Comparative Transcriptomics Reveals Differential Gene Expression Related to Resistance in the Octoploid Strawberry.

The strawberry is an important fruit worldwide; however, the development of the strawberry industry is limited by fungal disease. Anthracnose is caused by the pathogen and leads to large-scale losses in strawberry quality and production. However, the transcriptional response of strawberry to infection with is poorly understood. In the present study, the strawberry leaf transcriptome of the 'Yanli' and 'Benihoppe' cultivars were deep sequenced via an RNA-seq analysis to study resistance in strawberry. Among the sequences, differentially expressed genes were annotated with Gene Ontology terms and subjected to pathway enrichment analysis. Significant categories included defense, plant-pathogen interactions and flavonoid biosynthesis were identified. The comprehensive transcriptome data set provides molecular insight into resistance genes in resistant and susceptible strawberry cultivars. Our findings can enhance breeding efforts in strawberry.