Comparative transcriptome analysis of the interaction between Actinidia chinensis var. chinensis and Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae in absence and presence of acibenzolar-S-methyl

Abstract

BackgroundSince 2007, bacterial canker caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) has become a pandemic disease leading to important economic losses in every country where kiwifruit is widely cultivated. Options for controlling this disease are very limited and rely primarily on the use of bactericidal compounds, such as copper, and resistance inducers. Among the latter, the most widely studied is acibenzolar-S-methyl. To elucidate the early molecular reaction of kiwifruit plants (Actinidia chinensis var. chinensis) to Psa infection and acibenzolar-S-methyl treatment, a RNA seq analysis was performed at different phases of the infection process, from the epiphytic phase to the endophytic invasion on acibenzolar-S-methyl treated and on non-treated plants. The infection process was monitored in vivo by confocal laser scanning microscopy.ResultsDe novo assembly of kiwifruit transcriptome revealed a total of 39,607 transcripts, of which 3360 were differentially expressed during the infection process, primarily 3 h post inoculation. The study revealed the coordinated changes of important gene functional categories such as signaling, hormonal balance and transcriptional regulation. Among the transcription factor families, AP2/ERF, MYB, Myc, bHLH, GATA, NAC, WRKY and GRAS were found differentially expressed in response to Psa infection and acibenzolar-S-methyl treatment. Finally, in plants treated with acibenzolar-S-methyl, a number of gene functions related to plant resistance, such as PR proteins, were modulated, suggesting the set-up of a more effective defense response against the pathogen. Weighted-gene coexpression network analysis confirmed these results.ConclusionsOur work provides an in-depth description of the plant molecular reactions to Psa, it highlights the metabolic pathway related to acibenzolar-S-methyl-induced resistance and it contributes to the development of effective control strategies in open field.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-018-4967-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae: Ecology, Infection Dynamics and Disease Epidemiology

“…Infection occurs primarily via stomata (Fig. 3) [10,48,80]. For the onset of the infection, leaf wetness is necessary.…”

Early Pathogen Recognition and Antioxidant System Activation Contributes to Actinidia arguta Tolerance Against Pseudomonas syringae Pathovars actinidiae and actinidifoliorum

“…deliciosa , such as ‘Hayward’ ( Balestra et al., 2009 ). In addition, A. arguta , A. macrosperma , A. polygama and A. rufa were classified as tolerant to Psa ( Nardozza et al., 2015 ; Kisaki et al., 2018 ; Michelotti et al., 2018 ), but the molecular and biochemical mechanisms responsible for this tolerance are not fully known ( Wang et al., 2018 ; Nunes da Silva et al., 2019 ).…”

Multiple quantitative trait loci contribute tolerance to bacterial canker incited byPseudomonas syringaepv.actinidiaein kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis)

“…In A. chinensis , the genome assembly has demonstrated that more genes are associated with PTI, than with R gene based Effector-Triggered Immunity (ETI), implying a strong selective pressure on the expansion of genes involved in PTI 32 . Further evidence for this notion comes from studies exploring the transcriptome of the kiwifruit-Psa interaction the in period directly following inoculation 63–65 . Data obtained from our study have provided a list of classes of gene families underlying the QTLs that might be directly or indirectly involved in the innate immune response of Actinidia and its host-pathogen relationship with Psa over the longer term in the field.…”