Candidate Genes Associated with Tolerance to Cassava Brown Streak Disease in Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)

The study was aimed at identifying candidate genes associated with tolerance to cassava brown streak disease in an infection front with Uganda cassava brown streak virus (UCBSV). An initial RNAseq analysis with the DESeq package at two time points identified 59 and 1 differentially expressed genes at 6 and 192 hours after grafting (HAG) respectively in the susceptible cultivar Albert. In contrast, the tolerant cultivar, Namikonga had 183 and 1160 differentially expressed genes at 6 HAG and 192 HAG respectively. Some of the GO-terms of significantly expressed genes found only in the tolerant cultivar are involved in RNA processing, immunity response, movement and protein modifications, probably explaining early immune reaction from this cultivar. This finding emphasizes the need for RNAseq analysis with more time-points.

Key words: Uganda cassava brown streak virus, RNAseq, tolerance to Cassava brown streak disease