RNA‐Seq identification of candidate defense genes targeted by endophytic <i>Bacillus cereus</i> ‐mediated induced systemic resistance against <i>Meloidogyne incognita</i> in tomato

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The endophytic bacteria Bacillus cereus BCM2 has shown great potential as a defense against the parasitic nematode Meloidogyne incognita. Here, we studied endophytic bacteria-mediated plant defense against M. incognita and searched for defense-related candidate genes using RNA-Seq. RESULTS: The induced systemic resistance of BCM2 against M. incognita was tested using the split-root method. Pre-inoculated BCM2 on the inducer side was associated with a dramatic reduction in galls and egg masses on the responder side, but inoculated BCM2 alone did not produce the same effect. In order to investigate which plant defense-related genes are specifically activated by BCM2, four RNA samples from tomato roots were sequenced, and four high-quality total clean bases were obtained, ranging from 6.64 to 6.75 Gb, with an average of 21 558 total genes. The 34 candidate defense-related genes were identified by pair-wise comparison among libraries, representing the targets for BCM2 priming resistance against M. incognita. Functional characterization revealed that the plant-pathogen interaction pathway (ID: ko04626) was significantly enriched for BCM2-mediated M. incognita resistance. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that B. cereus BCM2 maintains a harmonious host-microbe relationship with tomato, but appeared to prime the plant, resulting in more vigorous defense response toward the infection nematode. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.