Analysis of expressed sequence tags derived from a compatible Mycosphaerella fijiensis-banana interaction

Pseudocercospora fijiensis Conidial Germination Is Dominated by Pathogenicity Factors and Effectors

Conidia play a vital role in the survival and rapid spread of fungi. Many biological processes of conidia, such as adhesion, signal transduction, the regulation of oxidative stress, and autophagy, have been well studied. In contrast, the contribution of pathogenicity factors during the development of conidia in fungal phytopathogens has been poorly investigated. To date, few reports have centered on the pathogenicity functions of fungal phytopathogen conidia. Pseudocercospora fijiensis is a hemibiotrophic fungus and the causal agent of the black Sigatoka disease in bananas and plantains. Here, a conidial transcriptome of P. fijiensis was characterized computationally. Carbohydrates, amino acids, and lipid metabolisms presented the highest number of annotations in Gene Ontology. Common conidial functions were found, but interestingly, pathogenicity factors and effectors were also identified. Upon analysis of the resulting proteins against the Pathogen-Host Interaction (PHI) database, 754 hits were identified. WideEffHunter and EffHunter effector predictors identified 618 effectors, 265 of them were shared with the PHI database. A total of 1107 conidial functions devoted to pathogenesis were found after our analysis. Regarding the conidial effectorome, it was found to comprise 40 canonical and 578 non-canonical effectors. Effectorome characterization revealed that RXLR, LysM, and Y/F/WxC are the largest effector families in the P. fijiensis conidial effectorome. Gene Ontology classification suggests that they are involved in many biological processes and metabolisms, expanding our current knowledge of fungal effectors.

Infection by Pseudocercospora musae leads to an early reprogramming of the Musa paradisiaca defense transcriptome

Deep sequencing technologies such as RNA sequencing can help unravel mechanisms governing defense or resistance responses in plant-pathogen interactions. Several studies have been carried out to investigate the transcriptomic changes in Musa germplasm against Yellow Sigatoka disease, but the defense response of Musa paradisiaca has not been investigated so far. We carried out transcriptome sequencing of M. paradisiaca var. Kachkal infected with the pathogen Pseudocercospora musae and found that a vast set of genes were upregulated while many genes were downregulated in the resistant cultivar as a result of infection. After transcriptome assembly and differential gene expression analysis, 429 upregulated and 156 downregulated genes were filtered out (considering fold change ± 2, p < 0.01). Functional annotation of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) enriched the upregulated genes into 49 gene ontology (GO) classes of biological processes (BP), 20 classes of molecular function (MF) and 9 classes of cellular component (CC). Similarly, the downregulated genes were classified into 35 GO classes of BP, 28 classes of MF and 6 classes of CC. The KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that the upregulated genes were most highly represented in 'metabolic' and 'biosynthesis of secondary metabolites' pathways. Additionally, 'plant hormone signal transduction', 'plant-pathogen interaction' and 'phenylpropanoid biosynthesis' pathways were also significantly enriched indicating their involvement in resistance responses against the pathogen. The RNA-seq analysis also depicts that a range of important defense-related genes are modulated as a result of infection, all of which are responsible for either mediating or activating resistance responses in the host. We studied and validated the expression profiles of ten important defense-related genes potentially involved in conferring resistance to the pathogen through qRT-PCR. Almost all the selected defense-related genes were found to be highly and significantly upregulated within 24 h post inoculation (hpi) and for some genes, the expression remained consistently high till the later time point of 72 hpi. These results, thus, indicate that the infection by P. musae leads to a rapid reprogramming of the defense transcriptome of the resistant banana cultivar. The defense-related genes identified to be modulated in response to infection are important not only for pathogen recognition and perception but also for activation and persistence of defense in the host.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-022-03245-9.

Gene Expression, Histology and Histochemistry in the Interaction between Musa sp. and Pseudocercospora fijiensis

Bananas are the main fruits responsible for feeding more than 500 million people in tropical and subtropical countries. Black Sigatoka, caused by the fungus Pseudocercospora fijiensis, is one of the most destructive disease for the crop. This fungus is mainly controlled with the use of fungicides; however, in addition to being harmful to human health, they are associated with a high cost. The development of resistant cultivars through crosses of susceptible commercial cultivars is one of the main focuses of banana breeding programs worldwide. Thus, the objective of the present study was to investigate the interaction between Musa sp. and P. fijiensis through the relative expression of candidate genes involved in the defence response to black Sigatoka in four contrasting genotypes (resistant: Calcutta 4 and Krasan Saichon; susceptible: Grand Naine and Akondro Mainty) using quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) in addition to histological and histochemical analyses to verify the defence mechanisms activated during the interaction. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to the jasmonic acid and ethylene signalling pathway, GDSL-like lipases and pathogenesis-related proteins (PR-4), were identified. The number and distance between stomata were directly related to the resistance/susceptibility of each genotype. Histochemical tests showed the production of phenolic compounds and callosis as defence mechanisms activated by the resistant genotypes during the interaction process. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed pathogenic structures on the leaf surface in addition to calcium oxalate crystals. The resistant genotype Krasan Saichon stood out in the analyses and has potential for use in breeding programs for resistance to black Sigatoka in banana and plantains.

Genome-wide analysis of pathogenesis-related protein 1 (PR-1) gene family from Musa spp. and its role in defense response during stresses

Pathogenesis related protein-1 (PR-1) is the most abundantly produced protein during defense response against many biotic and abiotic stresses. However, knowledge on PR-1 gene family and its evolutionary relationship in banana is very limited. In order to study the potential role of PR-1 genes in banana, genome wide identification, structure analysis and expressions were performed. A total of 15 and 11 PR-1 genes were identified from A and B genomes of banana and the proteins encoded by this gene family are of varying lengths and harbor conserved domains and motifs. PR-1 genes are unevenly dispersed on 11 chromosomes with segmental duplication in both A and B genome, suggesting an important contribution of duplication in expansion of PR-1 gene family in banana. qRT-PCR analysis of PR-1 gene showed positive correlation with the RNAseq data under various stresses and examination of expression pattern of selected MaPR-1 genes in banana revealed its role in biotic and abiotic stresses in general and fusarium wilt in particular. This study provides significant insight into the functions of PR-1 genes which can be further exploited as a promising candidate for developing multiple stress tolerant banana varieties.

Genetic Characteristics and Metabolic Interactions between Pseudocercospora fijiensis and Banana: Progress toward Controlling Black Sigatoka

The international importance of banana and severity of black Sigatoka disease have led to extensive investigations into the genetic characteristics and metabolic interactions between the Dothideomycete Pseudocercospora fijiensis and its banana host. P. fijiensis was shown to have a greatly expanded genome compared to other Dothideomycetes, due to the proliferation of retrotransposons. Genome analysis suggests the presence of dispensable chromosomes that may aid in fungal adaptation as well as pathogenicity. Genomic research has led to the characterization of genes and metabolic pathways involved in pathogenicity, including: secondary metabolism genes such as PKS10-2, genes for mitogen-activated protein kinases such as Fus3 and Slt2, and genes for cell wall proteins such as glucosyl phosphatidylinositol (GPI) and glycophospholipid surface (Gas) proteins. Studies conducted on resistance mechanisms in banana have documented the role of jasmonic acid and ethylene pathways. With the development of banana transformation protocols, strategies for engineering resistance include transgenes expressing antimicrobial peptides or hydrolytic enzymes as well as host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) targeting pathogenicity genes. Pseudocercospora fijiensis has been identified as having high evolutionary potential, given its large genome size, ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually, and long-distance spore dispersal. Thus, multiple control measures are needed for the sustainable control of black Sigatoka disease.

Genetic Improvement for Resistance to Black Sigatoka in Bananas: A Systematic Review

Bananas are an important staple food crop in tropical and subtropical regions in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Central and South America. The plant is affected by numerous diseases, with the fungal leaf disease black Sigatoka, caused by Mycosphaerella fijiensis Morelet [anamorph: Pseudocercospora fijiensis (Morelet) Deighton], considered one of the most economically important phytosanitary problem. Although the development of resistant cultivars is recognized as most effective method for long term control of the disease, the majority of today's cultivars are susceptible. In order to gain insights into this pathosystem, this first systematic literature review on the topic is presented. Utilizing six databases (PubMed Central, Web of Science, Google Academic, Springer, CAPES and Scopus Journals) searches were performed using pre-established inclusion and exclusion criteria. From a total of 3,070 published studies examined, 24 were relevant with regard to the Musa-P. fijiensis pathosystem. Relevant papers highlighted that resistant and susceptible cultivars clearly respond differently to infection by this pathogen. M. acuminata wild diploids such as Calcutta 4 and other diploid cultivars can harbor sources of resistance genes, serving as parentals for the generation of improved diploids and subsequent gene introgression in new cultivars. From the sequenced reference genome of Musa acuminata, although the function of many genes in the genome still require validation, on the basis of transcriptome, proteome and biochemical data, numerous candidate genes and molecules have been identified for further evaluation through genetic transformation and gene editing approaches. Genes identified in the resistance response have included those associated with jasmonic acid and ethylene signaling, transcription factors, phenylpropanoid pathways, antioxidants and pathogenesis-related proteins. Papers in this study also revealed gene-derived markers in Musa applicable for downstream application in marker assisted selection. The information gathered in this review furthers understanding of the immune response in Musa to the pathogen P. fijiensis and is relevant for genetic improvement programs for bananas and plantains for control of black Sigatoka.

Root Endophytism by Pochonia chlamydosporia Affects Defense-Gene Expression in Leaves of Monocot and Dicot Hosts under Multiple Biotic Interactions

A study was carried out on the effect of the root endophytic fungus Pochonia chlamydosporia on plant systemic signal of defense related genes during fungal or nematode parasitism. Different biotic stress factors were examined, inoculating roots of dicot and monocot hosts with the endophyte, and measuring the expression of defense genes in leaves. A first greenhouse assay was carried out on expression of PAL, PIN II, PR1 and LOX D in leaves of tomato cv Tondino inoculated with Phytophthora infestans (CBS 120920), inoculating or not the roots of infected plants with P. chlamydosporia DSM 26985. In a second assay, plants of banana (Musa acuminata cv Grand Naine) were artificially infected with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Tropical race 4 (TR4) and inoculated or not with DSM 26985. In a further experiment, banana plants were inoculated or not with P. chlamydosporia plus juveniles of the root knot nematode (RKN) Meloidogyne incognita. A similar assay was also carried out in vitro with adults and juveniles of the lesion nematode Pratylenchus goodeyi. Differential expression of the defense genes examined was observed for all plant-stress associations, indicative of early, upward systemic signals induced by the endophyte. Changes in expression profiles included a 5-fold down-regulation of PIN II at 2 dai in leaves of tomato plants treated with P. infestans and/or P. chlamydosporia, and the up-regulation of PAL by the endophyte alone, at 2 and 7 dai. In the TR4 assay, PR1 was significantly up-regulated at 7 dai in banana leaves, but only in the P. chlamydosporia treated plants. At 10 dai, PIN II expression was significantly higher in leaves of plants inoculated only with TR4. The banana-RKN assay showed a PR1 expression significantly higher than controls at 4 and 7 dai in plants inoculated with P. chlamydosporia alone, and a down-regulation at 4 dai in leaves of plants also inoculated with RKN, with a PR1 differential up-regulation at 10 dai. Pratylenchus goodeyi down-regulated PIN at 21 dai, with or without the endophyte, as well as PAL but only in presence of P. chlamydosporia. When inoculated alone, the endophyte up-regulated PR1 and LOX. The gene expression patterns observed in leaves suggest specific and time-dependent relationships linking host plants and P. chlamydosporia in presence of biotic stress factors, functional to a systemic, although complex, activation of defense genes.

The cell wall proteome from two strains of Pseudocercospora fijiensis with differences in virulence

Pseudocercospora fijiensis causes black Sigatoka disease, the most important threat to banana. The cell wall is crucial for fungal biological processes, including pathogenesis. Here, we performed cell wall proteomics analyses of two P. fijiensis strains, the highly virulent Oz2b, and the less virulent C1233 strains. Strains were starved from nitrogen to mimic the host environment. Interestingly, in vitro cultures of the C1233 strain grew faster than Oz2b in PDB medium, suggesting that C1233 survives outside the host better than the highly virulent Oz2b strain. Both strains were submitted to nitrogen starvation and the cell wall proteins were isolated and subjected to nano-HPLC-MS/MS. A total of 2686 proteins were obtained from which only 240 had a known function and thus, bioinformatics analyses were performed on this group. We found that 90 cell wall proteins were shared by both strains, 21 were unique for Oz2b and 39 for C1233. Shared proteins comprised 24 pathogenicity factors, including Avr4 and Ecp6, two effectors from P. fijiensis, while the unique proteins comprised 16 virulence factors in C1233 and 11 in Oz2b. The P. fijiensis cell wall proteome comprised canonical proteins, but thirty percent were atypical, a feature which in other phytopathogens has been interpreted as contamination. However, a comparison with the identities of atypical proteins in other reports suggests that the P. fijiensis proteins we detected were not contaminants. This is the first proteomics analysis of the P. fijiensis cell wall and our results expands the understanding of the fundamental biology of fungal phytopathogens and will help to decipher the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis and virulence in P. fijiensis.

A first insight into the involvement of phytohormones pathways in coffee resistance and susceptibility to Colletotrichum kahawae

Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying coffee-pathogen interactions are of key importance to aid disease resistance breeding efforts. In this work the expression of genes involved in salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA) and ethylene (ET) pathways were studied in hypocotyls of two coffee varieties challenged with the hemibiotrophic fungus Colletotrichum kahawae, the causal agent of Coffee Berry Disease. Based on a cytological analysis, key time-points of the infection process were selected and qPCR was used to evaluate the expression of phytohormones biosynthesis, reception and responsive-related genes. The resistance to C. kahawae was characterized by restricted fungal growth associated with early accumulation of phenolic compounds in the cell walls and cytoplasmic contents, and deployment of hypersensitive reaction. Similar responses were detected in the susceptible variety, but in a significantly lower percentage of infection sites and with no apparent effect on disease development. Gene expression analysis suggests a more relevant involvement of JA and ET phytohormones than SA in this pathosystem. An earlier and stronger activation of the JA pathway observed in the resistant variety, when compared with the susceptible one, seems to be responsible for the successful activation of defense responses and inhibition of fungal growth. For the ET pathway, the down or non-regulation of ET receptors in the resistant variety, together with a moderate expression of the responsive-related gene ERF1, indicates that this phytohormone may be related with other functions besides the resistance response. However, in the susceptible variety, the stronger activation of ERF1 gene at the beginning of the necrotrophic phase, suggests the involvement of ET in tissue senescence. As far as we know, this is the first attempt to unveil the role of phytohormones in coffee-C. kahawae interactions, thus contributing to deepen our understanding on the complex mechanisms of plant signaling and defense.

Proteomic analysis of a compatible interaction between sugarcane and Sporisorium scitamineum

Smut caused by Sporisorium scitamineum is one of the important diseases of sugarcane with global significance. Despite the intriguing nature of sugarcane, S. scitamineum interaction, several pertinent aspects remain unexplored. This study investigates the proteome level alterations occurring in the meristem of a S. scitamineum infected susceptible sugarcane cultivar at whip emergence stage. Differentially abundant proteins were identified by 2DE coupled with MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS. Comprehensively, 53 sugarcane proteins identified were related to defence, stress, metabolism, protein folding, energy, and cell division; in addition, a putative effector of S. scitamineum, chorismate mutase, was identified. Transcript expression vis-à-vis the activity of phenylalanine ammonia lyase was relatively higher in the infected meristem. Abundance of seven candidate proteins in 2D gel profiles was in correlation with its corresponding transcript expression levels as validated by qRT-PCR. Furthermore, this study has opened up new perspectives on the interaction between sugarcane and S. scitamineum.

Transcriptome sequencing of Mycosphaerella fijiensis during association with Musa acuminata reveals candidate pathogenicity genes

BACKGROUND

Mycosphaerella fijiensis, causative agent of the black Sigatoka disease of banana, is considered the most economically damaging banana disease. Despite its importance, the genetics of pathogenicity are poorly understood. Previous studies have characterized polyketide pathways with possible roles in pathogenicity. To identify additional candidate pathogenicity genes, we compared the transcriptome of this fungus during the necrotrophic phase of infection with that during saprophytic growth in medium.

RESULTS

Transcriptome analysis was conducted, and the functions of differentially expressed genes were predicted by identifying conserved domains, Gene Ontology (GO) annotation and GO enrichment analysis, Carbohydrate-Active EnZymes (CAZy) annotation, and identification of genes encoding effector-like proteins. The analysis showed that genes commonly involved in secondary metabolism have higher expression in infected leaf tissue, including genes encoding cytochrome P450s, short-chain dehydrogenases, and oxidoreductases in the 2-oxoglutarate and Fe(II)-dependent oxygenase superfamily. Other pathogenicity-related genes with higher expression in infected leaf tissue include genes encoding salicylate hydroxylase-like proteins, hydrophobic surface binding proteins, CFEM domain-containing proteins, and genes encoding secreted cysteine-rich proteins characteristic of effectors. More genes encoding amino acid transporters, oligopeptide transporters, peptidases, proteases, proteinases, sugar transporters, and proteins containing Domain of Unknown Function (DUF) 3328 had higher expression in infected leaf tissue, while more genes encoding inhibitors of peptidases and proteinases had higher expression in medium. Sixteen gene clusters with higher expression in leaf tissue were identified including clusters for the synthesis of a non-ribosomal peptide. A cluster encoding a novel fusicoccane was also identified. Two putative dispensable scaffolds were identified with a large proportion of genes with higher expression in infected leaf tissue, suggesting that they may play a role in pathogenicity. For two other scaffolds, no transcripts were detected in either condition, and PCR assays support the hypothesis that at least one of these scaffolds corresponds to a dispensable chromosome that is not required for survival or pathogenicity.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study revealed major changes in the transcriptome of Mycosphaerella fijiensis, when associating with its host compared to during saprophytic growth in medium. This analysis identified putative pathogenicity genes and also provides support for the existence of dispensable chromosomes in this fungus.

Identification of Differentially-Expressed Genes in Response to Mycosphaerella fijiensis in the Resistant Musa Accession 'Calcutta-4' Using Suppression Subtractive Hybridization

Bananas and plantains are considered an important crop around the world. Banana production is affected by several constraints, of which Black Sigatoka Disease, caused by the fungus Mycosphaerella fijiensis, is considered one of the most important diseases in banana plantations. The banana accession ‘Calcutta-4’ has a natural resistance to Black Sigatoka; however, the fruit is not valuable for commercialization. Gene identification and expression studies in ‘Calcutta-4’ might reveal possible gene candidates for resistant to the disease and elucidate mechanisms for resistance. A subtracted cDNA library was generated from leaves after 6, 9 and 12 days inoculated with M. fijiensis conidia on greenhouse banana plants of the accession ‘Calcutta-4’. Bioinformatic analysis revealed 99 good quality sequences. Blast2go analysis revealed that 31% of the sequences could not be categorized and, according to the Biological Process Category, 32 and 28 ESTs are related to general metabolic and cellular processes, respectively; while 10 ESTs response to stimulus. Seven sequences were redundant and one was similar to genes that may be involved in pathogen resistance including the putative disease resistance protein RGA1. Genes encoding zinc finger domains were identified and may play an important role in pathogen resistance by inducing the expression of downstream genes. Expression analysis of four selected genes was performed using RT-qPCR during the early stage of the disease development at 6, 9, 12 and 15 days post inoculation showing a peak of up regulation at 9 or 12 days post inoculation. Three of the four genes showed an up-regulation of expression in ‘Calcutta-4’ when compared to ‘Williams’ after inoculation with M. fijiensis, suggesting a fine regulation of specific gene candidates that may lead to a resistance response. The genes identified in early responses in a plant-pathogen interaction may be relevant for the resistance response of ‘Calcutta-4’ to Black Sigatoka. Genes with different functions may play a role in plant response to the disease. The present study suggests a fine up regulation of these genes that might be needed to perform an incompatible interaction. Further gene functional studies need to be performed to validate their use as candidate resistance genes in susceptible banana cultivars.

Defense Gene Expression Associated with Biotrophic Phase of Mycosphaerella fijiensis M. Morelet Infection in Banana

Banana black leaf streak, caused by Mycosphaerella fijiensis M. Morelet, is a primary phytosanitary concern in export of this fruit around the world. To develop improved cultivars resistant to this disease, an understanding of host response to infection is necessary. In this study, we obtained expression data on 14,872 genes by microarray analysis in the resistant genotype Musa acuminata subsp. burmannicoides 'Calcutta 4' after inoculation with Mycosphaerella fijiensis. From these data, 16 genes were analyzed as potential reference genes and 12 genes were identified as potential early indicators of the onset of the host defense response. Subsequently, these genes were analyzed by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction in susceptible 'Williams' and resistant Calcutta 4. The 18S and 26S ribosomal subunit genes in both cultivars showed the best characteristics as reference genes. In all, 5 of the 12 defense genes expressed shortly after infection (peroxidase, pathogenesis-related [PR]-4, PR-10, phenylalanine ammonia-liase, and disease resistance response 1) showed overexpression in Calcutta 4 between 6 and 24 h after inoculation as opposed to Williams, which did not show overexpression after 144 h. Early induction of defense-related genes could be a key component of the resistance of the Calcutta 4 genotype against M. fijiensis. In addition, these five genes could be used as indicators of the activation of defense responses in the interaction between banana and M. fijiensis.

Selection of genes associated with variations in the Circle of Willis in gerbils using suppression subtractive hybridization

Deformities in the Circle of Willis (CoW) can significantly increase the risk of cerebrovascular disease in humans. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these deformities have not been understood. Based on our previous studies, variations in the CoW of gerbils are hereditary. A normal CoW is observed in approximately 60% of gerbils, a percentage that also applies to humans. Thus, gerbil is an ideal experimental model for studying variations in the CoW. To study the mechanisms underlying these variations, we selected genes associated with different types of the CoW using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). After evaluating the efficiency of SSH using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) on subtracted and unsubtracted cDNA and Southern blotting on SSH PCR products, 12 SSH libraries were established. We identified 4 genes (CST3, GNAS, GPx4 and PFN2) associated with variations in the CoW. These genes were identified with qPCR and Western blotting using 70 expressed sequence tags from the SSH libraries. Cloning and sequencing allowed us to demonstrate that the 4 genes were closely related to mouse genes. We may assume that these 4 genes play an important role in the development of variations in the CoW. This study provides a foundation for further research of genes related to development of variations in the CoW and the mechanisms of dysmorphosis of cerebral vessels.

Transcriptomic analysis of the interactions between Agaricus bisporus and Lecanicillium fungicola

Agaricus bisporus is susceptible to a number of diseases, particularly those caused by fungi, with Lecanicillium fungicola being the most serious. Control of this disease is important for the security of crop production, however given the lack of knowledge about fungal-fungal interactions, such disease control is rather limited. Exploiting the recently released genome sequence of A. bisporus, here we report studies simultaneously investigating both the host and the pathogen, focussing on transcriptional changes associated with the cap spotting lesions typically seen in this interaction. Forward-suppressive subtractive hybridisation (SSH) analysis identified 68 A. bisporus unigenes induced during infection. Chitin deacetylase showed the strongest response, with almost 1000-fold up-regulation during infection, so was targeted for down-regulation by silencing to see if it was involved in defence against L. fungicola. Transgenic lines were made expressing hairpin RNAi constructs, however no changes in susceptibility to L. fungicola were observed. Amongst the other up-regulated genes there were none with readily apparent roles in resisting infection in this susceptible interaction. Reverse-SSH identified 72 unigenes from A. bisporus showing reduced expression, including two tyrosinases, several genes involved in nitrogen metabolism and a hydrophobin. The forward-SSH analysis of infected mushrooms also yielded 64 unigenes which were not of A. bisporus origin and thus derived from L. fungicola. An EST analysis of infection-mimicking conditions generated an additional 623 unigenes from L. fungicola including several oxidoreductases, cell wall degrading enzymes, ABC and MFS transporter proteins and various other genes believed to play roles in other pathosystems. Together, this analysis shows how both the pathogen and the host modify their gene expression during an infection-interaction, shedding some light on the disease process, although we note that some 40% of unigenes from both organisms encode hypothetical proteins with no ascribed function which highlights how much there is still to discover about this interaction.

Analysis of the leaf transcriptome of Musa acuminata during interaction with Mycosphaerella musicola: gene assembly, annotation and marker development

BACKGROUND

Although banana (Musa sp.) is an important edible crop, contributing towards poverty alleviation and food security, limited transcriptome datasets are available for use in accelerated molecular-based breeding in this genus. 454 GS-FLX Titanium technology was employed to determine the sequence of gene transcripts in genotypes of Musa acuminata ssp. burmannicoides Calcutta 4 and M. acuminata subgroup Cavendish cv. Grande Naine, contrasting in resistance to the fungal pathogen Mycosphaerella musicola, causal organism of Sigatoka leaf spot disease. To enrich for transcripts under biotic stress responses, full length-enriched cDNA libraries were prepared from whole plant leaf materials, both uninfected and artificially challenged with pathogen conidiospores.

RESULTS

The study generated 846,762 high quality sequence reads, with an average length of 334 bp and totalling 283 Mbp. De novo assembly generated 36,384 and 35,269 unigene sequences for M. acuminata Calcutta 4 and Cavendish Grande Naine, respectively. A total of 64.4% of the unigenes were annotated through Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) similarity analyses against public databases.Assembled sequences were functionally mapped to Gene Ontology (GO) terms, with unigene functions covering a diverse range of molecular functions, biological processes and cellular components. Genes from a number of defense-related pathways were observed in transcripts from each cDNA library. Over 99% of contig unigenes mapped to exon regions in the reference M. acuminata DH Pahang whole genome sequence. A total of 4068 genic-SSR loci were identified in Calcutta 4 and 4095 in Cavendish Grande Naine. A subset of 95 potential defense-related gene-derived simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci were validated for specific amplification and polymorphism across M. acuminata accessions. Fourteen loci were polymorphic, with alleles per polymorphic locus ranging from 3 to 8 and polymorphism information content ranging from 0.34 to 0.82.

CONCLUSIONS

A large set of unigenes were characterized in this study for both M. acuminata Calcutta 4 and Cavendish Grande Naine, increasing the number of public domain Musa ESTs. This transcriptome is an invaluable resource for furthering our understanding of biological processes elicited during biotic stresses in Musa. Gene-based markers will facilitate molecular breeding strategies, forming the basis of genetic linkage mapping and analysis of quantitative trait loci.

De novo characterization of the banana root transcriptome and analysis of gene expression under Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Cubense tropical race 4 infection

BACKGROUND

Bananas and plantains (Musa spp.) are among the most important crops in the world due to their nutritional and export value. However, banana production has been devastated by fungal infestations caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc), which cannot be effectively prevented or controlled. Since there is very little known about the molecular mechanism of Foc infections; therefore, we aimed to investigate the transcriptional changes induced by Foc in banana roots.

RESULTS

We generated a cDNA library from total RNA isolated from banana roots infected with Foc Tropical Race 4 (Foc TR 4) at days 0, 2, 4, and 6. We generated over 26 million high-quality reads from the cDNA library using deep sequencing and assembled 25,158 distinct gene sequences by de novo assembly and gap-filling. The average distinct gene sequence length was 1,439 base pairs. A total of 21,622 (85.94%) unique sequences were annotated and 11,611 were assigned to specific metabolic pathways using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database. We used digital gene expression (DGE) profiling to investigate the transcriptional changes in the banana root upon Foc TR4 infection. The expression of genes in the Phenylalanine metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and alpha-linolenic acid metabolism pathways was affected by Foc TR4 infection.

CONCLUSION

The combination of RNA-Seq and DGE analysis provides a powerful method for analyzing the banana root transcriptome and investigating the transcriptional changes during the response of banana genes to Foc TR4 infection. The assembled banana transcriptome provides an important resource for future investigations about the banana crop as well as the diseases that plague this valuable staple food.

Development of expressed sequence tag and expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeat marker resources for Musa acuminata

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Banana (Musa acuminata) is a crop contributing to global food security. Many varieties lack resistance to biotic stresses, due to sterility and narrow genetic background. The objective of this study was to develop an expressed sequence tag (EST) database of transcripts expressed during compatible and incompatible banana-Mycosphaerella fijiensis (Mf) interactions. Black leaf streak disease (BLSD), caused by Mf, is a destructive disease of banana. Microsatellite markers were developed as a resource for crop improvement.

METHODOLOGY

cDNA libraries were constructed from in vitro-infected leaves from BLSD-resistant M. acuminata ssp. burmaniccoides Calcutta 4 (MAC4) and susceptible M. acuminata cv. Cavendish Grande Naine (MACV). Clones were 5'-end Sanger sequenced, ESTs assembled with TGICL and unigenes annotated using BLAST, Blast2GO and InterProScan. Mreps was used to screen for simple sequence repeats (SSRs), with markers evaluated for polymorphism using 20 diploid (AA) M. acuminata accessions contrasting in resistance to Mycosphaerella leaf spot diseases.

PRINCIPAL RESULTS

A total of 9333 high-quality ESTs were obtained for MAC4 and 3964 for MACV, which assembled into 3995 unigenes. Of these, 2592 displayed homology to genes encoding proteins with known or putative function, and 266 to genes encoding proteins with unknown function. Gene ontology (GO) classification identified 543 GO terms, 2300 unigenes were assigned to EuKaryotic orthologous group categories and 312 mapped to Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. A total of 624 SSR loci were identified, with trinucleotide repeat motifs the most abundant in MAC4 (54.1 %) and MACV (57.6 %). Polymorphism across M. acuminata accessions was observed with 75 markers. Alleles per polymorphic locus ranged from 2 to 8, totalling 289. The polymorphism information content ranged from 0.08 to 0.81.

CONCLUSIONS

This EST collection offers a resource for studying functional genes, including transcripts expressed in banana-Mf interactions. Markers are applicable for genetic mapping, diversity characterization and marker-assisted breeding.