Dissecting wilt diseases using the Fusarium oxysporum–Arabidopsis pathosystem
L. MA (1) (1) university of Massachusetts Amherst, U.S.A.

The root-infecting fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum is responsible for vascular wilt in over 100 different plant species. These pathogens produce thick-walled resting structures that remain viable for long periods, making disease control particularly challenging. Our study takes a systems biology approach to dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying fungal pathogenesis and host defense using the F. oxysporum-Arabidopsis pathosystem. Comparative genomics and comparative meta-transcriptomics were employed to study both compatible (inoculation of a F. oxysporum strain results in diseased plants) and incompatible (F. oxysporum inoculation has no negative effect on plant health) interactions by inoculating the same plant host (Col-0) with different F. oxysporum isolates. The study focuses on the “primary determinative phase”, including fungal penetration and colonization from the cortex to xylem. Comparative study enables the identification of genes and pathways that contribute to the co-evolutionary arms race between wilt pathogens and their hosts. Distinct sets of genes from two different F. oxysporum strains contribute to the different disease phenotypes. Interestingly, plant genes involved in pathogen-associated molecular patterns triggered immunity (PTI) were induced in both compatible and incompatible interactions, while there are more distinct expression profiles for genes involved in effector-triggered immunity (ETI) in two different interactions.


Abstract Number: P2-3
Session Type: Plenary