MicroRNAs' Role in Immunity of Tomato to Wilting

Researchers from University of California at Riverside study the role of microRNA (miRNA) in the resistance of tomato against Fusarium oxysporum that causes vascular wilt disease. The experiment was conducted by doing a comparative miRNA profiling between Moneymaker, a susceptible tomato cultivar, and Motelle, a resistant tomato cultivar. The roots were treated with water and F. oxysporum.

Two miRNA, slmiR482f and slmiR5300, which repress upon infection of F. oxysporum were identified in Motelle. These two miRNAs were predicted to have four targets and the virus-induced gene splicing (VIGS) system revealed that these targets has the ability to encode a protein from a nucleotide binding (NB) domain, which is associated with the plant's resistance. However, among the targets predicted, none of them was observed which corresponds to l-2, a resistance gene for F. oxysporum in tomato and further proves the necessity for this gene in increasing tomato's immunity in F. oxysporum.

Read more their study at: http://www.plospathogens.org/article/fetchObject.action?uri=info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.ppat.1004464&representation=PDF.