TMT-based quantitative proteomics analyses reveal novel defense mechanisms of Brassica napus against the devastating necrotrophic pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

摘要

The white mould disease, caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, is one of the most important diseases in the vital oil crop Brassica napus. Nevertheless, the defense mechanisms of B. napus against S. sclerotiorum are poorly understood. In this study, we performed comparative quantitative proteomics analyses to reveal B. napus defense mechanisms against S. sclerotiorum. The proteomes of B. napus leaves inoculated with S. sclerotiorum wild-type strain 1980 and nonpathogenic mutant strain Ep-1PB as well as empty agar plug as the control were analyzed using TMT label-based quantitative analysis technique. A total of 79, 299 and 173 proteins consistently differentially expressed between Ep-1PB- and mock-inoculated leaves, 1980- and mock-inoculated leaves, as well as 1980- and Ep-1PB-inoculated leaves, respectively, were identified. The differential expression of 12 selected proteins was confirmed by qRT-PCR analyses. The Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and protein-protein interaction prediction analyses revealed that redox homeostasis, lipid signaling, calcium signaling, histone and DNA methylation-mediated transcription regulation and defense-related proteins such as defensin and defensin-like proteins and cyanate lyase, contribute to defense against S. sclerotiorum. Our results provide new insights into molecular mechanisms that may be involved in defense responses of B. napus to S. sclerotiorum.