title: RNAseq analysis of cassava reveals similar plant responses upon infection with pathogenic and non-pathogenic strains of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis.
abstract: An RNAseq-based analysis of the cassava plants inoculated with Xam allowed the identification of transcriptional upregulation of genes involved in jasmonate metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and putative targets for a TALE. Cassava bacterial blight, a disease caused by the gram-negative bacterium Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis (Xam), is a major limitation to cassava production worldwide and especially in developing countries. The molecular mechanisms underlying cassava susceptibility to Xam are currently unknown. To identify host genes and pathways leading to plant susceptibility, we analyzed the transcriptomic responses occurring in cassava plants challenged with either the non-pathogenic Xam strain ORST4, or strain ORST4(TALE1 Xam ) which is pathogenic due to the major virulence transcription activator like effector TALE1 Xam . Both strains triggered similar responses, i.e., induction of genes related to photosynthesis and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and repression of genes related to jasmonic acid signaling. Finally, to search for TALE1 Xam virulence targets, we scanned the list of cassava genes induced upon inoculation of ORST4(TALE1 Xam ) for candidates harboring a predicted TALE1 Xam effector binding element in their promoter. Among the six genes identified as potential candidate targets of TALE1 Xam a gene coding for a heat shock transcription factor stands out as the best candidate based on their induction in presence of TALE1 Xam and contain a sequence putatively recognized by TALE1 Xam .
authors.affiliation: Manihot Biotec Group, Department of Biology, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors.forename: Alejandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muñoz-Bodnar
authors.forename: Alvaro L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Perez-Quintero
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gomez-Cano
authors.forename: Juliana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gil
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Michelmore
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bernal
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Szurek
authors.forename: Camilo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lopez
mesh_terms: D001592:Benzyl Alcohols / Q000378:metabolism; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D002365:Manihot / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014774:Virulence; D053532:Xanthomonas axonopodis / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D001592:Benzyl Alcohols; D010940:Plant Proteins