title: De-novo assembly and characterization of the transcriptome of Metschnikowia fructicola reveals differences in gene expression following interaction with Penicillium digitatum and grapefruit peel.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The yeast Metschnikowia fructicola is an antagonist with biological control activity against postharvest diseases of several fruits. We performed a transcriptome analysis, using RNA-Seq technology, to examine the response of M. fructicola with citrus fruit and with the postharvest pathogen, Penicillium digitatum.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More than 26 million sequencing reads were assembled into 9,674 unigenes. Approximately 50% of the unigenes could be annotated based on homology matches in the NCBI database. Based on homology, sequences were annotated with a gene description, gene ontology (GO term), and clustered into functional groups. An analysis of differential expression when the yeast was interacting with the fruit vs. the pathogen revealed more than 250 genes with specific expression responses. In the antagonist-pathogen interaction, genes related to transmembrane, multidrug transport and to amino acid metabolism were induced. In the antagonist-fruit interaction, expression of genes involved in oxidative stress, iron homeostasis, zinc homeostasis, and lipid metabolism were induced. Patterns of gene expression in the two interactions were examined at the individual transcript level by quantitative real-time PCR analysis (RT-qPCR).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides new insight into the biology of the tritrophic interactions that occur in a biocontrol system such as the use of the yeast, M. fructicola for the control of green mold on citrus caused by P. digitatum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Postharvest and Food Sciences, ARO, the Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, 50250, Israel.
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hershkovitz
authors.forename: Noa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sela
authors.forename: Leena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Taha-Salaime
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ginat
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rafael
authors.forename: Clarita
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kessler
authors.forename: Radi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aly
authors.forename: Maggie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wisniewski
authors.forename: Samir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Droby
mesh_terms: D032083:Citrus paradisi / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005638:Fruit / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D055163:Metschnikowia / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010407:Penicillium / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology