Effector gene reshuffling involves dispensable mini-chromosomes in the wheat blast fungus

Newly emerged wheat blast disease is a serious threat to global wheat production. Wheat blast is caused by a distinct, exceptionally diverse lineage of the fungus causing rice blast disease. Through sequencing a recent field isolate, we report a reference genome that includes seven core chromosomes...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:PLoS genetics 2019-09, Vol.15 (9), p.e1008272
Main Authors: Peng, Zhao, Oliveira-Garcia, Ely, Lin, Guifang, Hu, Ying, Dalby, Melinda, Migeon, Pierre, Tang, Haibao, Farman, Mark, Cook, David, White, Frank F, Valent, Barbara, Liu, Sanzhen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ascomycota - genetics
Bioinformatics
Biology and Life Sciences
Chromosomes
Chromosomes, Fungal
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Diseases and pests
Divergence
DNA
DNA sequencing
Explosions
Fungi
Gene Rearrangement - genetics
Genes
Genetic aspects
Genome, Fungal - genetics
Genomes
Genomics
Methods
Minichromosome Maintenance Proteins - metabolism
Mycoses - genetics
Observations
Plant Diseases - genetics
Plant pathology
Poaceae - genetics
Research and Analysis Methods
Rice blast
Rice blast disease
Software
Supervision
Transcription Factors - genetics
Transposons
Triticum - genetics
Wheat
Wheat industry
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Newly emerged wheat blast disease is a serious threat to global wheat production. Wheat blast is caused by a distinct, exceptionally diverse lineage of the fungus causing rice blast disease. Through sequencing a recent field isolate, we report a reference genome that includes seven core chromosomes and mini-chromosome sequences that harbor effector genes normally found on ends of core chromosomes in other strains. No mini-chromosomes were observed in an early field strain, and at least two from another isolate each contain different effector genes and core chromosome end sequences. The mini-chromosome is enriched in transposons occurring most frequently at core chromosome ends. Additionally, transposons in mini-chromosomes lack the characteristic signature for inactivation by repeat-induced point (RIP) mutation genome defenses. Our results, collectively, indicate that dispensable mini-chromosomes and core chromosomes undergo divergent evolutionary trajectories, and mini-chromosomes and core chromosome ends are coupled as a mobile, fast-evolving effector compartment in the wheat pathogen genome.
ISSN:1553-7404
1553-7390
1553-7404
DOI:10.1371/journal.pgen.1008272