Transcriptome analysis of fungicide-responsive gene expression profiles in two Penicillium italicum strains with different response to the sterol demethylation inhibitor (DMI) fungicide prochloraz

Penicillium italicum (blue mold) is one of citrus pathogens causing undesirable citrus fruit decay even at strictly-controlled low temperatures (< 10 °C) during shipping and storage. P. italicum isolates with considerably high resistance to sterol demethylation inhibitor (DMI) fungicides have emerged; however, mechanism(s) underlying such DMI-resistance remains unclear. In contrast to available elucidation on anti-DMI mechanism for P. digitatum (green mold), how P. italicum DMI-resistance develops has not yet been clarified. The present study prepared RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) libraries for two P. italicum strains (highly resistant (Pi-R) versus highly sensitive (Pi-S) to DMI fungicides), with and without prochloraz treatment, to identify prochloraz-responsive genes facilitating DMI-resistance. After 6 h prochloraz-treatment, comparative transcriptome profiling showed more differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in Pi-R than Pi-S. Functional enrichments identified 15 DEGs in the prochloraz-induced Pi-R transcriptome, simultaneously up-regulated in P. italicum resistance. These included ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter-encoding genes, major facilitator superfamily (MFS) transporter-encoding genes, ergosterol (ERG) anabolism component genes ERG2, ERG6 and EGR11 (CYP51A), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling-inducer genes Mkk1 and Hog1, and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase (CaMK) signaling-inducer genes CaMK1 and CaMK2. Fragments Per Kilobase per Million mapped reads (FPKM) analysis of Pi-R transcrtiptome showed that prochloraz induced mRNA increase of additional 4 unigenes, including the other two ERG11 isoforms CYP51B and CYP51C and the remaining kinase-encoding genes (i.e., Bck1 and Slt2) required for Slt2-MAPK signaling. The expression patterns of all the 19 prochloraz-responsive genes, obtained in our RNA-seq data sets, have been validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). These lines of evidence in together draw a general portrait of anti-DMI mechanisms for P. italicum species. Intriguingly, some strategies adopted by the present Pi-R were not observed in the previously documented prochloraz-resistant P. digitatum transcrtiptomes. These included simultaneous induction of all major EGR11 isoforms (CYP51A/B/C), over-expression of ERG2 and ERG6 to modulate ergosterol anabolism, and concurrent mobilization of Slt2-MAPK and CaMK signaling processes to overcome fungicide-induced stresses. The present findings provided transcriptomic evidence on P. italicum DMI-resistance mechanisms and revealed some diversity in anti-DMI strategies between P. italicum and P. digitatum species, contributing to our knowledge on P. italicum DMI-resistance mechanisms.