Dual-transcriptomic datasets evaluating the effect of the necrotrophic fungus Alternaria brassicicola on Arabidopsis germinating seeds

Abstract

Many fungal pathogens are carried and transmitted by seeds. These pathogens affect germination and seed quality. Their transmission from the germinating seed to seedling causes many diseases in crops. Seed defense mechanisms during germination are poorly documented. RNA-seq experiments were used to describe the molecular mechanisms involved in seed interaction with a necrotrophic fungus. Here the Arabidopsis thaliana/Alternaria brassicicola pathosystem was used to perform dual-transcriptomic approach. Arabidopsis thaliana seeds and necrotrophic fungus transcripts were identified at critical germination and seedling establishment stages. Total RNA was extracted from healthy and infected germinating seeds and seedlings at 3, 6 and 10 days after sowing. Transcript libraries were made and sequenced, then fungal and plant short reads were mapped and quantified respectively against Arabidopsis thaliana and Alternaria brassicicola reference transcriptomes. This dual-transcriptomic approach revealed that 3409, 7506 and 8589 Arabidopsis thaliana genes showed a differential expression at respectevely 3, 6 and 10 days after sowing between healthy and infected seeds, including 1192 genes differentially expressed at the three studied stages. Moreover, in this experiement, we also identified the dynamic of the transcript changes occurring at the same stages in the necrotrophic fungus concomitantly during germination and seedling establishment.