Nunna Haritha, Palmer Nathan A, Sarath Gautam, Wegulo Stephen N, Tatineni Satyanarayana
Department of Plant Pathology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, United States.
United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), Wheat, Sorghum, and Forage Research Unit, Lincoln, NE, United States.
Front Plant Sci. 2025 Jan 8;15:1504482. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1504482. eCollection 2024.
Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV; ) and Triticum mosaic virus (TriMV; ), the type members of the genera and , respectively, in the family , are economically important wheat viruses in the Great Plains region of the USA. Co-infection of wheat by WSMV and TriMV results in disease synergism. Wheat transcriptome from singly (WSMV or TriMV) and doubly (WSMV+TriMV) infected upper uninoculated leaves were analyzed by RNA-Seq at 9, 12, and 21 days postinoculation. A total of 31,754 differentially expressed wheat genes were identified among all comparisons. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis resulted in 11 co-expression modules that broadly indicated gene expression profiles attributable to control, single, and double infections. Gene ontology, protein domain and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathway enrichment analysis revealed that genes specifically related to photosynthesis, growth, stress, senescence, and defense were differentially enriched. Analyses of transcription factor families indicated that genes encoding MADS-Box and ARFs were strongly enriched in control plants, moderately repressed in TriMV-infected plants, and more strongly repressed in WSMV- and doubly-infected plants, whereas genes encoding WRKYs and NACs were more enriched in WSMV or doubly infected plants. Synergistic interactions between WSMV and TriMV drastically enhanced disease phenotype compared to individual virus infections. The progression of disease phenotype was correlated to transcriptomic changes, indicating the strong disruption to plant metabolism and likely channeling of energy and metabolites for viral replication. There also appeared to be a connection between viral replication and plastid health, with stronger downregulation of genes needed for chloroplast functions and integrity and increased synergism between TriMV and WSMV. This study provides an overview of transcriptomic changes distinctly influenced by TriMV and WSMV either singly or in combination and provides a good correlation between specific transcription factors and genes associated with metabolism to observed phenotypic changes in plant growth and disease synergism.
小麦线条花叶病毒（WSMV）和小麦花叶病毒（TriMV）分别是弹状病毒科麦病毒属和小麦花叶病毒属的典型成员，是美国大平原地区对经济有重要影响的小麦病毒。WSMV和TriMV共同侵染小麦会导致病害协同作用。在接种后9天、12天和21天，通过RNA测序分析了单（WSMV或TriMV）侵染和双（WSMV+TriMV）侵染的上部未接种叶片的小麦转录组。在所有比较中总共鉴定出31754个差异表达的小麦基因。加权基因共表达网络分析产生了11个共表达模块，广泛表明了可归因于对照、单侵染和双侵染的基因表达谱。基因本体论、蛋白质结构域和KEGG（京都基因与基因组百科全书）通路富集分析表明，与光合作用、生长、胁迫、衰老和防御特别相关的基因存在差异富集。转录因子家族分析表明，编码MADS盒和ARF的基因在对照植物中强烈富集，在TriMV侵染的植物中中度受抑制，在WSMV侵染和双侵染的植物中更强烈受抑制，而编码WRKY和NAC的基因在WSMV或双侵染的植物中更富集。与单个病毒感染相比，WSMV和TriMV之间的协同相互作用极大地增强了病害表型。病害表型的进展与转录组变化相关，表明对植物代谢的强烈破坏以及可能为病毒复制输送能量和代谢物。病毒复制与质体健康之间似乎也存在联系，叶绿体功能和完整性所需基因的下调更强，TriMV和WSMV之间的协同作用增加。本研究概述了单独或组合感染TriMV和WSMV所明显影响的转录组变化，并在特定转录因子与与代谢相关的基因之间建立了良好的相关性，以观察植物生长和病害协同作用中的表型变化。
