Expression profiles of the tomato line M82 in response to the fungal elicitor EIX

Experiment description: Ethylene inducing xylanase (EIX) is a 22 kDa protein isolated from fungus Trichoderma viride. Treatment of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) responding lines with EIX develops HR. The HR elicitation process in M82 is dependent on the binding of EIX to a host protein (S1EIX2). Although EIX treatment is known to induce ethylene production, PR proteins and cell death in tomato line M82, large scale defense response was previously unknown. The goal of this study was to identify tomato genes that are differentially expressed in response to EIX elicitor. To this aim, we have used the Affymetrix tomato genome array followed by real time RT-PCR validation. Samples were harvested from mock-treated and EIX-treated leaves at 4 and 8 hours after treatment (hat). Each sample comprised eight leaf discs, representing four different plants. In total eight samples were taken to continue the process, representing two independent biological repetitions of two time points, mock (-EIX) and treatment (+EIX) for each time point. The goal is to identify tomato genes that are differentially expressed in response to EIX elicitor.

Author: Ofra Sherf

Contact: Guido Sessa ([email protected]), Department of Plant Sciences, Tel Aviv University