Transcriptomic Analysis of the CM-334/P. capsici/N. aberrans Pathosystem to Identify Components in Plant Resistance and Resistance-Breaking Responses

• Published in: International Journal of Plant Biology Vol. 13; no. 2; pp. 151 - 162
• Main Authors: Nabor-Romero, Olivia, Rojas-Martínez, Reyna Isabel, Zavaleta-Mejía, Emma, Vega-Arreguin, Julio, Ochoa-Martínez, Daniel, Sánchez-Flores, Alejandro, Romo-Castillo, Mariana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 01.06.2022
• Subjects: Capsicum annuum; Nacobbus aberrans; Phytophthora capsici; plant resistance; resistance-breaking; transcriptome analysis
• ISSN: 2037-0164; 2037-0164
• DOI: 10.3390/ijpb13020015

Phytophthora capsici is an important pathogen worldwide because its spread affects pepper production globally. The “Criollo de Morelos” pepper 334 (CM-334) is resistant to P. capsici strains, regardless of the aggressiveness of the strain or the environmental conditions. However, when the nematode Nacobbus aberrans infects peppers, they lose this resistance by a process defined as “Resistance-breaking”. Breakdown of resistance results from a transcriptomic reconfiguration of the pepper that induces some defense genes, such as WRKY-a, POX, and EAS. The interest in identifying and describing the resistance process to P. capsici, and the breakdown that occurs by N. aberrans, has allowed us to establish a model in which we can analyze the modulation process in both scenarios and identify this transcriptomic modulation. The objective of the present work is to carry out a transcriptomic analysis that demonstrates the modulation of resistance and resistance-breaking processes. It would allow us to identify relevant genes in the early (12 h) and late (24 h) stages in these processes of the CM-334 pepper. Our findings demonstrate that modulation of resistance and resistance-breaking are independent processes that depend on the presence of both pathogens (P. capsici and N. aberrans) and that their timing modulation is dynamic.