Gene expression analyses of selected genes of Vitis vinifera during early infection stages of Plasmopara viticola and Botrytis cinerea

Downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola) and gray mold (Botrytis cinerea) are the most important plant pathogens in grapevine (Vitis vinifera) in Central Europe. Both lead each year to wide economical losses; hence fungicides have to be applied regularly throughout the growth period. Understanding host-pathogen interaction could therefore benefit in developing new strategies for pest control. Aiming at the development of markers allowing pre-symptomatic disease detection, host-pathogen interaction was studied at gene expression level by quantitative real time PCR in pathogen vs. mock inoculation series. This work shows analysis of relative expression levels of the defense genes PR1, PR2, PR10 and STS, which we expected to be upregulated in susceptible grapevine cultivar Pinot noir during the first two days after infection of leaf tissue with downy mildew or gray mold. In our analysis PR10 and STS were clearly upregulated in B. cinerea infected leaves up to 48 hpi. In P. viticola infected leaves the same two genes were upregulated until 15 hpi.