(2011) Comparative genomics yields insights into niche adaptation of plant vascular wilt pathogens. PLoS Pathogens, Vol.7 (No.7). doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1002137 ISSN 1553-7374.

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Abstract

The vascular wilt fungi Verticillium dahliae and V. albo-atrum infect over 200 plant species, causing billions of dollars in
annual crop losses. The characteristic wilt symptoms are a result of colonization and proliferation of the pathogens in the
xylem vessels, which undergo fluctuations in osmolarity. To gain insights into the mechanisms that confer the organisms’
pathogenicity and enable them to proliferate in the unique ecological niche of the plant vascular system, we sequenced the
genomes of V. dahliae and V. albo-atrum and compared them to each other, and to the genome of Fusarium oxysporum,
another fungal wilt pathogen. Our analyses identified a set of proteins that are shared among all three wilt pathogens, and
present in few other fungal species. One of these is a homolog of a bacterial glucosyltransferase that synthesizes virulencerelated
osmoregulated periplasmic glucans in bacteria. Pathogenicity tests of the corresponding V. dahliae
glucosyltransferase gene deletion mutants indicate that the gene is required for full virulence in the Australian tobacco
species Nicotiana benthamiana. Compared to other fungi, the two sequenced Verticillium genomes encode more pectindegrading
enzymes and other carbohydrate-active enzymes, suggesting an extraordinary capacity to degrade plant pectin
barricades. The high level of synteny between the two Verticillium assemblies highlighted four flexible genomic islands in V.
dahliae that are enriched for transposable elements, and contain duplicated genes and genes that are important in
signaling/transcriptional regulation and iron/lipid metabolism. Coupled with an enhanced capacity to degrade plant
materials, these genomic islands may contribute to the expanded genetic diversity and virulence of V. dahliae, the primary
causal agent of Verticillium wilts. Significantly, our study reveals insights into the genetic mechanisms of niche adaptation of
fungal wilt pathogens, advances our understanding of the evolution and development of their pathogenesis, and sheds
light on potential avenues for the development of novel disease management strategies to combat destructive wilt
diseases.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	Q Science > QK Botany
Divisions:	Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Life Sciences (2010- )
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Verticillium dahliae -- Genetics, Verticillium albo-atrum -- Genetics, Wilt diseases -- Pathogenesis
Journal or Publication Title:	PLoS Pathogens
Publisher:	Public Library of Science
ISSN:	1553-7374
Official Date:	28 July 2011
Dates:	Date Event 28 July 2011 Published
Volume:	Vol.7
Number:	No.7
DOI:	10.1371/journal.ppat.1002137
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access (Creative Commons)
Date of first compliant deposit:	17 December 2015
Date of first compliant Open Access:	17 December 2015
Funder:	United States. Dept. of Agriculture, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek [Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research] (NWO), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
Grant number:	2006-35600-17626 (NRICGP)

Data sourced from Thomson Reuters' Web of Knowledge

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