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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Fungal Biol.
Sec. Fungi-Plant Interactions
Volume 5 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/ffunb.2024.1437344
This article is part of the Research Topic Current Perspectives on Colletotrichum: From Molecules to Ecosystems View all articles

Dual-RNA-sequencing to elucidate the interactions between sorghum and Colletotrichum sublineola

Provisionally accepted
Saddie Vela Saddie Vela 1Emily S. Wolf Emily S. Wolf 1Jeffrey Rollins Jeffrey Rollins 1Hugo E. Cuevas Hugo E. Cuevas 2Wilfred Vermerris Wilfred Vermerris 1*
  • 1 University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
  • 2 Tropical Agriculture Research Station, Agricultural Research Service (USDA), Mayaguez, Puerto Rico

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    In warm and humid regions, the productivity of sorghum is significantly limited by the fungal hemibiotrophic pathogen Colletotrichum sublineola, the causal agent of anthracnose, a problematic disease of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) that can result in grain and biomass yield losses of up to 50%. Despite available genomic resources of both the host and fungal pathogen, the molecular basis of sorghum-C. sublineola interactions are poorly understood. By employing a dual-RNA sequencing approach, the molecular crosstalk between sorghum and C. sublineola can be elucidated. In this study, we examined the transcriptomes of four resistant sorghum accessions from the sorghum association panel (SAP) at varying time points post-infection with C. sublineola. Approximately 0.3% and 93% of the reads mapped to the genomes of C. sublineola and Sorghum bicolor, respectively. Expression profiling of in vitro versus in planta C. sublineola at 1-, 3-, and 5days post-infection (dpi) indicated that genes encoding secreted candidate effectors, carbohydrateactive enzymes (CAZymes), and membrane transporters increased in expression during the transition from the biotrophic to the necrotrophic phase (3 dpi). The hallmark of the pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)-triggered immunity in sorghum includes the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and phytoalexins. The majority of effector candidates secreted by C. sublineola were predicted to be localized in the host apoplast, where they could interfere with the PAMP-triggered immunity response, specifically in the host ROS signaling pathway. The genes encoding critical molecular factors influencing pathogenicity identified in this study are a useful resource for subsequent genetic experiments aimed at validating their contributions to pathogen virulence. This comprehensive study not only provides a better understanding of the biology of C. sublineola but also supports the long-term goal of developing resistant sorghum cultivars.

    Keywords: Anthracnose, Defense, effector, hemibiotroph, Immunity, Sorghum bicolor, Transcriptomics

    Received: 23 May 2024; Accepted: 19 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Vela, Wolf, Rollins, Cuevas and Vermerris. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Wilfred Vermerris, University of Florida, Gainesville, United States

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