Potential pathways and genes expressed in Chrysanthemum in response to early fusarium oxysporum infection

Abstract

Background Chrysanthemum Fusarium wilt is a common fungal disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum, which causes continuous cropping obstacles and huge losses to the chrysanthemum industry. The defense mechanism of chrysanthemum against F. oxysporum remains unclear, especially during the early stages of the disease. Therefore, in the present study, we analyzed chrysanthemum ‘Jinba’ samples inoculated with F. oxysporum at 0, 3, and 72 h using RNA-seq. Results The results revealed that 7985 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were co-expressed at 3 and 72 h after F. oxysporum infection. We analyzed the identified DEGs using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Gene Ontology. The DEGs were primarily enriched in “Plant pathogen interaction”, “MAPK signaling pathway”, “Starch and sucrose metabolism”, and “Biosynthesis of secondary metabolites”. Genes related to the synthesis of secondary metabolites were upregulated in chrysanthemum early during the inoculation period. Furthermore, peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase enzymes were consistently produced to accumulate large amounts of phenolic compounds to resist F. oxysporum infection. Additionally, genes related to the proline metabolic pathway were upregulated, and proline levels accumulated within 72 h, regulating osmotic balance in chrysanthemum. Notably, the soluble sugar content in chrysanthemum decreased early during the inoculation period; we speculate that this is a self-protective mechanism of chrysanthemums for inhibiting fungal reproduction by reducing the sugar content in vivo. In the meantime, we screened for transcription factors that respond to F. oxysporum at an early stage and analyzed the relationship between WRKY and DEGs in the “Plant-pathogen interaction” pathway. We screened a key WRKY as a research target for subsequent experiments. Conclusion This study revealed the relevant physiological responses and gene expression changes in chrysanthemum in response to F. oxysporum infection, and provided a relevant candidate gene pool for subsequent studies on chrysanthemum Fusarium wilt.

A Study of Soil-Borne Fusarium Wilt in Continuous Cropping Chrysanthemum Cultivar ‘Guangyu’ in Henan, China

“…Various pathogens, including F. incarnatum, Dickeya chrysanthemi, Rhizoctonia solani, Erwinia chrysanthemi, and F. oxysporum, have been identified as potential causes of wilt in chrysanthemums [37]. Through pathogenicity detection and verification, the results of the present research demonstrate that F. solani displayed pathogenicity, with pathogenic characteristics consistent with those observed in the natural field.…”

Transcriptomic–Proteomic Analysis Revealed the Regulatory Mechanism of Peanut in Response to Fusarium oxysporum

“…The accumulation of certain metabolites during the plant–pathogen interaction was shown to improve disease resistance [ 13 , 31 , 41 , 43 ]. For instance, terpenoids can accumulate during chrysanthemum–Fusarium interaction [ 44 ], while lignin accumulation promotes alfalfa resistance against Fusarium [ 31 ]. In this study, the activities of PAL and 4CL increased significantly 2 d after inoculation, indicating that the inoculation of F. oxysporum promoted the process of phenylpropanoid metabolism pathways, promoted the metabolism of some phenolics, and increased the content of TF to fight against the disease.…”

Combined Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analyses of Defense Mechanisms against Phytoplasma Infection in Camptotheca acuminata Decne

“…Therefore, a high-carbon environment is conducive to phytoplasma proliferation [16] and may lead to more severe symptoms in diseased plants [19]. Plants have developed a complex set of processes to improve their survival in the fight against pathogens, including the production of multiple secondary metabolites to resist the damage caused by pathogen inoculation [20,21]. In studies on phytoplasma-infected date palms [22], paulownia [12], coconut palms, and grapevines [23], lignin, phenylpropanoid, and flavonoid synthase genes were found to be upregulated.…”