Pulsed Electric Field Treatment Modulates Gene Expression and Stress Responses in Fusarium-Infected Malting Barley
Malting is a critical step in barley (<i>Hordeum vulgare</i>) processing, transforming grain into a key raw material for brewing and food production. However, the process is often compromised by <i>Fusarium</i> spp., pathogens responsible for Fusarium Head Blight, which reduc...
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MDPI AG
2025-02-01
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| author | Pavel Svoboda Jaroslava Ovesná Štěpán Helmer Milena Stránská |
| author_facet | Pavel Svoboda Jaroslava Ovesná Štěpán Helmer Milena Stránská |
| author_sort | Pavel Svoboda |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Malting is a critical step in barley (<i>Hordeum vulgare</i>) processing, transforming grain into a key raw material for brewing and food production. However, the process is often compromised by <i>Fusarium</i> spp., pathogens responsible for Fusarium Head Blight, which reduces grain quality and safety. Pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment, a promising non-thermal technology, has been studied for its potential to inactivate microbial pathogens and mitigate infection-related stress. In this study, we investigated transcriptional responses in barley infected with <i>Fusarium</i> spp. during malting, both with and without PEF treatment. RNA sequencing identified over 12,000 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) across four malting stages, with the third stage (24 h of germination) showing the highest transcriptional activity. DEGs were significantly enriched in pathways related to oxidative stress management and abscisic acid signaling, underscoring their importance in stress adaptation. Barley treated with PEF exhibited fewer DEGs in later malting stages compared to untreated samples, suggesting that PEF alleviates stress induced by both <i>Fusarium</i> infection and the malting process. Enrichment analysis further revealed that PEF treatment up-regulated stress-related pathways while down-regulating genes associated with photosynthesis and cell wall biogenesis. These findings provide novel insights into barley stress responses during malting and highlight the potential of PEF as a tool for enhancing malt quality under stress conditions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a008ca940e4a4ec4b53419b4863e0280 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| spelling | doaj-art-a008ca940e4a4ec4b53419b4863e02802025-08-20T02:53:23ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-02-0114566810.3390/plants14050668Pulsed Electric Field Treatment Modulates Gene Expression and Stress Responses in Fusarium-Infected Malting BarleyPavel Svoboda0Jaroslava Ovesná1Štěpán Helmer2Milena Stránská3Department of Molecular Genetics, Czech Agrifood Research Center (former Crop Research Institute), Drnovská 507, 161 06 Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Molecular Genetics, Czech Agrifood Research Center (former Crop Research Institute), Drnovská 507, 161 06 Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Molecular Genetics, Czech Agrifood Research Center (former Crop Research Institute), Drnovská 507, 161 06 Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Food Analysis and Nutrition, Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, University of Chemistry and Technology, Technicka 3, 166 28 Prague, Czech RepublicMalting is a critical step in barley (<i>Hordeum vulgare</i>) processing, transforming grain into a key raw material for brewing and food production. However, the process is often compromised by <i>Fusarium</i> spp., pathogens responsible for Fusarium Head Blight, which reduces grain quality and safety. Pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment, a promising non-thermal technology, has been studied for its potential to inactivate microbial pathogens and mitigate infection-related stress. In this study, we investigated transcriptional responses in barley infected with <i>Fusarium</i> spp. during malting, both with and without PEF treatment. RNA sequencing identified over 12,000 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) across four malting stages, with the third stage (24 h of germination) showing the highest transcriptional activity. DEGs were significantly enriched in pathways related to oxidative stress management and abscisic acid signaling, underscoring their importance in stress adaptation. Barley treated with PEF exhibited fewer DEGs in later malting stages compared to untreated samples, suggesting that PEF alleviates stress induced by both <i>Fusarium</i> infection and the malting process. Enrichment analysis further revealed that PEF treatment up-regulated stress-related pathways while down-regulating genes associated with photosynthesis and cell wall biogenesis. These findings provide novel insights into barley stress responses during malting and highlight the potential of PEF as a tool for enhancing malt quality under stress conditions.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/5/668<i>Hordeum vulgare</i>maltingpulsed electric field<i>Fusarium</i> infectiontranscriptomicsstress response |
| spellingShingle | Pavel Svoboda Jaroslava Ovesná Štěpán Helmer Milena Stránská Pulsed Electric Field Treatment Modulates Gene Expression and Stress Responses in Fusarium-Infected Malting Barley Plants <i>Hordeum vulgare</i> malting pulsed electric field <i>Fusarium</i> infection transcriptomics stress response |
| title | Pulsed Electric Field Treatment Modulates Gene Expression and Stress Responses in Fusarium-Infected Malting Barley |
| title_full | Pulsed Electric Field Treatment Modulates Gene Expression and Stress Responses in Fusarium-Infected Malting Barley |
| title_fullStr | Pulsed Electric Field Treatment Modulates Gene Expression and Stress Responses in Fusarium-Infected Malting Barley |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pulsed Electric Field Treatment Modulates Gene Expression and Stress Responses in Fusarium-Infected Malting Barley |
| title_short | Pulsed Electric Field Treatment Modulates Gene Expression and Stress Responses in Fusarium-Infected Malting Barley |
| title_sort | pulsed electric field treatment modulates gene expression and stress responses in fusarium infected malting barley |
| topic | <i>Hordeum vulgare</i> malting pulsed electric field <i>Fusarium</i> infection transcriptomics stress response |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/5/668 |
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