RNA-seq data

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) which belongs to the Solanaceae family, is an important vegetable crop. However, the production is severely threatened by root-knot nematodes (RKNs) in many countries. Solanum torvum, a wild relative of eggplant, is worldwide employed as rootstock for eggplant cultivation due to the resistance to soil-borne disease such as RKNs. In this study, to uncover the RKN defense mechanisms, the transcriptomic profiles of eggplant and Solanum torvum were compared. A total of 9214 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified for the response to RKN infection. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that these DEGs are mainly involved in the processes of response to stimulus, protein phosphorylation as well as hormone signal transduction, and plant-pathogen interaction pathways. Many phytohormone-related genes and transcription factors (ERF, MYB, WRKY and NAC) were differential expression during the four time points (3-, 7-, 14- and 28-days post infection, dpi). Interestingly, ABA signaling pathway might be involved the plant-nematode interactions. Further qRT-PCRs also validated the expression levels of some of the DEGs in eggplant. These findings uncovered the nematode-induced expression profiles and provide some insights into the nematode resistance mechanism in eggplant.