Transcriptome analysis provides insights into the responses of sweet potato to sweet potato virus disease (SPVD).

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) ranks among the most important crops in the world and provides nutritional and economic sustainability for subsistence farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. Its production is mainly constrained by sweet potato virus disease (SPVD) caused by the coinfection of two positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses, sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus (SPCSV) and sweet potato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV). Current understanding of sweet potato responses to SPCSV and SPFMV at the molecular level remains very limited. In this study, we performed deep sequencing of both messenger RNA (mRNA) and small RNA (sRNA) populations in an SPVD-susceptible cultivar 'Beauregard' upon viral infection, to identify biological pathways that contribute to both general and specific host responses to these important viral pathogens. We found that pathways related to stress response and signaling were significantly affected by viral infection. sRNA components of these pathways were predominantly affected in late stages of the coinfection by SPCSV and SPFMV. We identified several novel microRNAs that were responsive to viral infection, some of which were predicted to target nucleotide-binding site leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) disease resistance genes. The downregulation of the salicylic acid-mediated defense response pathway in particular seems to be a result of the viral infection process, and can in part explain the susceptible nature of the 'Beauregard' cultivar.

Ptr1 evolved convergently with RPS2 and Mr5 to mediate recognition of AvrRpt2 in diverse solanaceous species.

The Ptr1 (Pseudomonas tomato race 1) locus in Solanum lycopersicoides confers resistance to strains of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato expressing AvrRpt2 and Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum expressing RipBN. Here we describe the identification and phylogenetic analysis of the Ptr1 gene. A single recombinant among 585 F2 plants segregating for the Ptr1 locus was discovered that narrowed the Ptr1 candidates to eight nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat protein (NLR)-encoding genes. From analysis of the gene models in the S. lycopersicoides genome sequence and RNA-Seq data, two of the eight genes emerged as the strongest candidates for Ptr1. One of these two candidates was found to encode Ptr1 based on its ability to mediate recognition of AvrRpt2 and RipBN when it was transiently expressed with these effectors in leaves of Nicotiana glutinosa. The ortholog of Ptr1 in tomato and in Solanum pennellii is a pseudogene. However, a functional Ptr1 ortholog exists in Nicotiana benthamiana and potato, and both mediate recognition of AvrRpt2 and RipBN. In apple and Arabidopsis, recognition of AvrRpt2 is mediated by the Mr5 and RPS2 proteins, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis places Ptr1 in a distinct clade compared with Mr5 and RPS2, and it therefore appears to have arisen by convergent evolution for recognition of AvrRpt2.

Differential gene regulatory pathways and co-expression networks associated with fire blight infection in apple (Malus × domestica).

Apple cultivars with durable resistance are needed for sustainable management of fire blight, the most destructive bacterial disease of apples. Although studies have identified genetic resistance to fire blight in both wild species and cultivated apples, more research is needed to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying host-pathogen interaction and differential genotypic responses to fire blight infection. We have analyzed phenotypic and transcriptional responses of 'Empire' and 'Gala' apple cultivars to fire blight by infecting them with a highly aggressive E. amylovora strain. Disease progress, based on the percentage of visual shoot necrosis, started showing significant (p < 0.001) differences between 'Empire' and 'Gala' 4 days after infection (dai). 'Empire' seems to slow down bacterial progress more rapidly after this point. We further compared transcriptome profiles of 'Empire' and 'Gala' at three different time points after fire blight infection. More genes showed differential expression in 'Gala' at earlier stages, but the number of differentially expressed genes increased in 'Empire' at 3 dai. Functional classes related to defense, cell cycle, response to stress, and biotic stress were identified and a few co-expression gene networks showed particular enrichment for plant defense and abiotic stress response genes. Several of these genes also co-localized in previously identified quantitative trait locus regions for fire blight resistance on linkage groups 7 and 12, and can serve as functional candidates for future research. These results highlight different molecular mechanisms for pathogen perception and control in two apple cultivars and will contribute toward better understanding of E. amylovora-Malus pathosystem.

A florigen paralog is required for short-day vernalization in a pooid grass.

Perception of seasonal cues is critical for reproductive success in many plants. Exposure to winter cold is a cue that can confer competence to flower in the spring via a process known as vernalization. In certain grasses, exposure to short days is another winter cue that can lead to a vernalized state. In Brachypodium distachyon, we find that natural variation for the ability of short days to confer competence to flower is due to allelic variation of the FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT1) paralog FT-like9 (FTL9). An active FTL9 allele is required for the acquisition of floral competence, demonstrating a novel role for a member of the FT family of genes. Loss of the short-day vernalization response appears to have arisen once in B. distachyon and spread through diverse lineages indicating that this loss has adaptive value, perhaps by delaying spring flowering until the danger of cold damage to flowers has subsided.

Genetic Architecture of Flowering-Time Variation in Brachypodium distachyon.

The transition to reproductive development is a crucial step in the plant life cycle, and the timing of this transition is an important factor in crop yields. Here, we report new insights into the genetic control of natural variation in flowering time in Brachypodium distachyon, a nondomesticated pooid grass closely related to cereals such as wheat (Triticum spp.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). A recombinant inbred line population derived from a cross between the rapid-flowering accession Bd21 and the delayed-flowering accession Bd1-1 were grown in a variety of environmental conditions to enable exploration of the genetic architecture of flowering time. A genotyping-by-sequencing approach was used to develop SNP markers for genetic map construction, and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that control differences in flowering time were identified. Many of the flowering-time QTLs are detected across a range of photoperiod and vernalization conditions, suggesting that the genetic control of flowering within this population is robust. The two major QTLs identified in undomesticated B. distachyon colocalize with VERNALIZATION1/PHYTOCHROME C and VERNALIZATION2, loci identified as flowering regulators in the domesticated crops wheat and barley. This suggests that variation in flowering time is controlled in part by a set of genes broadly conserved within pooid grasses.