Induced systemic resistance against Cucumber mosaic virus by Phoma sp. GS8-2 stimulates transcription of pathogenesis-related genes in Arabidopsis

Background Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is a serious threat to vegetable production worldwide. The efficacy of Phoma sp. GS8-2 was evaluated against CMV in Arabidopsis and cucumber plants. Results Arabidopsis and cucumber plants treated with barley grain inoculum (BGI) or cell-free filtrate (CF) of GS8-2 demonstrated decreased CMV severity and titre using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay relative to the control. Cucumber growth and yield parameters were significantly increased due to colonization with GS8-2 under field conditions. Molecular mechanisms underlying mediated resistance induced by GS8-2 against CMV were investigated. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results confirmed that both BGI and CF of GS8-2 stimulated the transcription levels of pathogenesis related genes (beta 1-3 glucanase, chitinase, PR1, PAL1 and LOX1), which could be involved in induced resistance against CMV. Conclusion Exploring the expression of the highly upregulated genes in GS8-2-induced plants suggested the contribution of multiple plant defence pathways against CMV. (c) 2018 Society of Chemical Industry