Unravelling ecophysiological and molecular adjustments in the photosynthesis-respiration balance during Fusarium graminearum infection in wheat spikes.

Abstract

Wheat responses to F. graminearum result in a deep and sharp reprogramming of a wide range of biological processes, including energy-associated functions and related metabolisms. Although these impacts have been thoroughly described at the molecular scale through proteomics and transcriptomics studies, phenotypic studies are still needed to fill the gap between the observed molecular events and the actual impacts of the disease on the ecophysiological processes. Taking advantage of the gas exchange method, the effects of two F. graminearum strains of contrasting aggressiveness on spike's photosynthesis and respiration-associated processes during an early infection time course were deeply characterized. Besides, an RNAseq-based expression profiling of the genes involved in the photosynthesis, respiration and stomatal movement processes was also performed when plants were challenged using the same two fungal strains. In response to Fusarium head blight, CO₂ assimilation and CO₂ diffusion adjustments matched transcriptomic data, showing altered photosynthetic processes and sharp gene regulations unrelated to symptom development. In contrast, although ecophysiological characterization clearly demonstrated respiration adjustments along with the F. graminearum's infection process, the gene regulations involved were not fully captured transcriptionally. We demonstrated that combining gas exchange methods with transcriptomics is especially effective in enhancing and deepening our understanding of complex physiological adjustments, providing unique and complementary insights that cannot be predicted from a single approach.