Functional Annotation of circRNAs in Tea Leaves After Infection by the Tea Leaf Spot Pathogen, Lasiodiplodia theobromae.

Tea leaf spot, caused by Lasiodiplodia theobromae, is an important disease that can seriously decrease the production and quality of tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) leaves. The analysis of circular RNA (circRNA) in tea leaves after infection by the pathogen could improve understanding about the mechanism of host-pathogen interactions. In this study, high-performance sequencing of circRNA from C. sinensis Fuding-dabaicha leaves that had been infected with L. theobromae was conducted using the Illumina HiSeq 4000 platform. In total, 192 and 153 differentially expressed circRNAs from tea leaves were significantly up- and downregulated, respectively, after infection with L. theobromae. A gene ontology analysis indicated that the differentially expressed circRNA-hosting genes for DNA binding were significantly enriched. The genes with significantly differential expressions that were annotated in the specified database (S genes) were σ factor E isoform 1, triacylglycerol lipase SDP1, DNA-directed RNA polymerase III subunit 2, WRKY transcription factor WRKY24, and regulator of nonsense transcripts 1 homolog. A Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis indicated that the significantly enriched circRNA-hosting genes involved in the plant-pathogen interaction pathway were Calmodulin-domain protein kinase 5 isoform 1, probable WRKY transcription factor 33, U-box domain-containing protein 35, probable inactive receptor-like protein kinase At3g56050, WRKY transcription factor WRKY24, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase YODA, SGT1, and protein DGS1. Functional annotation of circRNAs in tea leaves infected by L. theobromae will provide a valuable resource for future research on host-pathogen interactions.

Integrated mRNA and Small RNA Sequencing for Analyzing Tea Leaf Spot Pathogen Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Under In Vitro Conditions and the Course of Infection.

Lasiodiplodia theobromae is a phytopathogenic fungus, which can cause many different diseases on different crops. The pathogen can cause leaf spot on tea plants (Camellia sinensis), which negatively affects the productivity and quality of tea leaves in tea plantations in Guizhou Province, China. Although the genome sequence of L. theobromae has been published, no data on the transcriptome or small RNA sequences of L. theobromae under in vitro conditions and the course of infection of tea leaf are available. Here, we report the high-quality transcriptome and small RNA sequences of L. theobromae in vitro conditions and the course of infection of tea leaf using the platform of Illumina HiSeq. This comprehensive expression profiling of the fungal pathogen will provide a valuable resource for future research on trait-specific genes of the pathogen, host-pathogen interactions, and disease resistance in the host.

Whole Genome Sequence and Gene Annotation Resource for Didymella bellidis Associated with Tea Leaf Spot.

Didymella bellidis is a phytopathogenic fungus that causes leaf spot on tea plants (Camellia sinensis), which negatively affects the productivity and quality of tea leaves in Guizhou Province, China. D. bellidis isolate GZYQYQX2B was sequenced using Pacific Biosciences and Illumina technologies, and assembled into a whole genome of 35.5 Mbp. Transcripts of D. bellidis isolate GZYQYQX2B were predicted from the assembled genome and were further validated by RNA sequence data. In total, 10,731 genes were predicted by integrating three approaches, namely ab initio and homology-based gene prediction, as well as transcriptomics data. The whole-genome sequence of D. bellidis will provide a resource for future research on trait-specific genes of the pathogen and host-pathogen interactions.

Integrated mRNA and Small RNA Sequencing for Analyzing Leaf Spot Pathogen Didymella segeticola and Its Host, Tea (Camellia sinensis), During Infection.

Leaf spot on tea plants (Camellia sinensis [L.] Kuntze), caused by the fungus Didymella segeticola (Q. Chen) Q. Chen, Crous & L. Cai (syn. Phoma segeticola), negatively affects the productivity and quality of tea leaves in Guizhou Province, China. Although the genome sequence of D. segeticola has been published, no data on the transcriptome or microRNAs (miRNAs) of the pathogen or host during infection are available. Here, we report on the high-quality transcriptome and miRNA sequences of both D. segeticola and tea during infection, using the Illumina HiSeq 4000 or HiSeq 2500 platforms. Comprehensive expression profiling of the fungal pathogen and its host will provide a resource for future research into trait-specific genes of the pathogen and the host as well as on host-pathogen interactions and on disease resistance mechanisms.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.