Transcriptome datasets of oil palm pathogen Ganoderma boninense

Area of Science:

• Mycology
• Plant Pathology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Basal stem rot (BSR), caused by *Ganoderma boninense*, leads to significant economic losses in the global oil palm industry.
• Successful infection of oil palms by *G. boninense* requires the mating of compatible monokaryons to form dikaryotic mycelia.
• The molecular mechanisms underlying this crucial mating process remain largely unelucidated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the molecular events occurring during the mating process of *Ganoderma boninense*.
• To identify genes and pathways involved in the transition from monokaryotic to dikaryotic mycelia.

Main Methods:

• Transcriptome sequencing was performed using Illumina RNA-seq technology.
• *De novo* assembly of transcripts was conducted for monokaryon, mating junction, and dikaryon mycelia of *G. boninense*.
• Raw sequencing reads were deposited in the NCBI database (accession numbers SRR1745787, SRR1745773, SRR1745777).

Main Results:

• Differential gene expression analysis revealed significant transcriptional changes during mycelial mating.
• Identification of putative genes involved in cell wall modification, signaling pathways, and developmental regulation during dikaryotization.
• Comparative analysis of transcriptomes provided insights into the molecular dialogue between mating hyphae.

Conclusions:

• This study provides a comprehensive transcriptomic resource for understanding *G. boninense* mating and dikaryotic development.
• The identified genes offer potential targets for developing novel strategies to control basal stem rot in oil palms.
• Further research can build upon these findings to explore the functional roles of specific genes in fungal pathogenesis.