dynamics of transcriptional regulation during MS formation and were used to construct a comprehensive high-resolution gene expression map. This map provides a key resource for understanding the biology and molecular basis of MS development of V. dahliae.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-324) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Verticillium dahliae is a soil-borne fungus that causes vascular wilt diseases in a wide range of plant hosts
Microscopic analyses of MS development The dynamics of morphogenesis and pigment production were examined by light microscopy during MS development to chart cellular changes relative to gene expression during MS formation
Six stages were selected for these analyses based on phenotypic changes that were observed during MS formation
Summary
Verticillium dahliae is a soil-borne fungus that causes vascular wilt diseases in a wide range of plant hosts. V. dahliae can infect more than 200 plant species, including important crops, flowers, vegetables, Verticillium wilt is a threat to smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria Scop.) stands in China. Smoke trees are of primary importance as ornamentals, highly valued for the brilliant red leaf scenery that these trees provide in the Beijing region during autumn, especially in Fragrant Hills Park, a 160 hectare forest park in Beijing. Vascular wilt in smoke tree was reported in Fragrant Hills Park as early as 1990, and subsequently the disease spread to other smoke tree growing areas in Beijing [3]. The famous “red leaf scenery” of Fragrant Hills and other areas is threatened by the detrimental effects of the Verticillium wilt. Available fungicides and other control measures are not effective in controlling the disease due in part to the ability of the fungus to survive for long periods in soil
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