transcriptomic analysis of F. graminearum disease response in near-isogenic resistant and susceptible hexaploid wheat lines

Fusarium graminearum causes Fusarium head blight (FHB), which represents one of the major wheat diseases worldwide, determining reduction in grain quality, yield and the accumulation of mycotoxins. To mine the molecular response associated to the wheat 2DL FHB resistance quantitative trait locus (QTL), derived from the cultivar Wuhan-1, and to identify candidate genes implicated in such resistance, a comprehensive transcriptomic analysis of the early response to F. graminearum infection at 3 days post inoculation of spikelet and rachis was performed with the RNA-Seq and miRNA-Seq techniques. The analyses were conducted on two Near Isogenic Lines (NILs) differing for the presence of the 2DL QTL (2-2618, resistant 2DL+ and 2-2890, susceptible null).