Comparative Transcriptomics and Gene Knockout Reveal Virulence Factors of Neofusicoccum parvum in Walnut

Abstract

Neofusicoccum parvum can cause stem and branch blight of walnut (Juglans spp.), resulting in great economic losses and ecological damage. A total of two strains of N. parvum were subjected to RNA-sequencing after being fed on different substrates, sterile water (K1/K2), and walnut (T1/T2), and the function of ABC1 was verified by gene knockout. There were 1,834, 338, and 878 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the K1 vs. K2, T1 vs. K1, and T2 vs. K2 comparison groups, respectively. The expression changes in thirty DEGs were verified by fluorescent quantitative PCR. These thirty DEGs showed the same expression patterns under both RNA-seq and PCR. In addition, ΔNpABC1 showed weaker virulence due to gene knockout, and the complementary strain NpABC1c showed the same virulence as the wild-type strain. Compared to the wild-type and complemented strains, the relative growth of ΔNpABC1 was significantly decreased when grown with H2O2, NaCl, Congo red, chloramphenicol, MnSO4, and CuSO4. The disease index of walnuts infected by the mutants was significantly lower than those infected by the wild-type and complementary strains. This result indicates that ABC1 gene is required for the stress response and virulence of N. parvum and may be involved in heavy metal resistance.