Project description:Transcriptional profiling of pear tree comparing a resistant/tolerant cultivar with a susceptible cultivar to the Stemphylium vesicarium fungus Rocha' pear is an economically important portuguese Pyrus communis L. cultivar very susceptible to the Stemphylium vesicarium pathogenic fungus, the brown spot agent, causing huge decrease on fruit quality and yield production. Field control of brown spot disease is based in systemic application of antifungal chemicals with high economic costs and dramatic consequences to public health and environmental pollution. Plant-pathogen interactions involve a series of events encompassing constitutive and induced plant defence responses whose dissection has been a research target for control many crop diseases. The biosynthesis of cell wall polymers and antifungal compounds appear to be an efficient physical and chemical barrier to infection.To understand the molecular responses behind defence mechanisms of resistant/tolerant and susceptible cultivars of Pyrus communis L. to the S. vesicarium fungus, cDNA microarray technology was used to identify the genes differentially expressed along a time course leaf inoculation between 'Rocha' pear cultivar (a high susceptible cultivar) and 'Ercolini' pear cultivar (a resistant/tolerant pear cultivar). This study aims to contribute with information on the molecular mechanisms involved in host-pathogen interactions responsible for pear tree brown spot disease and resistance to Stemphylium vesicarium. Experimental condition: 'Ercolini' vs 'Rocha' (each experiment including 5 plants from each cultivar). 3 time-points: water-inoculation (T0h), 6 hours after inoculation with S. vesicarium (T6h) and 24 hours after inoculation with S. vesicarium. Biological replicates: 3 in each time-point. One replicate per array.
Project description:Transcriptional profiling of pear tree comparing a resistant/tolerant cultivar with a susceptible cultivar to the Stemphylium vesicarium fungus Rocha' pear is an economically important portuguese Pyrus communis L. cultivar very susceptible to the Stemphylium vesicarium pathogenic fungus, the brown spot agent, causing huge decrease on fruit quality and yield production. Field control of brown spot disease is based in systemic application of antifungal chemicals with high economic costs and dramatic consequences to public health and environmental pollution. Plant-pathogen interactions involve a series of events encompassing constitutive and induced plant defence responses whose dissection has been a research target for control many crop diseases. The biosynthesis of cell wall polymers and antifungal compounds appear to be an efficient physical and chemical barrier to infection.To understand the molecular responses behind defence mechanisms of resistant/tolerant and susceptible cultivars of Pyrus communis L. to the S. vesicarium fungus, cDNA microarray technology was used to identify the genes differentially expressed along a time course leaf inoculation between 'Rocha' pear cultivar (a high susceptible cultivar) and 'Ercolini' pear cultivar (a resistant/tolerant pear cultivar). This study aims to contribute with information on the molecular mechanisms involved in host-pathogen interactions responsible for pear tree brown spot disease and resistance to Stemphylium vesicarium.
Project description:Watercore is a physiological disorder develops in the Japanese pear fruit showing a watery translucent area in the flesh while on the tree and lead to the loss of commercial value. The sustainability to watercore is one of the most important characterization to be studied it the breeding of the Japanese pear. However, even in susceptible cultivars like ‘Hosui’, the degree of watercore development is significantly different from year to year, this makes it difficult to analyze the characteristic phenomena prior to watercore development. We’d obtained two reproducible sib strains, that is, susceptible strains developed severe watercore in all of the fruit every year while no watercore was found in the non-sustainable ones even when they were overmatured. They are originated from ‘Hosui’ x ‘Hogetsu’ and ‘Akiakari’ x ‘Taihaku’. In order to search the genes related to watercore, we used these susceptible and non-susceptible F1 sib strain pairs. By using pear custom microarray, the genes that differed in expression level prior to watercore development were extracted. The sugar-metabolism, hormone, and cell wall related genes were identified in the 105 differentially expressed genes. Some of them showed different expression levels only in the immature stages prior to watercore development.