Wheat susceptibility to Fusarium head blight involves specific molecular responses shaped by both grain development process and Fusarium graminearum growth
L. BONHOMME (1), C. CHETOUHI (1), F. CAMBON (1), P. LASSERRE-ZUBER (1), P. LECOMTE (1), O. SOUDIERE (1), T. LANGIN (1) (1) UMR GDEC, France

Host-susceptibility factors are key determinants of disease development, promoting pathogen growth and spreading in plant tissues. In the wheat/Fusarium graminearum (Fg) interaction determining the Fusarium head blight disease (FHB), the molecular basis of wheat susceptibility remains widely unknown. No real sensibility gene has been identified to date, despite their great potential to guide original breeding programs. To delineate the molecular events explaining FHB susceptibility, gene expression and protein profiling was performed specifically in the grains of a susceptible wheat cultivar over five grain developmental stages along with the assessment of Fg growth and mycotoxin synthesis. Among 40K analyzed transcripts and nearly 2K proteins, about 3% were significantly impacted by Fg infection along with specific burst of Fg development. The analysis of the combined impact of both Fg infection and grain ontogeny revealed an increasingly complex host response depicting that (1) plant responses were intimately connected with grain ontogeny, (2) molecular determinants of grain development were slightly impacted and (3) particular responses involved in primary metabolism, cell death, detoxification and gene expression were evidenced at specific stages. This analysis provides new insights into the understanding of the determinism of wheat/F. graminearum interaction, and identifies candidate genes/pathways involved in FHB susceptibility.

Abstract Number: P14-417
Session Type: Poster