Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Candidate Hub Genes and Putative Pathways in Roots Responding to Infection.

, a soil-borne fungus responsible for Verticillium wilt, primarily colonizes members of the Brassicaceae family. Using roots as an experimental host, we systematically identify -responsive genes and pathways through comprehensive transcriptomic analysis, alongside screening of potential hub genes and evaluation of infection-associated regulatory mechanisms. The GSE62537 dataset was retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. After performing GEO2R analysis and filtering out low-quality data, 222 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, of which 184 were upregulated. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses were performed on these DEGs. A protein-protein interaction network was constructed using the STRING database. CytoHubba and CytoNCA plugins in Cytoscape v3.10.3 were used to analyze and evaluate this network; six hub genes and four functional gene modules were identified. The GeneMANIA database was used to construct a co-expression network for hub genes. Systematic screening of transcription factors within the 14 DEGs revealed the inclusion of the hub gene . Integrative bioinformatics analysis centered on enabled prediction of a pathogen-responsive regulatory network architecture. We report -responsive components in , providing insights for disease resistance studies in Brassicaceae crops.