Genome-wide gene expression dynamics of the fungal pathogen Dothistroma septosporum throughout its infection cycle of the gymnosperm host Pinus radiata.
We present genome-wide gene expression patterns as a time series through the infection cycle of the fungal pine needle blight pathogen, Dothistroma septosporum, as it invades its gymnosperm host, Pinus radiata. We determined the molecular changes at three stages of the disease cycle: epiphytic/biotrophic (early), initial necrosis (mid) and mature sporulating lesion (late). Over 1.7 billion combined plant and fungal reads were sequenced to obtain 3.2 million fungal-specific reads, which comprised as little as 0.1% of the sample reads early in infection. This enriched dataset shows that the initial biotrophic stage is characterized by the up-regulation of genes encoding fungal cell wall-modifying enzymes and signalling proteins. Later necrotrophic stages show the up-regulation of genes for secondary metabolism, putative effectors, oxidoreductases, transporters and starch degradation. This in-depth through-time transcriptomic study provides our first snapshot of the gene expression dynamics that characterize infection by this fungal pathogen in its gymnosperm host.
Bio-Protection Research Centre, Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, 4474, New Zealand.
Rosie E
RE
Bradshaw
Bio-Protection Research Centre, Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, 4474, New Zealand.
Yanan
Y
Guo
Bio-Protection Research Centre, Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, 4474, New Zealand.
Andre D
AD
Sim
Bio-Protection Research Centre, Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, 4474, New Zealand.
M Shahjahan
MS
Kabir
Bio-Protection Research Centre, Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, 4474, New Zealand.
Pranav
P
Chettri
Bio-Protection Research Centre, Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, 4474, New Zealand.
Ibrahim K
IK
Ozturk
Bio-Protection Research Centre, Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, 4474, New Zealand.
Lukas
L
Hunziker
Scion, NZ Forest Research Institute Ltd, Rotorua, 3010, New Zealand.
Rebecca J
RJ
Ganley
Bio-Protection Research Centre, Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, 4474, New Zealand.
Murray P
MP
Cox
D001203:Ascomycota / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D063990:Gene Ontology; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D016681:Genome, Fungal; D028223:Pinus / Q000382:microbiology*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D064210:Secondary Metabolism / Q000235:genetics; D059467:Transcriptome / Q000235:genetics; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000235:genetics
Dothistroma needle blight; RNA sequencing; dothideomycete; forest pathogen; gymnosperm pathogen; hemibiotroph; transcriptome