Expression of defense signaling genes in the potato-Verticillium dahliae interaction
Date
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Verticillium dahliae Kleb. causes Verticillium wilt in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). Hormone signaling pathways are known to play a role in plant defense reactions. A gene expression analysis was performed on a susceptible and a moderately resistant (MR) cultivar of potato after inoculation with either a highly aggressive (HA) or a weakly aggressive (WA) isolate of V. dahliae. Genes related to the salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid/ethylene (JA/ET), and abscisic acid (ABA) pathways showed higher expression in the MR cultivar than the susceptible cultivar indicating that they may contribute to resistance. Additionally, a number of genes showed a delayed reaction in the susceptible cultivar and only in plants inoculated with the HA isolate of the pathogen. This trend was observed in genes related to the SA and JA/ET pathways. Overall, this research indicates that more than one hormone signaling pathway may contribute to the defense against V. dahliae by potato.