Integrated analysis of transcriptomics and defense-related phytohormones to discover hub genes conferring maize Gibberella ear rot caused by Fusarium Graminearum

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-024-10656-w

Guangsheng Yuan1*, Jiahao Shi1, Cheng Zeng1, Haoya Shi1, Yong Yang1, Chuntian Zhang1, Tieli Ma1, Mengyang Wu1, Zheyi Jia1, Juan Du1, Chaoying Zou1, Langlang Ma1, Guangtang Pan1and Yaou Shen1

Abstract

Background Gibberella ear rot (GER) is one of the most devastating diseases in maize growing areas, which directly reduces grain yield and quality. However, the underlying defense response of maize to pathogens infection is largely unknown. 

Results To gain a comprehensive understanding of the defense response in GER resistance, two contrasting inbred lines‘Nov-82’and‘H10’were used to explore transcriptomic profles and defense-related phytohormonal alterations duringFusarium gram nearuminfection. Transcriptomic analysis revealed 4,417 and 4,313 diferentially expressed genes (DEGs) from the Nov-82 and H10, respectively, and 647 common DEGs between the two lines. More DEGs were obviously enriched in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, secondary metabolites biosynthesis, metabolic process and defense-related pathways. In addition, the concentration of the defense-related phytohormones, jasmonates (JAs) and salicylates (SAs), was greatly induced after the pathogen infection. The level of JAs in H10 was more higher than in Nov-82, whereas an opposite pattern for the SA between the both lines. Integrated analysis of the DEGs and the phytohormones revealed fve vital modules based on co-expression network analysis according to their correlation.A total of 12 hub genes encoding fatty acid desaturase, subtilisin-like protease, ethylene-responsive transcription factor, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase, and sugar transport protein were captured from the key modules, indicating that these genes might play unique roles in response to pathogen infection, 

Conclusions Overall, our results indicate that large number DEGs related to plant disease resistance and diferent alteration of defensive phytohormones were activated duringF. graminearuminfection, providing new insight into the defense response against pathogen invasion, in addition to the identifed hub genes that can be further investigated for enhancing maize GER resistance.

Keywords   

Gibberella ear rot, Fusarium Graminearum, Diferentially expressed genes, Defense-related phytohormones, Co-expression network analysis