Transcriptomic changes in the PacC transcription factor deletion mutant of the plant pathogenic fungus Botrytis cinerea under acidic and neutral conditions

Botrytis cinerea, the causal agent of gray mold, is a necrotrophic fungus that can infect a wide variety of plant species and plant tissues. During infection, this pathogen modulates the pH of its environment by secreting organic acids or ammonia. Deletion of the gene encoding the pH-responsive transcription factor PacC revealed the importance of this regulator in different steps of the infection process and particularly in the secretion of organics acids, reactive oxygen species and plant cell wall degrading enzymes. This study aimed to identify the genes controlled by this fungus-specific transcription factor when the fungus is placed under acidic or neutral conditions.

Botrytis cinerea B05.10 and the knock-out BcpacC mutant strains were grown on solid non-buffered medium for 3 days on the surface of cellophane membranes before transfer for 4 h onto the surface of liquid medium buffered at pH 5.0 or 7.0 followed by mycelium collection. After RNA sequencing, differentially expressed genes according to strains or pH conditions were listed. These data will be useful in understanding the adaptation process of B cinerea during plant infection.