Project description:Quantitative disease resistance (QDR) is an almost universal and often broad-spectrum process in plants, serving to limit the damage caused by pathogen infections. It represents the primary form of plant immunity that reduces disease symptoms induced by numerous pathogens actively killing host cells during infection, including the necrotrophic pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Investigating the evolutionary origins of QDR against necrotrophic fungi is crucial for comprehending how plant resistance evolves. To explore the diversity of local responses to S. sclerotiorum within a plant species level, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the entire transcriptomes from 23 accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana, mainly distributed across Europe. More than half on the pan-transcriptome displayed local responses toS. sclerotiorum, including similar transcriptome patterns. Notably, core S. sclerotiorum-responsive genes exhibited a clear gene age pattern, dominated by older genes forming protein-protein networks that continuously acquiring new hubs. Comparative transcriptome analyses revealed QDR is associated with quantitative expression variations specific to accession subsets. By comparison of promoter sequences, we have shown evidence that accession subsets independently evolved and acquired specific cis-regulatory elements, confering Sclerotinia resistance. This scenario suggests multiple exaptation trajectories of novel QDR genes through species-level cis-regulation. This study sheds light on the regulation of QDR-associated genes within a species, contributing to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of plant fungal resistance.
Project description:Coevolutionary change requires reciprocal selection between interacting species, i.e., that the partner genotypes that are favored in one species depend on the genetic composition of the interacting species. Coevolutionary genetic variation is manifested as genotype ´ genotype (G ´ G) interactions for fitness from interspecific interactions. Although quantitative genetic approaches have revealed abundant evidence for G ´ G interactions in symbioses, the molecular basis of this variation remains unclear. Here we study the molecular basis of G ´ G interactions in a model legume-rhizobium mutualism using gene expression microarrays. We find that, like quantitative traits such as fitness, variation in the symbiotic transcriptome may be partitioned into additive and interactive genetic components. Our results suggest that plant genetic variation is the largest influence on nodule gene expression, and that plant genotype and the plant genotype ´ rhizobium genotype interaction determine global shifts in rhizobium gene expression that in turn feedback to influence plant fitness benefits. Moreover, the transcriptomic variation we uncover implicates regulatory changes in both species as drivers of symbiotic gene expression variation. Our study is the first to partition genetic variation in a symbiotic transcriptome, and illuminates potential molecular routes of coevolutionary change. We assayed gene expression using three biological replicates for each plant genotype × rhizobium genotype combination (4 combinations) for a total of 12 chips.
Project description:In order to revael the relationship between gene expression and plant phenotype under drought, we conducted transcriptome analysis under six drought and control conditions.
Project description:As sessile organisms, plants require dynamic pathways in order to recognize pathogens and coordinate plant defenses by signalling. Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58 is able to avoid triggering plant defenses prior to entering the cell, and therefore is only detected once infection has begun making Agrobacterium a plant pathogen to numerous plant species. Understanding plant responses to Agrobacterium will be useful in improving plant defenses and potentially may also improve plant transformation efficiency. Microarrays were utilized for detailing the global gene expression pattern in A. thaliana Col-0 roots in response to A. tumefaciens C58 for the identification of differentially expressed genes.
Project description:As sessile organisms, plants require dynamic pathways in order to recognize pathogens and coordinate plant defenses by signalling. Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58 is able to avoid triggering plant defenses prior to entering the cell, and therefore is only detected once infection has begun making Agrobacterium a plant pathogen to numerous plant species. Understanding plant responses to Agrobacterium will be useful in improving plant defenses and potentially may also improve plant transformation efficiency. Microarrays were utilized for detailing the global gene expression pattern in A. thaliana Col-0 leafs in response to A. tumefaciens C58 for the identification of differentially expressed genes.
Project description:Mucor species belongs to the Mucorales order within the phylum Mucoromycota, an early diverging fungal lineage. The purpose of this study was to investigate at the transcriptome scale the similarities and differences that could be linked to different lifestyles. Five strains pertaining to five species were studied: M. fuscus and M. lanceolatus, two species used in cheese ripening, M. racemosus, a recurrent cheese spoiler sometimes described as an opportunistic pathogen, M. circinelloides, often described as an opportunistic pathogen and M. endophyticus, a plant endophyte species.
Project description:In this study, a cross species hybridization (CSH) approach was used to evaluate whole transcriptome changes during carotenoid accumulation in the storage root of carrot (Daucus carota). Carotenoids are isoprenoid compounds providing red, yellow and orange color to plants. Previous gene expression analyses of carotenoid accumulation in non-model plant species have primarily used a candidate gene approach. Since global transcriptome analyses require extensive genome sequence, in the absence of these genomic resources an alternate approach uses platforms developed for model plant species. To assess transcriptome patterns associated with carotenoid pigmentation in carrot storage root, two carrot sibling inbred lines, B8788, true breeding for orange color and B8750, true breeding for white root color, were hybridized to the Medicago Affymetrix GeneChip microarray.