Coevolution and life cycle specialization of plant cell wall degrading enzymes in a hemibiotrophic pathogen.

ABSTRACT: Zymoseptoria tritici is an important fungal pathogen on wheat that originated in the Fertile Crescent. Its closely related sister species Z. pseudotritici and Z. ardabiliae infect wild grasses in the same region. This recently emerged host-pathogen system provides a rare opportunity to investigate the evolutionary processes shaping the genome of an emerging pathogen. Here, we investigate genetic signatures in plant cell wall degrading enzymes (PCWDEs) that are likely affected by or driving coevolution in plant-pathogen systems. We hypothesize four main evolutionary scenarios and combine comparative genomics, transcriptomics, and selection analyses to assign the majority of PCWDEs in Z. tritici to one of these scenarios. We found widespread differential transcription among different members

SUBMITTER: Brunner PC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3649673 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature