Kavitha, P GThomas, George2008-03-012009-06-012008-03-012009-06-012008-03-01Kavitha PG, Thomas G. Defence transcriptome profiling of Zingiber zerumbet (L.) Smith by mRNA differential display. Journal of Biosciences. 2008 Mar; 33(1): 81-90http://imsear.searo.who.int/handle/123456789/111198Soft rot is a serious disease in ginger (Zingiber of?cinale Roscoe),imposing a considerable economic loss annually in all ginger-producing countries.In this study,mRNA differential display was employed to identify genes whose expression was altered in a soft rot-resistant accession of Zingiber zerumbet (L.) Smith,a wild relative of ginger, in response to Pythium aphanidermatum (Edson) Fitzp.,which is the principal causative agent of soft-rot disease in ginger.Analysis using 68 primer combinations identified 70 differentially expressed transcript-derived fragments (TDFs),of which 34 TDFs were selected for further analysis following reverse northern screening.Cloning and sequence characterization of the 34 TDFs yielded a total of 54 distinct clones.Functional categorization of these clones revealed seven categories,of which the defence/stress/signalling group was the largest,with clones homologous to genes known to be actively involved in various pathogenesis-related functions in other plant species.The significance of these genes in relation to the resistance response in Z.zerumbet is discussed.This study has provided a pool of candidate genes for detailed molecular dissection of the defence mechanisms in Z.zerumbet and for accessing wild genetic resources for the transgenic improvement of ginger.engGene Expression ProfilingGenes, PlantGinger --classificationPlant Diseases --microbiologyPythium --pathogenicityRNA, Messenger --metabolismSequence Analysis, DNATranscription, GeneticJournal Article