Transcriptional and metabolic changes associated to the infection by Fusarium verticillioides in maize inbreds with contrasting ear rot resistance

VALERIA ALINA CAMPOS BERMUDEZ; CAROLINA M FAUGUEL; MARCOS A TRONCONI; PAULA CASATI; DANIEL A PRESELLO; CARLOS SANTIAGO ANDREO

PLOS ONE

PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE

Lugar: San Francisco; Año: 2013 vol. 8

1932-6203

Fusarium verticillioides causes ear rots and grain mycotoxins, which are harmful tohuman and animal health in maize (Zea mays L.). Breeding and growing lesssusceptible plant genotypes is one alternative to reduce these detrimental effects. Abetter understanding of resistance mechanism would facilitate the implementation ofstrategic molecular agriculture to breeding of resistant germplasm. Our aim was toidentify genes and metabolites that may be related to the Fusarium reaction in aresistant (L4637) and a susceptible (L4674) inbred. Gene expression data wereobtained from microarray hybridizations in inoculated and non-inoculated kernels fromboth inbreds. Fungal inoculation did not produce considerable changes in geneexpression and metabolites in L4637. Defense-related genes changed in L4674kernels, responding specifically to the pathogen infection. These results indicate thatL4637 resistance may be mainly due to constitutive defense mechanisms preventingfungal infection. These mechanisms seem to be poorly expressed in L4674 anddespite the inoculation activate a defense response this is not enough to prevent thedisease progress in this susceptible line. Through this study, a global view ofdifferential genes expressed and metabolites concentration during resistance andsusceptibility to F. verticillioides inoculation has been obtained, giving additionalinformation about the mechanisms and pathways conferring resistance to thisimportant disease in maize.