No description available.

Investigations into plant-pathogen interactions have provided us with several models underlying the genetic basis of host resistance in plants. In the past decade, tens of resistance genes have been isolated from numerous crop and model plant species and these form a few distinct classes when classified by domain structure, the majority being nucleotide-bindingsite- leucine-rich-repeat (NBS-LRR) genes. The NBS-LRR family consists of two sub-families based on the N-terminal domain: the coiled-coil (CC) NBS-LRRs and the Toll Interleukin Receptor homology domain (TIR) NBS-LRRs. The potential of these genes for future and current agricultural breeding programs has driven a large number of studies exploring the members of these gene families in the genomes of a variety of crop species. In the present study I focused on the NBS-LRR family in the allohexaploid wheat genome and obtained a comprehensive set of Triticeae NBS-LRR homologues using a combination of data-mining approaches. As starting point I detected conserved motifs in the dataset, finding all six previously characterized in the core-NBS domain of other plant NBS-LRRs. Phylogenetic analysis was performed to study relationships between the Triticeae NBS-LRR family and the 25 CC-NBS-LRR (CNL) R genes identified to date. I found the Triticeae CNL family to be highly divergent, containing ancient clade lineages, as seen in all angiosperm 120 taxa previously studied, and found a number of “ancient” dicotyl R genes grouped with Triticeae clades. The evolution of recent NBS-LRR gene duplications in the Triticeae was studied at the hand of two modes of duplication - firstly individual gene duplications yielding paralogous loci and secondly gene duplication by allopolyploidy. Current models of NBS-LRR family evolution predict that functional divergence occurs after gene duplication. An alternative is that divergence takes place at allele level, followed by a locus duplication that fixes heterozygosity in a single haplotype by unequal recombination. I investigated this hypothesis by studying the evolution of gene duplicates in two different contexts – paralogous duplications in the diploid barley genome and homeologous duplications in the allohexaploid genome of wheat. Nonsynonymous to synonymous substitution rate ratios were estimated for paralogous gene duplications in three recently diverged NBS-LRR clades. All pairwise comparisons yielded Ka:Ks ratios strongly indicative of purifying selection. Given that R gene mediated resistance is inherited qualitatively rather than quantitatively, I interpret this as evidence that even closely related paralogous copies (90-95% identity) should have independent recognition specificities maintained by purifying selection. Homeologous duplications were studied in allohexaploid wheat (AABBDD) using a section of the go35 NBS-LRR gene (2L) of the B and D diploid donor species of wheat. Numerous synonymous substitutions distinguished the B and D genome copies, with an absence of nonsynonymous substitutions. In contrast, single unique nonsynonymous substitutions were found in four out of five polyploid wheat go35 alleles, indicating that selection pressure was indeed relaxed across the homeolocus. Recent studies on polyploid genomes have shown that duplicated resistance genes are far more likely to be eliminated than highly transcribed genes such as tRNAs and rRNAs. These results are in agreement with the view that functional divergence takes place before duplication for NBS-LRR genes, as the loci duplicated by polyploidy appear not to evolve under purifying selection, as I found for the paralogous loci investigated. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Genetics / unrestricted

The production of cereal crops is essential to secure a future that feeds the continuously growing population. Rust fungi reduce host fitness by feeding on their living tissue and interfere with the global production of crops. Cereal rusts, like Puccinia hordei (the causal agent of barley leaf rust) and Puccinia triticina (the causal agent of wheat leaf rust), have a narrow host range and colonize only one particular species. The most durable type of resistance, non-host resistance (NHR), is the immunity of an entire plant species to all strains of a pathogen species. Exploring the genetics of NHR has proven to be challenging because most interspecific hybrids are infertile. Previously, barley Rphq2 and Rph22, which encode orthologous lectin receptor-like kinases (LecRKs), were transformed into an experimental barley line, Golden SusPtrit, and showed resistance against adapted and non-adapted leaf rust species. We used these transgenic barley lines in the current project to explore the effect of the LecRKs on four wheat leaf rust (P. triticina) isolates. We used the settling tower method to inoculate four isolates of P. triticina on Rphq2 and Rph22 transgenic families. We found that most transgenic families showed an increase in resistance compared to the non-transgenic control 750-E1. By measuring the infection frequency of the infections, we identified that P. triticina isolates 93012 and 95012 had opposite virulence effects on two barley families, Rphq2-E5 and Rph22-E2A. Although the expression levels of Rphq2 and Rph22 followed an induction trend, we did not find significant differences between the isolates. We conclude that resistance mediated by Rphq2 and Rph22 against P. triticina isolates does not involve an isolate-specific component. Thus, we propose investigating differences between rust species to further explore the molecular aspect of non-host resistance.

No description available.

Aflatoxins are carcinogenic mycotoxins most frequently associated with the filamentous fungus, Aspergillus flavus. These potent toxins pose serious health threats and their concentrations in foods are widely regulated. Maize, a critical staple of billions, is frequently contaminated with aflatoxins. Development of commercial maize hybrids with superior resistance to aflatoxin contamination has been sought for over 30 years without success. Analyses of native maize land races (MLRs) from Mexico revealed several accessions with significant resistance to both aflatoxin contamination and fungal reproduction. Physical barriers are important components of MLRs resistance. Traditional use of MLRs may reduce human exposure to aflatoxins. MLRs may contribute resistant genes of significant value in breeding for aflatoxin resistance. In Mexico, maize is produced from<10 to over 2,000 masl. Elevation had only minor influence on community compositions of aflatoxin-producing fungi associated with maize over three years in Sonora, Mexico. Most variation in community structure occurred between years. Dominant vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs) differed among years but were detected in similar frequencies across four agroecological zones. Multiple locations and multiple years must be sampled to obtain realistic assessments of the most successful VCGs. Elevated frequencies of VCG YV150 throughout Sonora during 2006 led to investigate genetic diversity within this VCG using microsatellite loci. The 2006 increases were attributed to rapid increase of a single clone. Examination of YV150 isolates collected over 20 years in the US and Mexico revealed several haplotypes and two genetically distinct populations, which were composed of isolates containing only a population specific mating-type idiomorph. Microsatellite loci in each population were in gametic equilibrium. Gene flow between isolates with different idiomorphs was not detected. VCG YV36, to which the biocontrol agent AF36 belongs, was found to be endemic to Mexico. Microsatellite loci revealed diversity within YV36 from Mexico, but all isolates harbored the single nucleotide polymorphism in the aflatoxin polyketide synthase gene, pksA, that confers atoxigenicity to AF36. Three YV36 isolates also had deletions in pksA suggesting continued degradation. Presence of endemic YV36 isolates in Mexico may facilitate rapid regulatory approval of AF36 for use in prevention of aflatoxin contamination of maize in Mexico.

Resumo: A citricultura vem sendo constantemente ameaçada pela bactéria gram negativa Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. Gitri (Xac-A) , causadora do cancro cítrico. Esta bactéria, quando em contato com uma planta hospedeira, lesiona folhas, frutos e ramos. Por outro lado, quando este patógeno infecta uma planta não-hospedeira provoca uma reação necrótica no sítio de infecção (reação de hipersensibilidade). Os diversos mecanismos de defesa da planta ao ataque do patógeno, incluem aqueles mediados por genes codificadores da produção de ácido salicílico, ácido jasmônico, fitoalexinas, proteínas PR, dentre outros. Neste trabalho investigou-se a expressão dos genes codificadores de Fenilalanina amônia liase (FAL), Aleno oxido sintase (AOS), Chalcona sintase (CHS) e J3-1,3-glucanase (PR-2) na interação Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. aurantifolii C (Xaa-C)::Citrus (resposta de resistência) e o comportamento dos mesmos na interação Xac-A::Citrus (cancro cítrico). Folhas de laranjeira (Citrus sinensis) inoculadas com suspensões bacterianas (Xac-A ou Xaa-C) foram coletadas em diferentes tempos de infecção. A expressão dos genes foi analisada por Northern blot com a ajuda de sondas específicas de C. sinensis obtidas via amplificação por PCR, com a utilização de oligonucleotídeos específicos dos genes em questão e DNA genômico de folhas de laranjeira. Os genes fal, aos, chs e pr-2 foram expressos mais intensamente na interação Xaa-C:Citrus onde uma reação de resistência não-hospedeira é capaz de evitar o desenvolvimento de sintomas de cancro, quando comparados com a interação Xac-A:Citrus que leva ao cancro cítrico. / Abstract: The production of citrus fruits has being constantly threatened by the gram negative bacterium Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (Xac-A) , the citrus canker disease agent. This bacterium, when in contact with host plants, induce canker lesions on leaves, fruits and branches. On the other hand, when this pathogen infects a non-host plant a necrotic reaction is induced at the infection site as a hypersensitive-like reaction. Plant defense mechanisms to pathogen attack include induction of genes coding to salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, phytoalexines and PR proteins. The expression of resistance related genes phenylalanine ammonia Iyase (PAL), aliene oxide syntase (AOS), chalcone syntase (CHS) and 13-1,3-glucanase (PR-2) were investigated on the Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. aurantifolii C (Xaa-C)::Citrus sinensis interaction (resistance response) or on Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri estirpe A (Xac-A)::Citrus sinensis (citric canker) interaction. Orange leaves inoculated with bacterial suspensions (Xac-A or Xaa-C) were collected at different moments during infection. Resistance related gene expression was analyzed by Northern blot with the aid of citrus probes obtained by PCR amplification using specific oligonucleotides and orange leaves genomic DNA. The resistance related genes paI, aos, chs and pr-2 have shown a more intense expression on the (Xaa-C)::Citrus interaction which induce non-host resistance response, when compared to the citrus canker Xac-A::Citrus inducing interaction. / Orientador: Julio Cezar Franco de Oliveira / Coorientador: Maria Inês Tiraboschi Ferro / Banca: Manoel Victor Franco Lemos / Banca: Poliana Fernanda Giachetto / Mestre

Background Atlantic salmon (Salmo Salar) is a key aquaculture species in several countries. Since its critical role in economic sector and scientific research, this species has been relatively extensively investigated, in comparison with other farmed and wild aquatic species. However, the genetic components associated with growth and fillet-related traits are lack consistency, and the issue of sea louse disease in both wild and famed salmon is still unsolved. Objectives Overall aim of this project was to understand the genetic basis of growth-related traits and host resistance to sea lice using three large commercial farmed salmon populations. Specifically, the method of quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping, genome-wide association study (GWAS), and genomic prediction (GS) were utilized to dissect the genetic architectures associated with traits of interest in our experimental populations. Prior to this, linkage mapping was performed to construct a high-density linkage map for Atlantic salmon. Results Linkage map A linkage map was firstly constructed underlying a SNP array containing 132 K validated SNPs. 96,396 SNPs were successfully assigned to 29 chromosomes that correspond to the linkage group number of European Atlantic salmon. 6.5 % of unassigned contigs, which was equal to 1 % of recent whole genome reference assembly (GCA_000233375.4) anchored to exist chromosomes by referring to linkage mapping result. Genetic components associated with growth traits Heritabilities of growth-related traits were about 0.5 to 0.6 in adult and juvenile farmed salmon. The QTL mapping and GWAS suggested the growth-related traits are likely a polygenic genetic architecture with no major QTL segregating. The prediction accuracy estimated by genomic prediction showed that approximately 5,000 SNP markers could achieve the highest accuracy in body weight and length in juvenile salmon within population. Genetic components associated with lice resistance The heritability of lice resistance was 0.22 to 0.33 using pedigree and genetic relationship matrices respectively. GWAS indicated that the host resistance to sea lice was likely polygenic with no individual SNP surpassed the genome-wide significance threshold. Genomic prediction showed that about 5 to 10 K SNPs was able to achieve the asymptote of accuracy in closely related animals, while the greatest advantage of genomic prediction was observed in non-sibling test within population. Conclusions As the growth-related traits and lice resistance are both likely polygenic and population-specific, the genomic prediction is an efficient approach to capture the genetic variances of the traits in selection candidates in experimental population, especially for traits with low heritability such as flesh colour and lice resistance. Family-based selection method is the better choice than mass selection to accumulate the genetic effects in corresponding SNP platform. Given the high cost of genotyping and field data collection, the genotyping-by-sequencing and genotype imputation are likely the way to make significant improvements in relevant research.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:26:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2007-01-30Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:54:10Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 vantini_js_me_jabo_prot.pdf: 1997059 bytes, checksum: d7a4eb83f1290513e650d32a88072bd9 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / A citricultura vem sendo constantemente ameaçada pela bactéria gram negativa Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. Gitri (Xac-A) , causadora do cancro cítrico. Esta bactéria, quando em contato com uma planta hospedeira, lesiona folhas, frutos e ramos. Por outro lado, quando este patógeno infecta uma planta não-hospedeira provoca uma reação necrótica no sítio de infecção (reação de hipersensibilidade). Os diversos mecanismos de defesa da planta ao ataque do patógeno, incluem aqueles mediados por genes codificadores da produção de ácido salicílico, ácido jasmônico, fitoalexinas, proteínas PR, dentre outros. Neste trabalho investigou-se a expressão dos genes codificadores de Fenilalanina amônia liase (FAL), Aleno oxido sintase (AOS), Chalcona sintase (CHS) e J3-1,3-glucanase (PR-2) na interação Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. aurantifolii C (Xaa-C) / The production of citrus fruits has being constantly threatened by the gram negative bacterium Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (Xac-A) , the citrus canker disease agent. This bacterium, when in contact with host plants, induce canker lesions on leaves, fruits and branches. On the other hand, when this pathogen infects a non-host plant a necrotic reaction is induced at the infection site as a hypersensitive-like reaction. Plant defense mechanisms to pathogen attack include induction of genes coding to salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, phytoalexines and PR proteins. The expression of resistance related genes phenylalanine ammonia Iyase (PAL), aliene oxide syntase (AOS), chalcone syntase (CHS) and 13-1,3-glucanase (PR-2) were investigated on the Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. aurantifolii C (Xaa-C)

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Plant Pathology / Barbara S. Valent / Rice (Oryza sativa L.) production worldwide is constrained by rice blast disease caused by the ascomycetous fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. Rice blast has become a model system for the study of fungal plant diseases based on its global relevance to agriculture and on our ability to apply molecular genetic and genomic analyses to both the pathogen and the plant. We have applied molecular and cellular analyses to understand critical processes in the M. oryzae disease cycle. The dark melanin pigment produced by the fungus is critical for the function of its specialized appressorial cell, which punches the leaf surface by generating the highest pressure known in any biological system, estimated at 80 times the atmospheric pressure. Without melanin, the fungus can neither generate this pressure nor puncture the plant surface and disease does not occur. M. oryzae genome sequencing identified a cluster of melanin biosynthesis genes that included an attractive candidate for the transcription factor that regulates melanin biosynthesis in appressoria. We report the structural and functional characterization of this putative transcription factor, although its role remains elusive. Host cellular responses after appressorial penetration are equally important in determining if disease will occur. We have characterized the cellular response of one rice variety to a compatible fungal strain (causes disease), an incompatible strain (fails to cause disease due to specific triggering of rice defenses) and a non-host strain (causes disease in barley but not in rice). Distinctive fungal and rice cellular responses correlated with the outcome of each particular pathogen-strain rice interaction. We report contrasting responses in two rice leaf sheath assays that are amenable to live cell microscopy, as well as a novel cellular response of crystalline aggregations deposited inside the host cell under appressoria on the leaf surface. Our studies have important implications for future analyses of pathogenicity and host specificity in rice blast disease.

This dissertation contains three research chapters conducted on Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR) of canola (Brassica napus L.). This disease is caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and is considered endemic in canola-producing areas of North Dakota. The first research chapter presents results of a study that evaluated the role of eight phenotyping scoring systems and nine variant calling and filtering methods in detection of QTL associated with response to SSR. The study, conducted on two doubled-haploid mapping populations, showed that using multiple phenotypic data sets derived from lesion length and plant mortality and imputing missing genotypic data increased the number of QTL detected without negatively affecting the effect (R2) of QTL. Nineteen QTL were detected on chromosomes A02, A07, A09, C01, and C03 in this study. The second research chapter presents results of a work that assessed the role of temperature regimes and wetness duration on S. sclerotiorum ascospore germination and ascosporic infection efficiency. This study showed that optimum ascospore germination occurred at 21 °C while it significantly decreased at 10 and 30 °C. Infection efficacy experiments indicated that extreme temperatures and interrupting wet periods were detrimental for the disease development. A logistic regression model with 75% accuracy was developed for the disease perdition. The third research chapter presents results of a study that evaluated the role of temperature on mycelial growth of 19 S. sclerotiorum isolates collected from different geographical regions and on SSR development on plant introduction (PI) lines with different levels of resistance. Mycelial growth and disease development peaked at 25 °C. While lesion expansion on resistant cultivars and the susceptible check was negatively affected at 30 °C, the disease developed significantly on the PI with a high level of susceptibility. Results of these studies provide insights into integrated management strategies of SSR.