New insights into the fusarium wilt resistance in chickpea using genomics and transcriptomics meta-analysis

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the most important grain legumes providing a major source of dietryprotein. Fusarium wilt (FW) caused by eight Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceri pathogenic races affectchickpeas causing a great yield loss wordwide. In the present study, an integrated meta-analysis approachwas used to find genomic regions and candidate genes involved in resistance to fusarium wilt. All the reportedquantitative trait loci (QTLs) and transcroptomics data including RNA-seq and SAGE studies related to FWresistance were collected. A meta-analysis was performed using ۲۹ initial QTLs associated with differentraces of FW resistance reported so far through nine independent experiments by Biomercator which led toindentification of seven meta-QTLs. The genes located in these hotspot regions were retrieved throughEnsembl Plants and NCBI databases. Moreover, the differentially expressed genes in chickpea were foundthrough analysis of the related transcroptomics data. Conclusively, ۹۸۱ FW-resistance related genes wereidentified using meta-QTL analysis and compared with ۲۹۱ and ۵۱۸۳ FW-responsive genes detected throughRNAseq and SAGE techniques. The integrated genome and transcriptome analyses revealed a number ofcandidate genes underlying resistance to FW races, which included some genes from MAP kinase, serinethreonine kinase, WRKY transcription factors, antioxidant enzymes and NBS-LRR gene families. Thesecandidate genes/regions can be used for development of FW-resistant cultivars through genetics engineeringor molecular breeding.