Integrative transcriptome and proteome analysis reveals maize responses to Fusarium verticillioides infection inside the stalks

Fusarium stalk rot caused by Fusarium verticillioides is one of the most devastating diseases of maize that causes significant yield losses and poses potential security concerns for foods worldwide. The underlying mechanisms of maize plants regulating defence against the disease remain poorly understood. Here, integrative proteomic and transcriptomic analyses were employed to identify pathogenesis-related protein genes by comparing differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in maize stalks after inoculation with F. verticillioides. Functional enrichment analysis showed that DEGs and DEPs were mainly enriched in glutathione metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism, and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. Fourteen DEGs and DEGs that were highly elevated after inoculation with F. verticillioides were confirmed with parallel reaction monitoring and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR, demonstrating the accountability and reliability of proteomic and transcriptomic data. We also assessed the potential roles of defence-related genes ZmCTA1, ZmWIP1, and ZmLOX2, identified from the multi-omics analysis, during the process of F. verticillioides infection through virus-induced gene silencing. The elevation of stalk rot symptomatic characteristics in the silenced plants revealed their contribution to resistance. We further functionally characterized the roles of ZmLOX2 expression in the defence response of maize plants conditioning fungal invasion via the salicylic acid-dependent pathway. Collectively, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of transcriptome and proteome of maize stalks following F. verticillioides inoculation, and defence-related genes that could inform selection of new genes as targets in breeding strategies.