Transcriptional response to host chemical cues underpins the expansion of host range in a fungal plant pathogen lineage.

ABSTRACT: The host range of parasites is an important factor in assessing the dynamics of disease epidemics. The evolution of pathogens to accommodate new hosts may lead to host range expansion, a process the molecular bases of which are largely enigmatic. The fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum has been reported to parasitize more than 400 plant species from diverse eudicot families while its close relative, S. trifoliorum, is restricted to plants from the Fabaceae family. We analyzed S. sclerotiorum global transcriptome reprogramming on hosts from six botanical families and reveal a flexible, host-specific transcriptional program. We generated a chromosome-level genome assembly for S. trifoliorum and found near-complete gene space conservation in two representative strains of broad and narrow host ran

SUBMITTER: Kusch S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8692328 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature