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- Title
Mechanisms of resistance/tolerance of Pyrus communis to Stemphylium vesicarium. A transcriptome analysis.
- Authors
Pereira, Vanessa; Sousa, Lisete; Sousa, António; Pais, Maria
- Abstract
Pyrus communis 'Rocha' is an economically important crop very susceptible to the pathogenic fungus Stemphylium vesicarium, the causal agent of brown spot disease. Knowledge on the complexity of mechanisms responsible for resistance to S. vesicarium infection is necessary for definition of strategies to improve defence responses in susceptible cultivars. To investigate the molecular mechanisms behind Pyrus communis defence responses to S. vesicarium, a 6624 (3312 × 2) cDNA microarray was constructed to identify genes differentially expressed between a resistant/tolerant cultivar ('Ercolini') and a susceptible cultivar ('Rocha'). Both cultivars were compared to evaluate their genetic background differences prior to inoculation (T0h) and transcriptional changes along a time course infection with S. vesicarium (T6h and T24h). Two cDNA libraries, from 'Rocha' and 'Ercolini' pear cultivars, spotted in the microarray resulted on 146 differential expressed genes. Transcriptome analysis revealed several transcripts related to stress and defence, namely peroxidases, 3-dehydroquinate dehydratase/shikimate 5-dehydrogenase, thiazole biosynthetic enzyme, serpins, cytochromes P450, 2-methyl-6-phytylbenzoquinone methyltransferase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, polyneuridine-aldehyde esterase precursor, lipoxygenases and PR proteins. The results suggest that resistance/tolerance of 'Ercolini' cultivar may result from the rapid activation of defence mechanisms while in 'Rocha' cultivar the defence mechanisms may be activated too late for inducing an efficient response to infection by S. vesicarium. Cell wall strengthening and biosynthesis of antifungal compounds may constitute efficient physical and chemical barriers to S. vesicarium infection and priming emerges as a putative mechanism of resistance/tolerance. The evidence gathered combined with knowledge on host/endophyte signalling in mycorrhiza leads us to suggest priming as a measure to brown spot disease control in 'Rocha' pear cultivar through symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi in order to anticipate and induce a more efficient activation of defence mechanisms. Also the thiazole biosynthetic enzyme and the serpins appears as potential candidates for the development of molecular markers for resistance to infection.
- Subjects
COMMON pear; STEMPHYLIUM vesicarium; RICE brown spot disease; PLANT-pathogen relationships; DNA microarrays
- Publication
Agroforestry Systems, 2015, Vol 89, Issue 6, p991
- ISSN
0167-4366
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s10457-015-9831-9