<i>Sanctuary</i>: a <i>Starship</i> transposon facilitating the movement of the virulence factor ToxA in fungal wheat pathogens.

ABSTRACT: There is increasing evidence that mobile genetic elements can drive the emergence of pathogenic fungal species by moving virulence genes horizontally. The 14 kbp ToxhAT transposon was shown to move the necrotrophic effector, ToxA, horizontally between wheat pathogens, namely Parastagonospora nodorum, Pyrenophora tritici-repentis, and Bipolaris sorokiniana. All three species utilize the ToxA protein to infect wheat. Previous work found ToxhAT in distinct chromosomal positions in two B. sorokiniana isolates, indicating that the transposon remains active in this species. Here, we confirm the movement of ToxhAT using long-read sequencing of eight new and one previously published B. sorokiniana isolates. One event of independent tra

SUBMITTER: Bucknell A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12506042 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature