RNA-seq of Fusarium graminearum and Triticum turgidum subsp. durum – Durasol

Fusarium graminearum is a pathogen of cereals causing Fusarium head blight of wheat. During infection mycotoxins, that increase pathogen virulence by disabling the plants' natural defense mechanisms and are deleterious to human and animal health, are accumulated in plant cell. Beside the pesticide, the biological control agents has been documented as a potential alternative to control Fusarium spp. The application of yeasts often slows down the pathogen's infectious process, but the mechanism of this phenomenon is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to analyze selected mechanisms of action by which the antagonistic yeast strain Debaryomyces hansenii suppresses F. graminearum infections in Triticum turgidum ssp. durum. The application of D. hansenii followed by F. graminearum inoculation induced changes in the transcriptome of F. graminearum but it did not have a statistically significant effect on the level of mRNA transcripts of genes encoding enzymes involved in biosynthesis of secondary metabolites – trichothecenes (Wachowska et al. 2023). Priming of durum wheat seedlings with Debaryomyces hansenii reprograms the expression of genes induced upon Fusarium graminearum inoculation. A total of 3,432 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in Triticum turgidum ssp. durum (unpublished data).