Variability in the insect and plant adhesins, Mad1 and Mad2, within the fungal genus metarhizium suggest plant adaptation as an evolutionary force.

ABSTRACT: Several species of the insect pathogenic fungus Metarhizium are associated with certain plant types and genome analyses suggested a bifunctional lifestyle; as an insect pathogen and as a plant symbiont. Here we wanted to explore whether there was more variation in genes devoted to plant association (Mad2) or to insect association (Mad1) overall in the genus Metarhizium. Greater divergence within the genus Metarhizium in one of these genes may provide evidence for whether host insect or plant is a driving force in adaptation and evolution in the genus Metarhizium. We compared differences in variation in the insect adhesin gene, Mad1, which enables attachment to insect cuticle, and the plant adhesin gene, Mad2, which enables attachment to plants. Overall variation for the Mad1 promoter regio

SUBMITTER: Wyrebek M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3596358 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature