Transcriptome Analysis of Root-Rot-Resistant and -Susceptible Alfalfa ( L.) Plants during Plant-Pathogen Interactions.

Alfalfa ( L.) is a perennial leguminous forage cultivated globally. spp.-induced root rot is a chronic and devastating disease affecting alfalfa that occurs in most production fields. Studying the disease resistance regulatory network and investigating the key genes involved in plant-pathogen resistance can provide vital information for breeding alfalfa that are resistant to spp. In this study, a resistant and susceptible clonal line of alfalfa was inoculated with L1 and sampled at 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, and 7 d post-inoculation for RNA-seq analysis. Among the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) detected between the two clonal lines at the four time points after inoculation, approximately 81.8% were detected at 24 h and 7 d after inoculation. Many DEGs in the two inoculated clonal lines participated in PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI) mechanisms. In addition, transcription factor families such as bHLH, SBP, AP2, WRKY, and MYB were detected in response to infection. These results are an important supplement to the few existing studies on the resistance regulatory network of alfalfa against Fusarium root rot and will help to understand the evolution of host-pathogen interactions.