Sequencing the genome of Marssonina brunnea reveals fungus-poplar co-evolution.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The fungus Marssonina brunnea is a causal pathogen of Marssonina leaf spot that devastates poplar plantations by defoliating susceptible trees before normal fall leaf drop.

Results

We sequence the genome of M. brunnea with a size of 52 Mb assembled into 89 scaffolds, representing the first sequenced Dermateaceae genome. By inoculating this fungus onto a poplar hybrid clone, we investigate how M. brunnea interacts and co-evolves with its host to colonize poplar leaves. While a handful of virulence genes in M. brunnea, mostly from the LysM family, are detected to up-regulate during infection, the poplar down-regulates its resistance genes, such as nucleotide binding site domains and leucine rich repeats, in response to infection. From 10,027 predicted proteins of M.

SUBMITTER: Zhu S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3484023 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature