Genome analysis of rice-blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae field isolates from southern India

• Published in: Genomics data 2015-09, Vol.5 (C), p.284-291
• Main Authors: Gowda, Malali, Shirke, Meghana D., Mahesh, H.B., Chandarana, Pinal, Rajamani, Anantharamanan, Chattoo, Bharat B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Genome comparison; Isolate specific genes; Magnaporthe; Next generation sequencing; Regular; Single nucleotide polymorphism
• ISSN: 2213-5960; 2213-5960
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gdata.2015.06.018

The Indian subcontinent is the center of origin and diversity for rice (Oryza sativa L.). The O. sativa ssp. indica is a major food crop grown in India, which occupies the first and second position in area and production, respectively. Blast disease caused by Magnaporthe oryzae is a major constraint to rice production. Here, we report the analysis of genome architecture and sequence variation of two field isolates, B157 and MG01, of the blast fungus from southern India. The 40Mb genome of B157 and 43Mb genome of MG01 contained 11,344 and 11,733 predicted genes, respectively. Genomic comparisons unveiled a large set of SNPs and several isolate specific genes in the Indian blast isolates. Avr genes were analyzed in several sequenced Magnaporthe strains; this analysis revealed the presence of Avr-Pizt and Avr-Ace1 genes in all the sequenced isolates. Availability of whole genomes of field isolates from India will contribute to global efforts to understand genetic diversity of M. oryzae population and to track the emergence of virulent pathotypes. •The first genomic study of Magnaporthe from Indian subcontinent•Provided information about genomic variations in terms of SNPs, InDels and ICVs due to transposable elements•Identified novel genes specific to Indian isolates•Genome wide antisense transcripts identified from this study•Identified Magnaporthe specific pathogenicity genes that are absent in non-pathogenic Ascomycetes fungi