Transcriptomic analysis of antagonistic effect of Trichoderma atroviride that has potential biological control agent on F. graminearum

Fusarium graminearum is world-wide known major cause of 'Fusarium Head Blight' disease in many crop plants having economic importance such as barley, wheat and corn. This fungal originated disease of plants also cause devastating losses of quantitative and qualitative due contamination by mycotoxins. The effective way to struggle with fungal diseases of plants have been achieved by the fungicides, mostly. However, disturbing and distributing resistance to these fungucides by the fungal pathogens have necessitated the new challenging methods to struggle. In this context, the use of biocontrol agents offers a way that is more safe, low-cost and reproducible. Trichoderma atroviride is a well-known biocontrol agent in worldwide. As far as we know by the literature, the potential inhibiting activities of its at the molecular level on the disease agents are restricted. In this thesis study, the molecular level effects of T. harzianum on F. graminearum have been investigated due to transcriptomics by the known as most validated RNA-Sequencing method For this investigation; mRNA transcripts of the pathogen that was confronted and unconfronted with T. atroviride cultures were obtained and evaluted. As result of transcriptome of the pathogen culture that was confronted with T. harzianum; many number of genes regulated were identified as up and down (p<0.05). Upregulated genes were found mainly involved in; fatty acid synthesis, AMP-dependent biosynthesis, aminoacid recognition/activation processes and secondary metabolite synthesis, while downregulated genes were involved in mainly aminoacid synthesis, oxidation-reduction processes, metal-ion chelating and metabolic/catabolic activities. It was shown that T. atroviride inhibitingprimary metabolite synthesis of the pathogen while activating the secondary metabolism. By the findings of this study, T. atroviride, as a fungal species with antagonistic activity was proven having a developable potential for biological control agent.