Esca disease triggers local transcriptomic response and DNA methylation changes in grapevine.

Esca disease causes significant transcriptomic reprogramming and DNA methylation changes in symptomatic grapevine leaves, with 1,000+ genes affected and early epigenetic markers identified.

• Why it matters: Understanding molecular mechanisms of esca is crucial because it leads to irreversible damage in grapevines, threatening vineyard productivity and longevity, yet these mechanisms remain largely unknown.
• What they did: Researchers analyzed symptomatic and asymptomatic leaves from infected grapevines using metabolite profiling, RNA sequencing, and whole-genome bisulfite sequencing, revealing localized and systemic molecular responses.
• The result: Findings show that metabolic and transcriptomic alterations are confined to symptomatic tissues, while early DNA methylation changes in asymptomatic leaves suggest potential for early disease detection and intervention.