De novo Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Distinct Defense Mechanisms by Young and Mature Leaves of Hevea brasiliensis (Para Rubber Tree)

Along with changes in morphology in the course of maturation, leaves of Hevea brasiliensis become more resistant to leaf diseases, including the South American Leaf Blight (SALB), a devastating fungal disease of this economically important tree species. To understand the underlying mechanisms of this defense, and to identify the candidate genes involved, we sequenced the Hevea leaf transcriptome at four developmental stages (I to IV) by Illumina sequencing. A total of 62.6 million high-quality reads were generated, and assembled into 98,796 unique transcripts. We identified 3,905 differentially expressed genes implicated in leaf development, 67.8% (2,651) of which were during the transition to leaf maturation. The genes involved in cyanogenic metabolism, lignin and anthocyanin biosynthesis were noteworthy for their distinct patterns of expression between developing leaves (stages I to III) and mature leaves (stage IV), and the correlation with the change in resistance to SALB and the Oidium/Colletotrichum leaf fall. The results provide a first profile of the molecular events that relate to the dynamics of leaf morphology and defense strategies during Hevea leaf development. This dataset is beneficial to devising strategies to engineer resistance to leaf diseases as well as other in-depth studies in Hevea tree.