Fusarium virguliforme genes and pathways involved in the development of sudden death syndrome in soybean
S. MANSOURI (1), B. H. Bluhm (2), J. P. Bond (1), A. M. Fakhoury (1)
(1) Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL, U.S.A.; (2) University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, U.S.A.
Phytopathology 101:S113

Fusarium virguliforme is a soil-borne pathogen that causes sudden death syndrome (SDS) in soybean. Despite the importance of the disease, little is known about the fungal genes involved in the infection process and their expression profiles in response to plant defense mechanisms. Greenhouse assays were conducted to identify F. virguliforme genes expressed in planta under conditions conducive to the development of SDS. Total RNA was extracted from soybean roots challenged with F. virguliforme 15 days after planting. Sequencing-based transcript analysis using Illumina technology was used to identify and characterize fungal transcripts expressed in the infected soybean roots. The acquired sequences cover 20% of the publicly available genomic sequence of F. virguliforme. Data analysis and annotation of RNA species was performed. Subsequently, annotated fungal genes were classified into different groups based on their molecular function. The expression patterns of a subset of the identified genes were confirmed by RT-PCR. This is the first report of using next=generation sequencing to identify and characterize F. virguliforme genes and pathways involved in the development of SDS in soybean. These results will be used to identify new target genes to disrupt in F. virguliforme and study their role in SDS development.