Finished genome of the fungal wheat pathogen Mycosphaerella graminicola reveals dispensome structure, chromosome plasticity and stealth pathogenesis

A - Papers appearing in refereed journals

Goodwin, S. B., Ben M'barek, S., Dhillon, B., Wittenberg, A. H. J., Crane, C. F., Hane, J. K., Foster, A. J., Van Der Lee, T. A. J., Grimwood, J., Aerts, A., Antoniw, J. F., Bailey, A., Bluhm, B., Bowler, J., Bristow, J., Van Der Burgt, A., Canto-Canche, B., Churchill, A. C. L., Conde-Ferraez, L., Cools, H. J., Coutinho, P. M., Csukai, M., Dehal, P., De Wit, P., Donzelli, B., Van De Geest, H. C., Van Ham, R. C. H. J., Hammond-Kosack, K. E. and Rudd, J. J. 2011. Finished genome of the fungal wheat pathogen Mycosphaerella graminicola reveals dispensome structure, chromosome plasticity and stealth pathogenesis. PLOS Genetics. 7, p. e1002070 (17pp). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1002070

AuthorsGoodwin, S. B., Ben M'barek, S., Dhillon, B., Wittenberg, A. H. J., Crane, C. F., Hane, J. K., Foster, A. J., Van Der Lee, T. A. J., Grimwood, J., Aerts, A., Antoniw, J. F., Bailey, A., Bluhm, B., Bowler, J., Bristow, J., Van Der Burgt, A., Canto-Canche, B., Churchill, A. C. L., Conde-Ferraez, L., Cools, H. J., Coutinho, P. M., Csukai, M., Dehal, P., De Wit, P., Donzelli, B., Van De Geest, H. C., Van Ham, R. C. H. J., Hammond-Kosack, K. E. and Rudd, J. J.
Abstract

The plant-pathogenic fungus Mycosphaerella graminicola (asexual stage: Septoria tritici) causes septoria tritici blotch, a disease that greatly reduces the yield and quality of wheat. This disease is economically important in most wheat-growing areas worldwide and threatens global food production. Control of the disease has been hampered by a limited understanding of the genetic and biochemical bases of pathogenicity, including mechanisms of infection and of resistance in the host. Unlike most other plant pathogens, M. graminicola has a long latent period during which it evades host defenses. Although this type of stealth pathogenicity occurs commonly in Mycosphaerella and other Dothideomycetes, the largest class of plant-pathogenic fungi, its genetic basis is not known. To address this problem, the genome of M. graminicola was sequenced completely. The finished genome contains 21 chromosomes, eight of which could be lost with no visible effect on the fungus and thus are dispensable. This eight-chromosome dispensome is dynamic in field and progeny isolates, is different from the core genome in gene and repeat content, and appears to have originated by ancient horizontal transfer from an unknown donor. Synteny plots of the M. graminicola chromosomes versus those of the only other sequenced Dothideomycete, Stagonospora nodorum, revealed conservation of gene content but not order or orientation, suggesting a high rate of intra-chromosomal rearrangement in one or both species. This observed “mesosynteny” is very different from synteny seen between other organisms. A surprising feature of the M. graminicola genome compared to other sequenced plant pathogens was that it contained very few genes for enzymes that break down plant cell walls, which was more similar to endophytes than to pathogens. The stealth pathogenesis of M. graminicola probably involves degradation of proteins rather than carbohydrates to evade host defenses during the biotrophic stage of infection and may have evolved from endophytic ancestors. 

KeywordsRRES175; 175_Genetics; 175_Fungi; 175_Plant sciences
Year of Publication2011
JournalPLOS Genetics
Journal citation7, p. e1002070 (17pp)
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1002070
Open accessPublished as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
Funder project or codeCentre for Sustainable Pest and Disease Management (PDM)
A functional genomics approach to the identification of genes determining fungal pathogenesis of cereals
Pathogenicity of non-biotrophic fungi infecting cereals
Understanding the evolution and dynamics of fungicide resistance development in cereal pathogens
Publisher's version
Publication dates
Online09 Jun 2011
Publication process dates
Accepted24 Mar 2011
PublisherPublic Library of Science (PLOS)
ISSN1553-7404

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