Transcriptome analysis of chitin-treated Lotus japonicus inoculated with rhizobium

Chitin, an N-acetyl-D-glucosamine polymer, is a component of fungal cell walls and known as an elicitor inducing plant disease resistance. For the establishment of rhizobial symbiosis in legumes, Nod factor consisting of chitin oligomer backbone is known to be involved in the host's recognition. However, the impacts of other chitin derivatives, chitin oligosaccharide and chitin nanofiber, on rhizobial symbiosis have been not examined yet. Thus, the transcriptome analysis of the roots of chitin-treated Lotus japonicus MG-20 inoculated with its symbiont Mesorhizobium loti MAFF303099 was conducted by RNA-seq in this study.