An integrative approach: using transcriptomic data and network analysis of transcriptional reprogramming in tomato response to PSTVd variants

Abstract

Viroids are minimal pathogens of angiosperms, consisting of non-coding RNAs that cause severe diseases in agronomic crops. Symptoms associated with viroid infection are linked to developmental alterations due to genetic regulation. To understand the global molecular mechanisms of host response, we implemented an omics approach to identify master transcription regulators (MTRs) and their differentially expressed targets in tomato infected with mild and severe variants of PSTVd. Our approach integrates root and leaf transcriptomic data, gene regulatory network analysis, and identification of affected biological processes. Overall, our results reveal that specific bHLH, MYB, and ERF transcription factors regulate genes involved in molecular mechanisms underlying critical signaling pathways. Functional enrichment of regulons shows that bHLH-MTRs are linked to metabolism and plant defense, while MYB-MTRs are involved in signaling regulation and hormone-related processes. Strikingly, a member of the bHLH-TF family have a potential specific role as a microprotein involved in the post-translational regulation of hormone signaling events. For the severe variant, ERF-MTRs are characteristic, while ZNF-TF, tf3a-TF, BZIP-TFs, and NAC-TF act as unique MTRs. Altogether, our results lay a foundation for further research on the PSTVd and host genome interaction, providing evidence for identifying potential key genes that influence symptom development in tomato plants.