{"database":"GEO","file_versions":[{"headers":{"Content-Type":["application/json"]},"body":{"files":{"Other":["ftp://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/series/GSE327nnn/GSE327738/"]},"type":"primary"},"statusCode":"OK","statusCodeValue":200}],"scores":null,"additional":{"omics_type":["Transcriptomics"],"species":["Zymoseptoria tritici"],"gds_type":["Expression profiling by high throughput sequencing"],"full_dataset_link":["https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE327738"],"repository":["GEO"],"entry_type":["GSE"],"additional_accession":[]},"is_claimable":false,"name":"Contrasting transcriptional responses and genetic determinants underlie Zymoseptoria tritici adaptation mechanisms to simulated host defense environments","description":"Successful colonization of the wheat apoplast requires that Zymoseptoria tritici tolerate host-derived stresses, but the mechanisms underlying this adaptation remain poorly understood. We combined phenotypic assays, transcriptomics, and genome-wide association analyses to characterize fungal responses to acidic pH, salicylic acid, gibberellic acid, and oxidative stress. Exposure to salicylic acid inhibited in vitro growth across a global collection of 411 Z. tritici strains, whereas acidic pH promoted growth, illustrating contrasting effects on pathogen performance of environments simulating host-defense responses. At the transcriptional level, acidic pH and oxidative stress induced the strongest and most similar responses, while salicylic acid elicited a more distinct transcriptional program and gibberellic acid caused only limited transcriptional changes. Although the sets of differentially expressed genes were largely condition specific, overlapping enrichment of transport- and redox-related functions across conditions indicated shared transcriptional responses. K-mer based genome-wide association mapping identified five candidate loci associated with growth under acidic pH, gibberellic acid and salicylic acid, including four loci specific to a single growth condition. These loci colocalized with genes implicated in cell wall remodeling, nitrogen metabolite regulation, proteostasis, and ubiquitin-related processes. This study highlights the multifaceted strategies employed by Z. tritici to navigate environments simulating host-defense responses, involving shared and environment-specific adaptations. We provide new insights into the genetic and molecular basis of fungal resilience, with implications for understanding pathogen-host interactions.","dates":{"publication":"2026/05/04"},"accession":"GSE327738","cross_references":{"GSM":["GSM9664380","GSM9664384","GSM9664373","GSM9664372","GSM9664383","GSM9664382","GSM9664371","GSM9664381","GSM9664370","GSM9664388","GSM9664377","GSM9664387","GSM9664376","GSM9664375","GSM9664386","GSM9664385","GSM9664374","GSM9664369","GSM9664379","GSM9664368","GSM9664378"],"GPL":["35842"],"GSE":["327738"],"taxon":["Zymoseptoria tritici"]}}