ARS | Publication request: MONITORING EXPRESSION PROFILES OF DEFENSE GENES IN SORGHUM IN RESPONSE TO PHLOEM-FEEDING APHID USING CDNA MICROARRAY

Submitted to: Annual International Plant & Animal Genome Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: January 2, 2005
Publication Date: January 15, 2005
Citation: Park, S., Huang, Y. 2005. Monitoring expression profiles of defense genes in sorghum in response to phloem-feeding aphid using cDNA microarray [abstract]. Annual International Plant & Animal Genome XIII Conference, January 15-19, 2005, San Diego, CA. p. 240.

Technical Abstract: Greenbug aphid is one of the major pests attacking cereal crops including sorghum. Although some greenbug resistant sorghum cultivars have been developed through continuous plant breeding efforts, little is know about the genetic mechanism underlying the host resistance. Monitoring the transcriptome changes in sorghum in response to phloem-feeding greenbug will provide a solid foundation to understand the genetic mechanisms of plant defense against a greenbug attack. In this study we utilized cDNA microarrays to identify genes that were differentially expressed in the greenbug-resistant genotype of sorghum. A total of 3,512 cDNAs were collected from two of subtractive cDNA libraries which were generated by suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). The arrays were competitively hybridized with the selected probes derived form infested, non-infested resistant plants, as well as susceptible lines, respectively, thus a collection of 319 cDNAs differentially expressed in response to greenbug feeding were identified. These identified cDNAs were sequenced and aligned against Genbank databases using BLAST tool. Database analysis suggests that the proteins encoded by these cDNAs are involved in signal transduction, secondary metabolism, oxidative response, photosynthesis, cell maintenance, and other cellular activities. There are also a large number of identified genes with unknown function. In summary, the transcriptome profiling of sorghum responsive to phloem-feeding greenbug indicated that defense genes in sorghum were coordinately regulated.