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Genetic Manipulation of the Plant Pathogen Ustilago maydis to Study Fungal Biology and Plant Microbe Interactions
Published on: September 30, 2016
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Genomic Instability in Fungal Plant Pathogens
1Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Hebrew University, Rehovot 76100001, Israel.
Genes
|April 17, 2020
Summary
Fungal plant pathogens evolve rapidly through genetic diversity, including recombination and chromosomal changes. Some pathogens exhibit unique DNA repair deficiencies, potentially driving their adaptation and pathogenicity.
Area of Science:
- Plant Pathology
- Genetics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Plant diseases caused by fungi and oomycetes have impacted agriculture for centuries.
- Managing fungal pathogens requires understanding their genetic diversity and adaptation mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review mechanisms of genetic diversity in fungal plant pathogens.
- To explore chromosomal aberrations and their role in pathogenicity.
- To investigate potential mutator mechanisms in fungal pathogens.
Main Methods:
- Review of literature on recombination, chromosomal aberrations, and DNA repair in fungal pathogens.
- Genomic analysis of agriculturally important fungal isolates.
- Identification of fungi lacking DNA repair genes or showing unconventional responses to DNA damage.
Main Results:
- Sexual and parasexual recombination contribute to novel allele combinations.
- Genome rearrangements, including pathogenicity chromosomes, shape pathogen genomes and can be horizontally transferred.
- Some fungal pathogens lack key DNA repair genes, and Fusarium oxysporum shows unusual dNTP production regulation.
Conclusions:
- Genetic diversity, chromosomal aberrations, and potential mutator mechanisms are crucial for fungal plant pathogen adaptation.
- Further mechanistic studies are needed to understand the impact of chromosomal aberrations and gene copy number variations on pathogenicity.
- The identified DNA repair deficiencies may promote genetic instability in fungal plant pathogens.
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