Background: Bacterial wilt caused by
Ralstonia solanacearum
is the most devastating disease in
peanut. Planting resistant peanut cultivars is deemed as the sole economically viable means for
effective control of the disease. To understand the molecular mechanism underlying resistance and
facilitate breeding process, differences in gene expression between seeds of Rihua 1 (a Virginia type
peanut variety resistant to bacterial wilt) inoculated with the bacterial pathogen suspension (10
9 cfu ml
-1)
and seeds of the same cultivar treated with water (control), were studied using the Genefishing
TM
technology.
Results: A total of 25 differentially expressed genes were isolated. Expression of genes
encoding cyclophilin and ADP-ribosylation factor, respectively, were further studied by real time RTPCR,
and full length cDNAs of both genes were obtained by rapid amplification of cDNA ends.
Conclusions: The study provided candidate genes potentially useful for breeding peanut cultivars with
both high yield and bacterial wilt resistance, although confirmation of their functions through transgenic
studies is still needed.
