Targeted Gene Mutations in the Forest Pathogen Dothistroma septosporum Using CRISPR/Cas9.

ABSTRACT: Dothistroma needle blight, caused by Dothistroma septosporum, has increased in incidence and severity over the last few decades and is now one of the most important global diseases of pines. Disease resistance breeding could be accelerated by knowledge of pathogen virulence factors and their host targets. However, this is hindered due to inefficient targeted gene disruption in D. septosporum, which is required for virulence gene characterisation. Here we report the first successful application of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to a Dothideomycete forest pathogen, D. septosporum. Disruption of the dothistromin pathway regulator gene AflR, with a known phenotype, was performed using nonhomologous end-joining repair with an efficiency of > 90%. Transformants with a range

SUBMITTER: McCarthy HM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9025729 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature