Project description:Eucalyptus rust is caused by the biotrophic fungus, Austropuccinia psidii, which affects commercial plantations of Eucalyptus, a major raw material for the pulp and paper industry in Brazil. Aiming to uncover the molecular mechanisms involved in rust resistance and susceptibility in Eucalyptus grandis, we used epifluorescence microscopy to follow the fungus development inside the leaves of two contrasting half-sibling genotypes (rust-resistance and rust-susceptible), to determine the time-course for comparative metabolomic and proteomic analyses in plantlets artificially inoculated with rust. Within 24 hours of complete fungal invasion, a total of 709 plant metabolites showed that the rust-resistant genotype suppressed many metabolites 6 hours after inoculation (hai), with responses being progressively induced after 12 hai. In contrast, the rust-susceptible genotype displayed an alternated metabolite response to infection, which culminated in a strong suppression at 24 hai. Multivariate analyses of genotypes and time points were used to select 16 differential metabolites chemically classified as flavonoids, benzenoids and other compounds. Applying the Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA), rust-resistant and rust-susceptible genotypes had, respectively, 871 and 852 proteins grouped into 14 and 13 modules, of which 10 and 7 protein modules were significantly correlated to the selected metabolites. Functional analyses revealed roles for oxidative-dependent responses leading to temporal activity of metabolites and proteins after 12 hai in rust-resistance, while the initial over-accumulation of metabolites and correlated proteins caused a lack of progressive response after 12 hai in rust-susceptible genotype. This study provides a brief understand on the temporal divergences of resistant and susceptible molecular responses of E. grandis plants to rust.
Project description:Background: Eucalyptus species and interspecific hybrids exhibit valuable growth and wood properties that make them a highly desirable commodity. However, these trees are challenged by a wide array of biotic stresses during their lifetimes. The Eucalyptus grandis reference genome sequence provides a resource to study pest and pathogen defence mechanisms in long-lived woody plants. E. grandis trees are generally susceptible to Chrysoporthe austroafricana, a causal agent of stem cankers on eucalypts. The aim of this study was to characterize the defence response of E. grandis against C. austroafricana. Results: Hormone profiling of susceptible and moderately resistant clonal E. grandis genotypes indicated a reduction in salicylic acid and gibberellic acid levels at 3 days post inoculation. We hypothesized that these signaling pathways may facilitate resistance. To further investigate other defence mechanisms at this time point, transcriptome profiling was performed. This revealed that cell wall modifications and response to oxidative stress form part of the defence responses common to both genotypes, whilst changes in the hormone signaling pathways may contribute to resistance. Additionally the expression of selected candidate defence response genes was induced earlier in moderately resistant trees than in susceptible trees, supporting the hypothesis that a delayed defence response may occur in the susceptible interaction. Conclusion: The ability of a host to fine-tune its defence responses is crucial and the responses identified in this study extends our understanding of plant defence, gained from model systems, to woody perennials. E. grandis trees were stem inoculated with C. austroafricana. RNA was extracted from stem material harvested 3 days post inoculation for transcriptome profiling. Three biological replicates of harvested material was sent for RNA-sequencing
Project description:Background: Eucalyptus species and interspecific hybrids exhibit valuable growth and wood properties that make them a highly desirable commodity. However, these trees are challenged by a wide array of biotic stresses during their lifetimes. The Eucalyptus grandis reference genome sequence provides a resource to study pest and pathogen defence mechanisms in long-lived woody plants. E. grandis trees are generally susceptible to Chrysoporthe austroafricana, a causal agent of stem cankers on eucalypts. The aim of this study was to characterize the defence response of E. grandis against C. austroafricana. Results: Hormone profiling of susceptible and moderately resistant clonal E. grandis genotypes indicated a reduction in salicylic acid and gibberellic acid levels at 3 days post inoculation. We hypothesized that these signaling pathways may facilitate resistance. To further investigate other defence mechanisms at this time point, transcriptome profiling was performed. This revealed that cell wall modifications and response to oxidative stress form part of the defence responses common to both genotypes, whilst changes in the hormone signaling pathways may contribute to resistance. Additionally the expression of selected candidate defence response genes was induced earlier in moderately resistant trees than in susceptible trees, supporting the hypothesis that a delayed defence response may occur in the susceptible interaction. Conclusion: The ability of a host to fine-tune its defence responses is crucial and the responses identified in this study extends our understanding of plant defence, gained from model systems, to woody perennials.
Project description:The gene expression profiles of the differentiating xylem of 91 Eucalyptus grandis backcross individuals were characterized following a loop design (Churchill, G.A. Nat Genet. 2002 Dec;32 Suppl:490-5). In this design, RNA from genotype 1666 (labeled with Cy5) was hybridized with RNA from genotype 1667 (labeled with Cy3) on the first slide(GEO accession number GSM7637); the same genotype 1667 (now labeled with Cy5) was compared with genotype 1669 (Cy3) on the second slide (GSM7638), and so on. The loop was completed when genotype 1666 (Cy3) was contrasted to individual 1796 (Cy3) on slide GSM7727. Therefore, 91 individuals (genotypes) from the E. grandis backcross population were analyzed in two replicates, one with RNA labeled with Cy3 and the other with Cy5. Keywords = Eucalyptus, xylem, microarray
Project description:The gene expression profiles of the differentiating xylem of 91 Eucalyptus grandis backcross individuals were characterized following a loop design (Churchill, G.A. Nat Genet. 2002 Dec;32 Suppl:490-5). In this design, RNA from genotype 1666 (labeled with Cy5) was hybridized with RNA from genotype 1667 (labeled with Cy3) on the first slide(GEO accession number GSM7637); the same genotype 1667 (now labeled with Cy5) was compared with genotype 1669 (Cy3) on the second slide (GSM7638), and so on. The loop was completed when genotype 1666 (Cy3) was contrasted to individual 1796 (Cy3) on slide GSM7727. Therefore, 91 individuals (genotypes) from the E. grandis backcross population were analyzed in two replicates, one with RNA labeled with Cy3 and the other with Cy5. Keywords = Eucalyptus, xylem, microarray Keywords: ordered
Project description:Fast-growing Eucalyptus grandis trees are one of the most efficient producers of wood in South Africa. It is essential to maximize the effectiveness of these plantations by increasing their productivity, the quality and value of their products. We used microarray-based DNA-amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis in combination with expression profiling to develop fingerprints and profile gene expression of wood-forming tissue of seven individual E. grandis trees. A 1532-probe cDNA microarray was constructed by arraying 768 cDNA-AFLP fragments and 810 cDNA library clones from seven individual E. grandis trees onto silanised slides. The results revealed that 32% of the spotted fragments showed distinct expression patterns (with a fold change of at least 1.4 or -1.4 and a p value of 0.01) and could be grouped into clusters representing co-expressed genes. Evaluation of the binary distribution of cDNA-AFLP fragments on the array showed that the individual genotypes could be discriminated. A simple, yet general method was developed for genotyping and expression profiling of wood-forming tissue of E. grandis trees differing in their splitting characteristics and in their lignin contents. Evaluation of gene expression profiles and the binary distribution of cDNA-AFLP fragments on the chip suggest that the prototype chip developed could be useful for transcript profiling and for the identification of Eucalyptus trees with preferred wood quality traits in commercial breeding programmes.
Project description:Illumina HiSeq technology was used to generate mRNA profiles from in vitro Eucalyptus grandis roots interacting with two different Pisolithus microcarpus strains (SI-9 and SI-12) and under two different CO2 concentrations (400 and 650 ppm) . Control roots or ectomycorrhizal root tips were harvested after 1 month and used for RNA extraction. Paired-end (2X150bp) reads were generated and aligned to Eucalyptus grandis transcripts (http://www.phytozome.net/; primarytranscripts only) using CLC Genomics Workbench 6.
Project description:The daily cycle of night and day affects the behaviour and physiology of almost all living things. At the molecular level, many genes show daily changes in expression levels. To determine whether changes in transcript abundance occur in wood forming tissues of Eucalyptus trees we used a cDNA microarray to examine gene expression levels at roughly four hour intervals throughout the day. Experiments were performed using RNA extracted from two biological replicates - GU (Eucalyptus grandis x E. urophylla) and GC (Eucalyptus grandis x camaldulensis) trees. A loop design was used, linking six time points. A dye swap was incorporated to eliminate dye bias.
Project description:The study was conducted to identify differentially expressed polyethylene glycol (PEG) induced water stress responsive genes in E. grandis. Forty day old rooted cutting of E. grandis was subjected to -0.225 MPa PEG treatment and total RNA was isolated from leaves of water treated control and PEG treated samples after three hours of treatment. The differential expression of water stress responsive genes was analyzed using microarray technique. Agilent two-color experiment, Organism: Eucalyptus,Custom Agilent Eucalyptus 8x60k Microarray Gene expression (AMADID: 59849 ) designed by Genotypic Technology Pvt.Ltd.