PVY-NTN elicits diverse gene expression response in different potato genotypes in the first 12 hours after inoculation

Potato virus YNTN (PVYNTN), causing potato tuber ring necrosis disease, dramatically lowers the quantity and the quality of the potato yield all over the world. While cultivar Igor is one of the most susceptible cultivars, developing severe disease symptoms on plants as well as on tubers, cv. Sante is resistant and thus not affected by the virus. Finding genes differentially expressed in the early response to infection, when the host response is more defense- than infection- related, could improve our understanding of the potato - PVYNTN interaction. Moreover, the differences in the response of the sensitive and resistant cultivar can pinpoint the genes involved in differential sensitivity of the cultivars. Differential gene expression in the early response of potato cvs. Igor and Sante to PVYNTN infection was studied using potato TIGR cDNA-microarrays. Expression was compared between mock inoculated and virus infected plants 0.5 and 12 hours after inoculation. Each microarray was hybridized with a virus inoculated sample and mock inoculated sample from the same biological replicate. At least three biological replicates were analyzed.