Overexpression of -1- Fusion Protein Reduces Resistance in Response to by Modulating the Salicylic Acid Signaling Pathway in .

Chrysanthemum Fusarium wilt, caused by the pathogenic fungus , severely reduces ornamental quality and yields. WRKY transcription factors are extensively involved in regulating disease resistance pathways in a variety of plants; however, it is unclear how members of this family regulate the defense against wilt in chrysanthemums. In this study, we characterized the WRKY family gene from the chrysanthemum cultivar 'Jinba', which is localized to the nucleus and has no transcriptional activity. We obtained transgenic chrysanthemum lines overexpressing the fusion protein that showed less resistance to . Compared to Wild Type (WT) lines, transgenic lines had lower endogenous salicylic acid (SA) content and expressed levels of SA-related genes. RNA-Seq analysis of the WT and transgenic lines revealed some differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in the SA signaling pathway, such as , , , and . Based on Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis, the SA-associated pathways were enriched. Our results showed that transgenic lines reduced the resistance to by regulating the expression of genes related to the SA signaling pathway. This study demonstrated the role of in response to , which provides a basis for revealing the molecular regulatory mechanism of the WRKY response to infestation in chrysanthemum.