Transcriptome profile of Pinus radiata inoculated with Fusarium circintum.. Pinus radiata

Fusarium circinatum is the causal agent of pitch canker, a serious disease that affects numerous Pinus species worldwide. Pinus species have varying degrees of susceptibility to this pathogen, with P. radiata as one of the most susceptible. Recent studies in plant genomics have identified several important genes with functions that confer resistance to various environmental stresses. We use of high-throughput mRNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to identify EST of genes differentially expressed during the interaction of P. radiata with F. circinatum at several time points including the uninfected, 2, 6 and 12 days post inoculation (dpi) in two contrasting genotypes is reported. This RNA-Seq study identified 293 putative candidate genes and validated a set of genes involved in cellular processes and defense mechanisms thereby providing the first report of differential expression of candidate genes for studying molecular mechanisms of F. circinatum resistant in pine.