Transcriptome analysis during ToLCBaV disease development in contrasting tomato genotypes

Tomato leaf curl Bangalore virus (ToLCBaV) is one of the most important plant viruses. The infection causes substantial yield losses in tomato crop. The current viral disease management is based mainly on introgression of Ty locus into new tomato cultivars. Unfortunately, strains of the leaf curl virus have been evolving and are breaking Ty based tolerance in tomato. In this study, the defence response to ToLCBaV infection has been compared between contrasting tomato genotypes, resistant line (IIHR 2611; without any known Ty markers) and the susceptible line (IIHR 2843). We carried out comparative transcriptome profiling, and gene expression analysis in an effort to identify gene networks that are associated with a novel ToLCBaV resistance. A total of 22,320 genes were examined to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). We found that 329 genes of them were expressed significantly and differentially between ToLBaV-infected samples of both IIHR 2611 and IIHR 2843. A good number of DEGs were related to defence response, photosynthesis, response to wounding, toxin catabolic process, glutathione metabolic process, regulation of transcription DNA-template, transcription factor activity, and sequence-specific DNA binding. A few selected genes such as, nudix hydrolase 8, MIK 2-like, RING-H2 finger protein ATL2-like, MAPKKK 18-like, EDR-2, SAG 21 wound-induced basic protein, GRXC6 and P4 were validated using qPCR. The pattern of gene expression was significantly different in resistant and susceptible plants during disease progression. Both positive and negative regulators of virus resistance were found in the present study. These findings will facilitate breeding and genetic engineering efforts to incorporate novel sources of ToLCBaV resistance in tomatoes.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-023-03629-5.