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Poster

Session: Session 1 Presenting Authors at Posters (Odds)

P-297 - Population-level insights into wild tomato defense network rewiring in response to necrotrophic fungi

Monday, July 14, 2025
13:30 - 15:15  
Location: Confex Hall 3
Population Biology, Ecology & Genomics

    Presenting Author(s)

  • CT

    Christopher Tominello-Ramirez

    Postdoctorate Researcher
    Kiel University - Institute of Phytopathology
    Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

    • Author(s)

  • SE

    Severin Einspanier

    Kiel University - Institute of Phytopathology
    Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

  • FA

    Farooq Ahmad

    Postdoctorate Researcher
    Kiel University - Institute of Phytopathology
    Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

  • AD

    Anik Dutta

    Research Associate
    Dümmen Orange
    De Lier, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands

  • MB

    Marie Bolger

    Bioinformatician
    Forschungszentrum Jülich
    Jülich, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

  • BU

    Björn Usadel

    Principal Investigator
    Institute for Biological Data Science, Heinrich Heine University, Dusseldorf
    Duesseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

  • RS

    Remco Stam

    PI/Professor
    Kiel University - Institute of Phytopathology
    Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Wild plant populations are under constant evolutionary pressure to adapt to stress. Our previous work with the wild tomato Solanum chilense shows well-defined population structure, and found significant differences between populations in susceptibility to the most relevant pathogen in the species range, the necrotrophic fungus Alternaria alternata. To unravel the mechanisms driving this variability, we sequenced whole genomes of 99 S. chilense individuals. After reconstructing their demographic histories, we detected thousands of genetic loci affected by selective sweeps. The southernmost populations are particularly affected, and for regulatory pathways such as hormone signaling. We characterized the A. alternata infection phenotypes from all 99 genotypes using a high-throughput platform, and found the southernmost populations have the most divergent and pronounced infection phenotypes despite population bottlenecks. Next, we selected genotypes from southern populations and compared them to genotypes from the center of the species range for RNA-seq at 6 time points during A. alternata infection. Using gene expression networks, we identified discrete transcription modules associated with resistance and susceptibility. Further, we find that network hub genes are disproportionately affected by the selective sweep. We highlight key molecular participants that rewire gene networks towards defense within a single species, and the implications for understanding defense signaling.