Analysis of Plant and Fungal Transcripts from Resistant and Susceptible Phenotypes of Leptospermum scoparium Challenged by Austropuccinia psidii

Abstract

Austropuccinia psidii is the causal pathogen of myrtle rust disease of Myrtaceae. To gain understanding of the initial infection process, gene expression in germinating A. psidii urediniospores and in Leptospermum scoparium-inoculated leaves were investigated via analyses of RNA sequencing samples taken 24 and 48 h postinoculation (hpi). Principal component analyses of transformed transcript count data revealed differential gene expression between the uninoculated L. scoparium control plants that correlated with the three plant leaf resistance phenotypes (immunity, hypersensitive response, and susceptibility). Gene expression in the immune resistant plants did not significantly change in response to fungal inoculation, whereas susceptible plants showed differential expression of genes in response to fungal challenge. A putative disease resistance gene, jg24539.t1, was identified in the L. scoparium hypersensitive response phenotype family. Expression of this gene may be associated with the phenotype and could be important for further understanding the plant hypersensitive response to A. psidii challenge. Differential expression of pathogen genes was found between samples taken 24 and 48 hpi, but there were no significant differences in pathogen gene expression that were associated with the three different plant leaf resistance phenotypes. There was a significant decrease in the abundance of fungal transcripts encoding three putative effectors and a putative carbohydrate-active enzyme between 24 and 48 hpi, suggesting that the encoded proteins are important during the initial phase of infection. These transcripts, or their translated proteins, may be potential targets to impede the early phases of fungal infection by this wide-host-range obligate biotrophic basidiomycete.