Project description:Gene expression cascade in a plant is altered in times of stress. Reprogramming of the expression profiles of genes is required for a robust and specific response. Until now, tomato transcriptomic alteration in response to Alternaria fungal stress were not known. This study presents the profile of genes that are differentially expressed during Alternaria stress in local tomato cultivar (Pusa Ruby). At least 2944 genes expression was varied and pathways that are altered during this compatible interaction have been identified. Supported by DBT, Govt. of India.
Project description:MicroRNAs are crucial regulator of reprogramming of gene expression cascade during plant-pathogen interaction. We have used tomato (Pusa Ruby) plant and early blight pathogen, Alternaria for the analysis of tomato miRNA expression profiles in a compatible interaction. Illumina next generation sequencing (NGS) technique based whole transcriptome analysis revealed that, (i) about 188 known miRNAs, ranging from 18nt to 24nt expressed in tomato, which belonged to 124 miRNA families and (ii) both conserved and Solanaceae specific miRNAs were differentially expressed. Most of the miRNAs were down-regulated, and around 7 miRNAs were highly differentially regulated (log2FC ≥ ±3). Furthermore, using stringent selection criteria we could detect approximately 74 putative novel miRNAs. GO terms enrichment and KEGG pathway analyses of predicted targets of differentially expressed miRNAs have been performed to identify the pathways that were perturbed during the infection. Supported by DBT, Govt. of India.
Project description:miR6024 overexpression may lead to changes in the transcriptome profile of tomato plants. Further changes may be noticed on infecting these plants with the necrotrophic pathogen Alternaria solani. These changes can only be gauged by carrying out a comparative transcriptome analysis with the wild type plants under similar conditions. We have used tomato (Pusa Ruby) for generation of miR6024 overexpressing transgenics. Disease study on these plants were carried out with the necrotrophic fungus A. solani. We carried an RNA-seq analysis using Illumina hiseq sequencing of 5 RNA libraries created from leaf tissues of wild type, OVX6024 transgenics and A. solani infected wild type and OVX6024 plants. The analysis revealed that 334 and 781 genes were significantly regulated in the transgenic plants and the infected transgenic plants respectively, with respect to their suitable wild type controls. GO enrichment analysis and pathway analysis have been carried out as well. This work is supported by grants from DBT and SERB, GoI.
Project description:Alternaria, a widespread fungal genus, infects a wide range of crops and produces various toxins, such as Tentoxin (TEN), Tenuazonic acid (TeA), Alternariol (AOH) during infection, leading to a major concern about safety of these crops. Although the toxin-producing ability varies among different Alternaria species, the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, several Alternaria toxins were frequently detected in Tibetan barley (Hordeum vulgare var. coeleste Linnaeus) and wheat (Triticum aestivum Linn) in Tibet, especially TEN and TeA, which were detected in half of the crops. 153 barley and wheat samples collected from 5 different regions in Tibet were used for toxin detection/quantification, isolation and identification of the corresponding toxin producing fungi. According to levels of toxins produced in vivo, different isolates of Alternaria alternaria recovered from the above collected sampled were divided into three groups designated as high toxin-producing strains (HT), medium toxin-producing strains (LT) and no toxin-producing strains (NT). Metabolomics and transcriptomics were employed to investigate the potential mechanism of variations in toxin production among different isolates. Metabolomics analysis revealed high levels of amino acids and secondary metabolites in HT. Various precursors of TeA/TEN were also highly accumulated in HT, especially isoleucine ( which was one of essential gradients of TEN biosynthesis, which may account for high toxin production in HT strains in metabolome. Further transcriptome analysis revealed that the expression levels of genes relevant to precursors of TEN/TeA were higher in HT, especially CC77DRAFT_360136, CC77DRAFT_546209, CC77DRAFT_1033655 and CC77DRAFT_1090532, showing the molecular basis for toxin-producing variations among three strains. Importantly, our topological regulation network results identified the candidate genes that regulated these four genes involved in toxin-producing, and these genes may be essential for variations in toxin producing ability of these Alternaria strains. Overall, this comprehensive analysis expects to provide a better understanding to decipher the mechanism of toxicity based on molecular and metabolic levels.