Transcript profiling of papaya (Carica papaya L.) with CTS-N fertiliser after inoculation with PRSV

CTS-N is deacetylation chitosan that can induce the expression of defence genes in plants. PRSV is a virus that can infect papaya and cause disease. It is mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions all over the world. The epidemic spread of the virus may seriously affect the papaya industry. In this study, we analysed differently expressed genes that are related to disease resistance after applying CTS-N using RNA-seq and subsequent qPCR analysis. Several genes related to plant defence responses, such as <i>PR-1</i> and <i>WRKY33</i>, were up-regulated. Among the genes, 10 up-regulated and 2 down-regulated genes were involved in the ‘plant pathogen interaction pathway’, ‘phytohormones signal transduction pathway’ and ‘amino sugars pathway’. The CTS-N treatment(1.0 ml/L) can significantly prevent the damage to papaya plants caused by PRSV. The RNA profiling results indicated that CTS-N can induce the expression of defence related genes to enhances a degree of plant defence. Future research may include comparable methodologies for disease resistance research in other plant species.