Transposable element insertions shape gene regulation and melanin production in a fungal pathogen of wheat.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Fungal plant pathogens pose major threats to crop yield and sustainable food production if they are highly adapted to their host and the local environment. Variation in gene expression contributes to phenotypic diversity within fungal species and affects adaptation. However, very few cases of adaptive regulatory changes have been reported in fungi and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unexplored. Fungal pathogen genomes are highly plastic and harbor numerous insertions of transposable elements, which can potentially contribute to gene expression regulation. In this work, we elucidated how transposable elements contribute to variation in melanin accumulation, a quantitative trait in fungi that affects survival under stressful conditions.

Results

We demonstra

SUBMITTER: Krishnan P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6047131 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature