Comparative transcriptomics in B73-teosinte near-isogenic maize lines reveals key defense signaling and phytoalexins in response to Cercospora zeina infection

Gray leaf spot (GLS), caused by Cercospora zeae-maydis and Cercospora zeina, is a devastating foliar disease affecting maize production worldwide. However, the defense mechanisms underlying GLS resistance are poorly understood. A major quantitative trait locus (QTL), Qgls8, associated with GLS resis...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Xiaomeng Sun, Ruiyu Zhang, Zongping Wang, Haotian Zhang, Hairun Wen, Junli Zhang, Naibin Yu, Zhe Wang, Huanhuan Tai, Qin Yang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-06-01
Series:Frontiers in Plant Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1580016/full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849471298928902144
author Xiaomeng Sun
Xiaomeng Sun
Ruiyu Zhang
Ruiyu Zhang
Zongping Wang
Zongping Wang
Haotian Zhang
Haotian Zhang
Hairun Wen
Hairun Wen
Junli Zhang
Naibin Yu
Naibin Yu
Zhe Wang
Zhe Wang
Huanhuan Tai
Huanhuan Tai
Qin Yang
Qin Yang
author_facet Xiaomeng Sun
Xiaomeng Sun
Ruiyu Zhang
Ruiyu Zhang
Zongping Wang
Zongping Wang
Haotian Zhang
Haotian Zhang
Hairun Wen
Hairun Wen
Junli Zhang
Naibin Yu
Naibin Yu
Zhe Wang
Zhe Wang
Huanhuan Tai
Huanhuan Tai
Qin Yang
Qin Yang
author_sort Xiaomeng Sun
collection DOAJ
description Gray leaf spot (GLS), caused by Cercospora zeae-maydis and Cercospora zeina, is a devastating foliar disease affecting maize production worldwide. However, the defense mechanisms underlying GLS resistance are poorly understood. A major quantitative trait locus (QTL), Qgls8, associated with GLS resistance, was previously identified on maize chromosome 8 bin 8.06. Here we conducted transcriptome analyses on leaves from a pair of B73-teosinte near-isogenic lines (NILs) with contrasting Qgls8 alleles infected with C. zeina at 0, 4, 8, and 12 hours post inoculation (hpi). A total of 1225 up-regulated genes (URGs) were identified in the resistant line Qgls8-R compared with the susceptible line Qgls8-S across the four time points. By contrast, 908 URGs were identified in Qgls8-S. The URGs in Qgls8-R were significantly enriched in metabolic processes, phytohormone signaling, and response to biotic stress, while the URGs in Qgls8-S were mostly involved in plant growth and developmental processes. Additionally, C. zeina-induced URGs were consistently enriched in terpenoid metabolism and jasmonic acid (JA) signaling. Terpene- and JA-related genes showed increased expression at least at one time point after C. zeina infection which were confirmed by RT-qPCR. Furthermore, metabolite quantification indicated higher levels of JA and its isoleucine conjugate (JA-Ile) in Qgls8-R compared to Qgls8-S. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) identified the module “turquoise”, which exhibited the highest positive correlation with Qgls8-R and was related to JA signaling. These findings suggest that the defense response mediated by terpenoid metabolism and the JA signaling pathway plays crucial roles in enhancing GLS resistance following C. zeina infection.
format Article
id doaj-art-d8d1420deebd4d94916a4f898c3a7cdf
institution Kabale University
issn 1664-462X
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Plant Science
spelling doaj-art-d8d1420deebd4d94916a4f898c3a7cdf2025-08-20T03:24:52ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Plant Science1664-462X2025-06-011610.3389/fpls.2025.15800161580016Comparative transcriptomics in B73-teosinte near-isogenic maize lines reveals key defense signaling and phytoalexins in response to Cercospora zeina infectionXiaomeng Sun0Xiaomeng Sun1Ruiyu Zhang2Ruiyu Zhang3Zongping Wang4Zongping Wang5Haotian Zhang6Haotian Zhang7Hairun Wen8Hairun Wen9Junli Zhang10Naibin Yu11Naibin Yu12Zhe Wang13Zhe Wang14Huanhuan Tai15Huanhuan Tai16Qin Yang17Qin Yang18State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, ChinaHainan Research Institute of Northwest A&F University, Sanya, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, ChinaHainan Research Institute of Northwest A&F University, Sanya, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, ChinaHainan Research Institute of Northwest A&F University, Sanya, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, ChinaHainan Research Institute of Northwest A&F University, Sanya, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, ChinaHainan Research Institute of Northwest A&F University, Sanya, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, Henan Joint International Laboratory for Crop Multi-Omics Research, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, ChinaHainan Research Institute of Northwest A&F University, Sanya, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, ChinaHainan Research Institute of Northwest A&F University, Sanya, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, ChinaHainan Research Institute of Northwest A&F University, Sanya, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, ChinaHainan Research Institute of Northwest A&F University, Sanya, ChinaGray leaf spot (GLS), caused by Cercospora zeae-maydis and Cercospora zeina, is a devastating foliar disease affecting maize production worldwide. However, the defense mechanisms underlying GLS resistance are poorly understood. A major quantitative trait locus (QTL), Qgls8, associated with GLS resistance, was previously identified on maize chromosome 8 bin 8.06. Here we conducted transcriptome analyses on leaves from a pair of B73-teosinte near-isogenic lines (NILs) with contrasting Qgls8 alleles infected with C. zeina at 0, 4, 8, and 12 hours post inoculation (hpi). A total of 1225 up-regulated genes (URGs) were identified in the resistant line Qgls8-R compared with the susceptible line Qgls8-S across the four time points. By contrast, 908 URGs were identified in Qgls8-S. The URGs in Qgls8-R were significantly enriched in metabolic processes, phytohormone signaling, and response to biotic stress, while the URGs in Qgls8-S were mostly involved in plant growth and developmental processes. Additionally, C. zeina-induced URGs were consistently enriched in terpenoid metabolism and jasmonic acid (JA) signaling. Terpene- and JA-related genes showed increased expression at least at one time point after C. zeina infection which were confirmed by RT-qPCR. Furthermore, metabolite quantification indicated higher levels of JA and its isoleucine conjugate (JA-Ile) in Qgls8-R compared to Qgls8-S. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) identified the module “turquoise”, which exhibited the highest positive correlation with Qgls8-R and was related to JA signaling. These findings suggest that the defense response mediated by terpenoid metabolism and the JA signaling pathway plays crucial roles in enhancing GLS resistance following C. zeina infection.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1580016/fullmaizegray leaf spottranscriptometerpenoid metabolismjasmonic acid
spellingShingle Xiaomeng Sun
Xiaomeng Sun
Ruiyu Zhang
Ruiyu Zhang
Zongping Wang
Zongping Wang
Haotian Zhang
Haotian Zhang
Hairun Wen
Hairun Wen
Junli Zhang
Naibin Yu
Naibin Yu
Zhe Wang
Zhe Wang
Huanhuan Tai
Huanhuan Tai
Qin Yang
Qin Yang
Comparative transcriptomics in B73-teosinte near-isogenic maize lines reveals key defense signaling and phytoalexins in response to Cercospora zeina infection
Frontiers in Plant Science
maize
gray leaf spot
transcriptome
terpenoid metabolism
jasmonic acid
title Comparative transcriptomics in B73-teosinte near-isogenic maize lines reveals key defense signaling and phytoalexins in response to Cercospora zeina infection
title_full Comparative transcriptomics in B73-teosinte near-isogenic maize lines reveals key defense signaling and phytoalexins in response to Cercospora zeina infection
title_fullStr Comparative transcriptomics in B73-teosinte near-isogenic maize lines reveals key defense signaling and phytoalexins in response to Cercospora zeina infection
title_full_unstemmed Comparative transcriptomics in B73-teosinte near-isogenic maize lines reveals key defense signaling and phytoalexins in response to Cercospora zeina infection
title_short Comparative transcriptomics in B73-teosinte near-isogenic maize lines reveals key defense signaling and phytoalexins in response to Cercospora zeina infection
title_sort comparative transcriptomics in b73 teosinte near isogenic maize lines reveals key defense signaling and phytoalexins in response to cercospora zeina infection
topic maize
gray leaf spot
transcriptome
terpenoid metabolism
jasmonic acid
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1580016/full
work_keys_str_mv AT xiaomengsun comparativetranscriptomicsinb73teosintenearisogenicmaizelinesrevealskeydefensesignalingandphytoalexinsinresponsetocercosporazeinainfection
AT xiaomengsun comparativetranscriptomicsinb73teosintenearisogenicmaizelinesrevealskeydefensesignalingandphytoalexinsinresponsetocercosporazeinainfection
AT ruiyuzhang comparativetranscriptomicsinb73teosintenearisogenicmaizelinesrevealskeydefensesignalingandphytoalexinsinresponsetocercosporazeinainfection
AT ruiyuzhang comparativetranscriptomicsinb73teosintenearisogenicmaizelinesrevealskeydefensesignalingandphytoalexinsinresponsetocercosporazeinainfection
AT zongpingwang comparativetranscriptomicsinb73teosintenearisogenicmaizelinesrevealskeydefensesignalingandphytoalexinsinresponsetocercosporazeinainfection
AT zongpingwang comparativetranscriptomicsinb73teosintenearisogenicmaizelinesrevealskeydefensesignalingandphytoalexinsinresponsetocercosporazeinainfection
AT haotianzhang comparativetranscriptomicsinb73teosintenearisogenicmaizelinesrevealskeydefensesignalingandphytoalexinsinresponsetocercosporazeinainfection
AT haotianzhang comparativetranscriptomicsinb73teosintenearisogenicmaizelinesrevealskeydefensesignalingandphytoalexinsinresponsetocercosporazeinainfection
AT hairunwen comparativetranscriptomicsinb73teosintenearisogenicmaizelinesrevealskeydefensesignalingandphytoalexinsinresponsetocercosporazeinainfection
AT hairunwen comparativetranscriptomicsinb73teosintenearisogenicmaizelinesrevealskeydefensesignalingandphytoalexinsinresponsetocercosporazeinainfection
AT junlizhang comparativetranscriptomicsinb73teosintenearisogenicmaizelinesrevealskeydefensesignalingandphytoalexinsinresponsetocercosporazeinainfection
AT naibinyu comparativetranscriptomicsinb73teosintenearisogenicmaizelinesrevealskeydefensesignalingandphytoalexinsinresponsetocercosporazeinainfection
AT naibinyu comparativetranscriptomicsinb73teosintenearisogenicmaizelinesrevealskeydefensesignalingandphytoalexinsinresponsetocercosporazeinainfection
AT zhewang comparativetranscriptomicsinb73teosintenearisogenicmaizelinesrevealskeydefensesignalingandphytoalexinsinresponsetocercosporazeinainfection
AT zhewang comparativetranscriptomicsinb73teosintenearisogenicmaizelinesrevealskeydefensesignalingandphytoalexinsinresponsetocercosporazeinainfection
AT huanhuantai comparativetranscriptomicsinb73teosintenearisogenicmaizelinesrevealskeydefensesignalingandphytoalexinsinresponsetocercosporazeinainfection
AT huanhuantai comparativetranscriptomicsinb73teosintenearisogenicmaizelinesrevealskeydefensesignalingandphytoalexinsinresponsetocercosporazeinainfection
AT qinyang comparativetranscriptomicsinb73teosintenearisogenicmaizelinesrevealskeydefensesignalingandphytoalexinsinresponsetocercosporazeinainfection
AT qinyang comparativetranscriptomicsinb73teosintenearisogenicmaizelinesrevealskeydefensesignalingandphytoalexinsinresponsetocercosporazeinainfection