RNA-Seq based global transcriptome analysis of rice unravels the key players associated with brown planthopper resistance

Rice production is adversely affected by biotic and abiotic stresses. Among the biotic stresses, brown planthopper (BPH) majorly affects the rice yield. Comprehending the genome and candidate players is essential for the resistance to BPH. This holistic study aimed to dissect the complex BPH resistance mechanism of the host against pathogen. Transcriptome analysis of six samples comprising of two-resistant (PTB33, BM71) and one-sensitive (TN1) genotypes under control and stress conditions was carried-out. A total of 148 million filtered reads were generated after quality check. Among these, 127 million filtered reads were aligned to the rice genome. These aligned reads were taken for further analysis. A total of 14,358 DEGs across the genotypes under stress were identified. Of which, 4820 DEGs were functionally annotated from 9266 uniquely mapped DEGs. Fifty-five potential BPH stress players were selected from the in-silico analysis of DEGs. qRT-PCR results revealed key players were differentially regulated in both resistant and sensitive genotypes. Spatio-temporal and hormone level expression signature of 55 BPH associated players were analyzed and noted their differential expression in tissues and hormones, respectively. This study inferred the significant differences in gene expression signatures may contribute to the process of BPH resistance mechanism in rice.