Transcriptome sequencing of Oryza sativa cultivars Gitesh and Shahsarang infected with Bipolaris oryzae

Brown spot disease (BSD) of rice caused by necrotrophic fungus Bipolaris oryzae is one of the less-studied diseases of the rice plant. Through an in-house screening of different indigenous North East India rice cultivars, we identified Gitesh as moderately resistant and Shahsarang as moderately susceptible cultivar to BSD. We then performed a time-course transcriptome sequencing at four time-points, viz., 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours after fungus inoculation together with the control sample for both Gitesh and Shahsarang. A total of 12515 protein-coding DEGs were identified in which 50.31% were common between the cultivars. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis identified commonly shared enriched terms such as photosynthesis, oxidation-reduction processes, cell-wall modifications, and defense-related in both the cultivars. Genes involved in cell-wall modification, primary metabolism, intracellular signaling, transcription factors, and antimicrobial compounds production were differentially modulated in both cultivars determining the response. Our long-term aim is to explore the mechanism of tolerance and susceptibility in rice challenged with Bipolaris oryzae and to utilize the gained insight for crop improvement.