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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Sugarbeet Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #430979
Research Project: Improving Sugarbeet Productivity and Sustainability through Genetic, Genomic, Physiological, and Phytopathological Approaches

Location: Sugarbeet Research

Title: Reprogramming of the sugar beet transcriptome during Cercospora beticola infection: Insights from a time-course RNA-Seq analysis

Author
item EBINEZER, LEONARD - North Dakota State University
item NATWICK, MARI - North Dakota State University
item RANGEL, LORENA - North Dakota State University
item SECOR, GARY - North Dakota State University
item Bolton, Melvin
item Wyatt, Nathan

Submitted to: Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/8/2026
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Cercospora leaf spot (CLS), caused by the fungus Cercospora beticola, is the most widespread and destructive disease threatening sugar beet production in the United States. Despite the economic significance of CLS, little is known about sugar beet defense response upon infection by C. beticola. We conducted a time-course transcription and hormonal profiling study of the C. beticola infection cycle to gain an understanding of the sugar beet response. We observed an early defense response mounted by the sugar beet that was later repressed during the asymptomatic stages of infection, potentially due to C. beticola manipulating the sugar beet defense response. We further observed changes in hormone production related to the sugar beet defense response that revealed the production profiles of hormones characterized as regulators of plant defense. Taken together, these results improve our understanding of the sugar beet response to infection by C. beticola and set the foundation for identifying key points in the infection where interventions may be applied to aid in CLS management.

Technical Abstract: Cercospora leaf spot (CLS), caused by the hemibiotrophic fungus Cercospora beticola, is the most widespread and destructive foliar disease that threatens sugar beet production worldwide. Despite the global economic significance of CLS, the molecular basis of the interaction between sugar beet and C. beticola is poorly understood. Here, we report a time-course-based transcriptional profiling study spanning both the asymptomatic (3 and 7 dpi) and symptomatic phases (11, 17, and 25 dpi) of the infection cycle. We present the global overview of a wide range of transcriptional responses, with defense and hormone-related processes being the most altered. We observe evidence for transcriptional activation of defense responses at 3 dpi, including upregulation of PR proteins, genes related to systemic acquired resistance, and the hypersensitive response. Following an overall transient downregulation at 7 dpi, we observed heightened reactivation of various defense responses during the symptomatic phase (11 to 25 dpi). Additionally, we quantified hormone levels across the infection cycle and show the regulation of abscisic acid, auxin, jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, and ethylene levels are modulated in response to C. beticola infection. Taken together, our study reveals the major changes in the transcriptome and physiology of sugar beet during interaction with C. beticola.