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Phytophthora infestans ‐triggered response of growth‐ and defense‐related genes in potato cultivars with different levels of resistance under the influence of nitrogen availability
Author(s) -
Ros Barbara,
Mohler Volker,
Wenzel Gerhard,
Thümmler Fritz
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
physiologia plantarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.351
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1399-3054
pISSN - 0031-9317
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3054.2008.01048.x
Subject(s) - phytophthora infestans , biology , cultivar , solanum tuberosum , gene , rubisco , photosynthesis , inoculation , pathogen , solanaceae , botany , solanum , horticulture , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics
The effects of high and low N concentrations on the Solanum tuberosum – Phytophthora infestans interaction were studied in the potato cultivars Bettina, New York 121, Indira and Arkula, which exhibited different levels of resistance. Aboveground biomass and Chl and N content were significantly higher in all cultivars grown in higher N environments, while C:N ratios were lower, confirming successful application of N. High availability of N significantly increased susceptibility of three of the four potato cultivars, and amounts of pathogen within the infected leaflets determined in a quantitative real‐time reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction reflected this. Differential gene expression of P. infestans ‐induced and ‐repressed genes derived from three subtracted cDNA libraries at 0, 24, 48 and 72 h post‐inoculation was studied in parallel. P. infestans attack led to an induction of defense‐related and at the same time repression of growth‐related potato genes mainly encoding photosynthetic genes. High N supply led to higher transcript abundance of photosynthetic genes such as Chl a / b ‐binding protein and ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase. N‐dependent suppression of defense‐related compounds in absence of the pathogen was not observed. Better N nutrition appeared to allow the plants to invest more resources in defense reactions.