Transcriptomic changes in the PacC transcription factor deletion mutant of the plant pathogenic fungus Botrytis cinerea

Botrytis cinerea, the causal agent of gray mold, is a necrotrophic fungus that can infect a wide variety of plant species and plant tissues. During infection, this pathogen modulates the pH of its environment by secreting organic acids or ammonia. Deletion of the gene encoding the pH-responsive transcription factor PacC revealed the importance of this regulator in different steps of the infection process and particularly in the secretion of organics acids, reactive oxygen species and plant cell wall degrading enzymes. This study aimed to identify the regulatory networks controlled by this fungus-specific transcription factor when the fungus is placed under acidic or alkaline conditions. Botrytis cinerea WT and DBcpacC mutant strains were grown on solid MANG medium for 3 days on the surface of cellophane membranes. The membranes were then transferred for 4 h onto the surface of 2 ml of liquid Gamborg medium buffered at pH 5.0 or 7.0 Three independent biological replicates were performed for each condition The 12 total-RNA samples were used for RNA-SEQ sequencing.