Comparative Genomics of Pathogenic and Nonpathogenic Beetle-Vectored Fungi in the Genus Geosmithia.

ABSTRACT: Geosmithia morbida is an emerging fungal pathogen which serves as a model for examining the evolutionary processes behind pathogenicity because it is one of two known pathogens within a genus of mostly saprophytic, beetle-associated, fungi. This pathogen causes thousand cankers disease in black walnut trees and is vectored into the host via the walnut twig beetle. Geosmithia morbida was first detected in western United States and currently threatens the timber industry concentrated in eastern United States. We sequenced the genomes of G. morbida in a previous study and two nonpathogenic Geosmithia species in this work and compared these species to other fungal pathogens and nonpathogens to identify genes under positive selection in G. morbida that may be associated with pathogenicity. Geos

SUBMITTER: Schuelke TA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5737690 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature