RNA-seq-based analysis of the pathogen-induced defense transcriptome in Arabidopsis

Pathogen infection triggers transcriptional reprogramming in host plants, however we still know little about the dynamics of the pathogen-induced defense transcriptome. The goal of this study was to investigate the dynamic reprogramming of the defense transcriptome in response to Fusarium oxysporum infection in Arabidopsis using RNA-seq technology and to provide a comprehensive analysis of genes underlying the innate immune response against the fungal pathogen. Our results suggest that the Arabidopsis transcriptome is reprogrammed to co-ordinately express multiple positive and negative regulators following pathogen infection to modulate defense gene expression and disease resistance. Our study identified a number of novel genes responsive to pathogen infection and provided a rich source of pathogen responsive genes for further functional characterization. Overall design: Four samples (M1DPI, M6DPI, F1DPI and F6DPI; M=mock treated; F=Fusarium oxysporum infected; DPI=day post inoculation) were sequenced to identify pathogen responsive genes in each time point. Each sample was sequenced once, i.e. without biological replicate.