A5023159762- Plant Pathogens and Fungal Diseases
- Fungal and yeast genetics research
- Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity
- Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions
- Mycotoxins in Agriculture and Food
- Lichen and fungal ecology
- Wheat and Barley Genetics and Pathology
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Fern and Epiphyte Biology
- Diatoms and Algae Research
- Fungal Biology and Applications
- Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
- Yeasts and Rust Fungi Studies
- Plant Disease Resistance and Genetics
- Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction
- Fermentation and Sensory Analysis
- Plant Pathogens and Resistance
- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- CRISPR and Genetic Engineering
- Bryophyte Studies and Records
- Protist diversity and phylogeny
- Microbial Natural Products and Biosynthesis
- Plant tissue culture and regeneration
- Slime Mold and Myxomycetes Research
- RNA modifications and cancer
University of Exeter
2014-2023
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
2013
Singer (United States)
2002-2006
Magnaporthe grisea is the most destructive pathogen of rice worldwide and principal model organism for elucidating molecular basis fungal disease plants. Here, we report draft sequence M. genome. Analysis gene set provides an insight into adaptations required by a fungus to cause disease. The genome encodes large diverse secreted proteins, including those defined unusual carbohydrate-binding domains. This also possesses expanded family G-protein-coupled receptors, several new...
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Botrytis cinerea are closely related necrotrophic plant pathogenic fungi notable for their wide host ranges environmental persistence. These attributes have made these species models understanding the complexity of necrotrophic, broad host-range pathogenicity. Despite similarities, two differ in mating behaviour ability to produce asexual spores. We sequenced genomes one strain S. strains B. cinerea. The comparative analysis relative another other fungal is...
Powdery mildews are phytopathogens whose growth and reproduction entirely dependent on living plant cells. The molecular basis of this life-style, obligate biotrophy, remains unknown. We present the genome analysis barley powdery mildew, Blumeria graminis f.sp. hordei (Blumeria), as well a comparison with two pathogenic dicotyledonous plants. These genomes display massive retrotransposon proliferation, genome-size expansion, gene losses. missing genes encode enzymes primary secondary...
Coccolithophores have influenced the global climate for over 200 million years. These marine phytoplankton can account 20 per cent of total carbon fixation in some systems. They form blooms that occupy hundreds thousands square kilometres and are distinguished by their elegantly sculpted calcium carbonate exoskeletons (coccoliths), rendering them visible from space. Although coccolithophores export organic matter calcite to sea floor, they also release CO2 calcification process. Hence, a...
In February 2016, a new fungal disease was spotted in wheat fields across eight districts Bangladesh. The epidemic spread to an estimated 15,000 hectares, about 16 % of the cultivated area Bangladesh, with yield losses reaching up 100 %. Within weeks onset epidemic, we performed transcriptome sequencing symptomatic leaf samples collected directly from Bangladeshi fields. Reinoculation seedlings strains isolated infected grains showed blast symptoms on leaves but not rice. Our phylogenomic...
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) can radically alter the genomes of microorganisms, providing capacity to adapt new lifestyles, environments, and hosts. However, extent HGT between eukaryotes is unclear. Using whole-genome, gene-by-gene phylogenetic analysis we demonstrate an extensive pattern cross-kingdom fungi oomycetes. Comparative genomics, including de novo genome sequence Hyphochytrium catenoides , a free-living sister oomycetes, shows that these transfers largely converge within...
Delineating species and epidemic lineages in fungal plant pathogens is critical to our understanding of disease emergence the structure biodiversity also informs international regulatory decisions.
Blast disease destroys up to 30% of the rice crop annually and threatens global food security. The blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae invades plant tissue with hyphae that proliferate grow from cell cell, often through pit fields, where plasmodesmata cluster. We showed chemical genetic inhibition a single fungal mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase, Pmk1, prevents M. infecting adjacent cells, leaving trapped within cell. Pmk1 regulates expression secreted effector proteins implicated in...
Abstract The rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae is the most serious pathogen of cultivated and a significant threat to global food security. To accelerate targeted mutation specific genome editing in this species, we have developed rapid plasmid-free CRISPR-Cas9-based method. We show that stable expression Cas9 highly toxic M . However efficient gene can be achieved by transient introduction purified pre-complexed RNA guides form ribonucleoproteins (RNPs). When used combination with...
Wheat, one of the most important food crops, is threatened by a blast disease pandemic. Here, we show that clonal lineage wheat fungus recently spread to Asia and Africa following two independent introductions from South America. Through combination genome analyses laboratory experiments, decade-old pandemic can be controlled Rmg8 resistance gene sensitive strobilurin fungicides. However, also highlight potential clone evolve fungicide-insensitive variants sexually recombine with African...
The rice blast fungus Magnaporthe grisea infects plants by means of specialized infection structures known as appressoria. Turgor generated in the appressorium provides invasive force that allows to breach leaf cuticle with a narrow-penetration hypha gaining entry underlying epidermal cell. Appressorium maturation M. involves mass transfer lipid bodies developing appressorium, coupled autophagic cell death conidium and rapid lipolysis at onset appressorial turgor generation. Here, we report...
Fungi and oomycetes are the causal agents of many most serious diseases plants. Here we report a detailed comparative analysis genome sequences thirty-six species fungi oomycetes, including seven plant pathogenic species, that aims to explore common genetic features associated with disease-causing species. The predicted translational products each have been clustered into groups potential orthologues using Markov Chain Clustering data integrated e-Fungi object-oriented warehouse...
The rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae is one of the most significant pathogens affecting global food security. To cause disease elaborates a specialised infection structure called an appressorium. Here, we report genome wide transcriptional profile analysis appressorium development using next generation sequencing (NGS). We performed both RNA-Seq and High-Throughput SuperSAGE to compare utility these procedures for identifying differential gene expression in M. oryzae. then analysed...
Abstract Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) describes the transmission of genetic material across species boundaries and is an important evolutionary phenomenon in ancestry many microbes. The role HGT plant history is, however, largely unexplored. Here, we compare genomes six with those 159 prokaryotic eukaryotic identify 1689 genes that show highest similarity to corresponding from fungi. We constructed a phylogeny for all identified homolog groups available rice (Oryza sativa) genome (3177...
Bidirectional membrane trafficking along microtubules is mediated by kinesin-1, kinesin-3, and dynein. Several organelle-bound adapters for kinesin-1 dynein have been reported that orchestrate their opposing activity. However, the coordination of kinesin-3/dynein-mediated transport not understood. In this paper, we report a Hook protein, Hok1, essential kinesin-3– dynein-dependent early endosome (EE) motility in fungus Ustilago maydis. Hok1 binds to EEs via its C-terminal region, where it...
Lichens, encompassing 20,000 known species, are symbioses between specialized fungi (mycobionts), mostly ascomycetes, and unicellular green algae or cyanobacteria (photobionts). Here we describe the first parallel genomic analysis of mycobiont Cladonia grayi its algal photobiont Asterochloris glomerata. We focus on genes/predicted proteins potential symbiotic significance, sought by surveying differentially activated during early stages interaction in coculture, expanded contracted protein...
Blastocystis is the most prevalent eukaryotic microbe colonizing human gut, infecting approximately 1 billion individuals worldwide. Although has been linked to intestinal disorders, its pathogenicity remains controversial because carriers are asymptomatic. Here, genome sequence of subtype (ST) presented and compared previously published sequences for ST4 ST7. Despite a conserved core genes, there unexpected diversity between these STs in terms their sizes, guanine-cytosine (GC) content,...
Fungi and oomycetes are the causal agents of many world's most serious plant diseases unique among microbial pathogens in being able to breach intact surfaces host plants, rapidly establishing infections that can have disastrous consequences for large-scale agricultural