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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Parlier, California » San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center » Crop Diseases, Pests and Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #292179
Title: Transcriptomic, proteomic and nutritional analyses of potatoes in response to ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ infection

Author
item Nwugo, Chika
item SENGODA, VENKATESAN - Texas A&M University
item Munyaneza, Joseph
item Lin, Hong

Submitted to: American Phytopathological Society Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/15/2013
Publication Date: 8/10/2013
Citation: Nwugo, C.C., Sengoda, V.G., Munyaneza, J.E., Lin, H. 2013. Transcriptomic, proteomic and nutritional analyses of potatoes in response to ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ infection. American Phytopathological Society Abstracts. 103:S2.104.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Zebra chip (ZC) is an emerging destructive disease stymying potato production in several parts of the world including the U.S. The disease is associated with the phloem-limited a-protobacterium, ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ (Lso), which is transmitted by the potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Šulc). While progress has been made on understanding the etiology of ZC, there is limited information on host-specific molecular and physiological responses associated with the disease. In this study, RNA-Seq, 2-dimension gel glectrophoresis , mass spectrometry and qPCR analyses identified over 100 differentially produced gene transcripts and protein spots in above-ground (AG) and below-ground (BG) potato tissues upon Lso infection. Interestingly, in spite of an Lso-mediated down-regulation of photosynthesis-related genes/proteins, over 80% of the differentially produced gene transcripts/proteins were up-regulated in AG tissues. This was accompanied by an increase in nutrient concentrations of K, Mn, Fe and Cu in both AG and BG tissues in response to Lso infection. Furthermore, there was a strong induction of proteinase inhibitors in AG tissues upon Lso infection. In contrast, the expression of proteinase inhibitors was markedly suppressed in Lso-infected BG tissues. In general, results suggest that ZC disease development involves an Lso-mediated down-regulation of photosynthesis accompanied by an ineffective and potentially inefficient up-regulation of stress response-, metabolism-, and housekeeping-related gene transcripts/proteins with concomitant increases in nutrient accumulation. This study presents a first approach of a holistic investigation of the global transcriptomic, proteomic and nutritional response of potato plants to Lso infection.