title: Transcriptome analysis of the Brassica napus-Leptosphaeria maculans pathosystem identifies receptor, signaling and structural genes underlying plant resistance.
abstract: The hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen Leptosphaeria maculans is the causal agent of blackleg disease in Brassica napus (canola, oilseed rape) and causes significant loss of yield worldwide. While genetic resistance has been used to mitigate the disease by means of traditional breeding strategies, there is little knowledge about the genes that contribute to blackleg resistance. RNA sequencing and a streamlined bioinformatics pipeline identified unique genes and plant defense pathways specific to plant resistance in the B. napus-L. maculans LepR1-AvrLepR1 interaction over time. We complemented our temporal analyses by monitoring gene activity directly at the infection site using laser microdissection coupled to quantitative PCR. Finally, we characterized genes involved in plant resistance to blackleg in the Arabidopsis-L. maculans model pathosystem. Data reveal an accelerated activation of the plant transcriptome in resistant host cotyledons associated with transcripts coding for extracellular receptors and phytohormone signaling molecules. Functional characterization provides direct support for transcriptome data and positively identifies resistance regulators in the Brassicaceae. Spatial gradients of gene activity were identified in response to L. maculans proximal to the site of infection. This dataset provides unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution of the genes required for blackleg resistance and serves as a valuable resource for those interested in host-pathogen interactions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T2N2, Canada.
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T2N2, Canada.
authors.forename: Xuehua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T2N2, Canada.
authors.forename: Philip L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T2N2, Canada.
authors.forename: Joey C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T2N2, Canada.
authors.forename: Jenna L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Millar
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T2N2, Canada.
authors.forename: Deirdre
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T2N2, Canada.
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Granger
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T2N2, Canada.
authors.forename: Jacob D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Cavers
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T2N2, Canada.
authors.forename: Ainsley C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T2N2, Canada.
authors.forename: Dilantha W G
authors.initials: DWG
authors.lastname: Fernando
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T2N2, Canada.
authors.forename: Mark F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Belmonte
mesh_terms: D001203:Ascomycota / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D029688:Brassica napus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology*; D060467:Disease Resistance / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci / Q000235:genetics
keywords: 
  Brassica napus
  ; 
  Leptosphaeria maculans
  ; RNA sequencing; blackleg; laser microdissection; resistance; transcriptome