The Fusarium graminearum genome reveals a link between localized polymorphism and pathogen specialization.

Science
Authors
Keywords
Abstract

We sequenced and annotated the genome of the filamentous fungus Fusarium graminearum, a major pathogen of cultivated cereals. Very few repetitive sequences were detected, and the process of repeat-induced point mutation, in which duplicated sequences are subject to extensive mutation, may partially account for the reduced repeat content and apparent low number of paralogous (ancestrally duplicated) genes. A second strain of F. graminearum contained more than 10,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms, which were frequently located near telomeres and within other discrete chromosomal segments. Many highly polymorphic regions contained sets of genes implicated in plant-fungus interactions and were unusually divergent, with higher rates of recombination. These regions of genome innovation may result from selection due to interactions of F. graminearum with its plant hosts.

Year of Publication
2007
Journal
Science
Volume
317
Issue
5843
Pages
1400-2
Date Published
2007 Sep 07
ISSN
1095-9203
URL
DOI
10.1126/science.1143708
PubMed ID
17823352
Links
Grant list
U54 HG003067 / HG / NHGRI NIH HHS / United States