Total RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis
The full length (6 cm) of tissue (containing both necrotic region and non-necrotic region) was used for RNA extraction
for both inoculated and mock-inoculated samples. Hevea brasiliensis synthesizes natural rubber, a secondary
metabolite (Chow et al. 2012), thus total RNA extraction was carried out according to protocol for RNA extraction for
plants rich in secondary metabolites (Ghangal et al. 2009). Total RNA from each condition was treated with DNase I
(Thermo Scientific, Helsinki, Finland) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. RNA quantification was carried out
using ND-2000 spectrophotometer (Nanodrop technologies). cDNA was synthesized by reverse transcription from
100 ng total RNA using whole transcriptome amplification (WTA) kit according to the manufacturer’s instructions
(Sigma-Aldrich)