Identification of Crucial Genes and Regulatory Pathways in Alfalfa against Fusarium Root Rot

作者：Shengze Wang, Haibin Han, Bo Zhang, Le Wang, Jie Wu, Zhengqiang Chen, Kejian Lin, Jianjun Hao, Ruifang Jia, Yuanyuan Zhang · 发表于：Plants · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.3390/plants12203634 · 被引用次数：10 · 研究领域：Plant Pathogens and Fungal Diseases、Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity、Fungal Biology and Applications

Fusarium root rot, caused by Fusarium spp. in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), adversely impacts alfalfa by diminishing plant quality and yield, resulting in substantial losses within the industry. The most effective strategy for controlling alfalfa Fusarium root rot is planting disease-resistant varieties. Therefore, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms underlying alfalfa’s resistance to Fusarium root rot is imperative. In this study, we observed the infection process on alfalfa seedling roots infected by Fusarium acuminatum strain HM29-05, which is labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP). Two alfalfa varieties, namely, the resistant ‘Kangsai’ and the susceptible ‘Zhongmu No. 1’, were examined to assess various physiological and biochemical activities at 0, 2, and 3 days post inoculation (dpi). Transcriptome sequencing of the inoculated resistant and susceptible alfalfa varieties were conducted, and the potential functions and signaling pathways of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed through gene ontology (GO) classification and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis. Meanwhile, a DEG co-expression network was constructed though the weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) algorithm. Our results revealed significant alterations in soluble sugar, soluble protein, and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in both the ‘Kangsai’ and ‘Zhongmu No. 1’ varieties following the inoculation of F. acuminatum. WGCNA anal...