Biology subjects

Dahanayaka, B.

Publications and source records attributed to Dahanayaka, B..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Potential virulence factors in Pyrenophora teres through label-free cellular proteomics analysis

Pyrenophora teres f. teres (Ptt) is the causative agent of net blotch diseases in barley and an economically important pathogen in the barley industry worldwide. To date, however, little is known about the protein expression profile of Ptt, which is important to understand the pathogen behaviour. In this study we report the first cellular proteomics analysis of Ptt. Label-free proteomics was used to quantify the protein expression levels of two parental and one of its progeny isolates from a Ptt cross, grown in culture. One parental isolate of the cross was virulent on the barley variety Prior while the other isolate was avirulent. The progeny isolate used in this study was also virulent on Prior. A total of 3,502 proteins were identified in samples of the three Ptt isolates, of which 99 were found only in the pathogenic isolates, while another 255 proteins were significantly more abundant in the pathogenic isolates compared to the non-pathogenic isolate. Gene ontology analyses of the significant proteins revealed that the proteins increased in pathogenic isolates were involved in fatty acid elongation, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, glycerophospholipid metabolism, nucleocytoplasmic transport, amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism and metabolic pathways. These protein profiles and the bioinformatic analysis provide new biological information that can be utilised to better understand the pathogenicity of Ptt.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2026

QTL mapping and proteomic profiling of barley: insights into resistance and susceptibility to Pyrenophora teres f. teres

Pyrenophora teres f. teres (Ptt), the causal agent of net form net blotch disease in barley, is an economically important fungal pathogen worldwide. Understanding both host resistance mechanisms and pathogen virulence factors is essential for developing durable net form net blotch resistant barley cultivars. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping was conducted using a cross between two Ptt isolates, one virulent on the barley cultivar Prior and the other being avirulent. A major QTL associated with virulence on Prior was detected on chromosome 5. A progeny isolate possessing this QTL, together with the two parental isolates, was subsequently used in the proteomic analyses. Label-free proteomics was used to quantify in planta the protein profile changes in Prior following inoculations with the virulent and avirulent parental Ptt isolates, and the virulent progeny isolate. Leaf samples were collected at two (D2) and five (D5) days post-inoculation, and proteomic analyses performed to identify proteins associated with host resistance and pathogen virulence. A dataset comprising 2,886 barley proteins and 51 Ptt proteins was analysed. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the barley Prior proteomes revealed distinct clustering based on resistance and susceptibility at D5, while D2 samples formed a separate cluster. The PCA of the Ptt proteomes identified separate clusters, one comprised of the D2 and D5 avirulent parental isolate and another cluster of the virulent isolates at D5 only. Gene ontology analysis of the Prior proteins that were significantly increased in the resistant compared to the susceptible groups revealed functional categories related to protein translation, biosynthesis and chloroplast activities. The proteins that were significantly increased in the susceptible compared to the resistant Prior group were associated with organic acid and carbohydrate metabolism. The proteomic profiles and bioinformatic analysis generated in our study provide novel insights into the molecular basis of resistance and virulence in the barley-P. teres pathosystem. Key messageThis study reveals the first in planta proteomic profiles of both barley and Pyrenophora teres f. teres, identifying unique virulence-associated proteins and host responses linked to resistance and susceptibility.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2026

Integrative genomic approaches to study the barley-Pyrenophora teres interaction

Pyrenophora teres f. teres (Ptt), the causal agent of net-form net blotch in barley, was studied using a bi-parental mapping population (Pop1) of 305 isolates derived from a cross between two isolates with contrasting virulence on barley cultivars Skiff and Prior. QTL analysis identified virulence loci on chromosomes (Chr) 3 and 10 for Skiff, and on Chr 1, 4, and 5 for Prior. Major QTL on Chr 3 and 5 explained 24% and 40% of phenotypic variation, respectively. A second population (Pop2) was developed by crossing two Pop1 isolates, one carrying major QTL on Chr 3 and 5 and one avirulent. Isolates from Pop2 with single QTL were phenotyped across a Prior/Skiff recombinant inbred line population to identify corresponding host susceptibility/resistance loci. Skiff virulence QTL on Chr 3 corresponded to barley Chr 3H and 6H, while Prior virulence QTL on Chr 5 mapped to Chr 6H. RNA expression analysis of virulent and avirulent Pop2 isolates identified five candidate genes linked to the Chr 5 QTL, including two predicted effectors. These findings suggest both gene-for-gene and inverse gene-for-gene interactions in the Ptt-barley pathosystem and advance the understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying host-pathogen specificity.

plant biology↗