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Title: Herbaspirillum rubrisubalbicans as a phytopathogenic model to study the immune system of Sorghum bicolor

Author
item TULESKI, THALITA REGINA - Universidade Federal Do Parana
item KIMBALL, JENNIFER - North Carolina State University
item DO AMARAL, FERNANDA - University Of Missouri
item PEREIRA FEDERAL, TOMAS - University Of Santa Catarina
item TADRA-SFEIR, MICHELLE - Universidade Federal Do Parana
item DE OLIVEIRA PEDROSA, FABIO - Universidade Federal Do Parana
item DE SOUZA, EMANUEL - Universidade Federal Do Parana
item Balint-Kurti, Peter
item MONTEIRO, ROSE - Universidade Federal Do Parana
item STACEY, GARY - University Of Missouri

Submitted to: New Phytologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/1/2019
Publication Date: 12/27/2019
Citation: Tuleski, T., Kimball, J., Do Amaral, F.P., Pereira Federal, T.P., Tadra-Sfeir, M.Z., De Oliveira Pedrosa, F., De Souza, E.M., Balint Kurti, P.J., Monteiro, R.A., Stacey, G. 2019. Herbaspirillum rubrisubalbicans as a phytopathogenic model to study the immune system of Sorghum bicolor. New Phytologist. 33:235-246.

Interpretive Summary: Herbaspirillum rubrisubalbicans is the causal agent of red stripe disease (RSD) and mottle stripe disease of sorghum and sugar cane, respectively. IN this publication we report a number of studies describing its interaction with Sorghum. Sixty three lines of sorghum were screened for resistance and several resistance genes were identified. The genes expressed during infection were identified and the role of basal resistance in the interaction was defined. These studies are an important first step in characterizing the H. rubrisubalbicans/sorghum interaction.

Technical Abstract: Herbaspirillum rubrisubalbicans is the causal agent of red stripe disease (RSD) and mottle stripe disease of sorghum and sugar cane, respectively. Sixty-three genotypes of Sorghum bicolor were inoculated with H. rubrisubalbicans with 59 showing RSD symptoms. QTL analysis in a recombinant inbred Line (RIL) population identified several quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with variation in resistance to RSD. RNA sequencing analysis identified a number of genes whose transcript levels were differentially regulated during H. rubrisubalbicans infection. Among those genes that responded to H. rubrisubalbicans inoculation were many known to be involved in plant-pathogen interactions, such as leucine-rich (LRR) receptors, calcium binding proteins, transcriptional factors (ERF) and, callose synthase. Pretreatment of sorghum leaves with the pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) molecules flg22 and chitooctaose provided protection against subsequent challenge with the pathogen, suggesting that PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI) plays an important role in the sorghum immunity response. These data present baseline information for the use of the genetically tractable H.rubrisubalbicans-sorghum pathosystem for the study of innate immunity and disease resistance in this important grain and bioenergy crop. Information gained from the use of this system is likely to be informative for other monocots, including those more intractable for experimental study (e.g., sugarcane).