Functional Annotation Of The Transcriptome Of TALL Fescue In Response To WATER Stress.

Tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum) plants symbiotic with the endophytic fungus, Neotyphodium coenophialum (E+), have better survivability and persistence under stressful conditions, especially under drought stress, than plants lacking the endophyte (E-). To understand more about the grass-endophyte interactions and how endophyte affects the host plant physiology and gene expression, we conducted a time course water stress experiment in the greenhouse using two genetically identical E+ and E- clone pairs of tall fescue. RNA-Seq analysis was done comparing plants on Day 2 stress to control plants.  Analysis was done to compare four tissue types (leaves, pseudostem, crown and root), stress vs non-stressed and presence/absence of the endophyte.  Genes in biotic and abiotic stress response pathways were differentially expressed, as were genes in the jasmonic acid and indoditerpene biosynthetic pathway under stress conditions.