Genomic and Transcriptomic Characterization of Alternaria alternata During Infection. Alternaria alternata

Host-pathogen interactions are the result of the continuously evolving dynamics of the genomic interphases between pathogens and host plants. Alternaria brown spot (ABS) caused by the pathogen Alternaria alternata is a serious threat to tangerine production. Although recent studies have made significant advances in the characterization of A. alternata virulence factors, a gap exists in the regulation of virulent genes throughout the course of A. alternata infection on host plants. To gain a better understanding of the dynamic defense transcriptome in Alternaria alternata during Infection, we performed a comparative transcriptome approach. After inoculation on citrus, we found that 2142, 1964, 2359 genes were up-regulated, and 1948, 1434, 1996 genes were down-regulated at 12 hours-post-inoculation (hpi), 24 hpi and 48 hpi, respectively. Among these genes, 1333 genes were up-regulated at three-time points, and 1054 genes were down-regulated, indicating that most of the differentially expressed genes at the early stage of infection tended to remain differentially expressed at the later stage of infection.