ARS | Publication request: Analyses of Expressed Sequence Tags from the Maize Foliar Pathogen Cercospora Zeae-Maydis Identifing Novel Genes expressed during Vegetative, Infectious, & Reproductive Growth

Submitted to: Biomed Central (BMC) Genomics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: November 4, 2008
Publication Date: November 4, 2008
Repository URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10113/40317
Citation: Bluhm, B., Dhillon, B., Lindquist, E., Crane, C.F., Kema, G., Goodwin, S.B., Dunkle, L.D. 2008. Analyses of Expressed Sequence Tags from the Maize Foliar Pathogen Cercospora Zeae-maydis Identify Novel Genes Expressed during Vegetative, Infectious, & Reproductive Growth. Biomed Central (BMC) Genomics. 9:523.

Interpretive Summary: The fungus Cercospora zeae-maydis is an aggressive foliar pathogen that causes gray leaf spot of maize and is responsible for substantial yield losses annually throughout the western hemisphere. Despite its impact on maize production, little is known about the regulation of pathogenesis in C. zeae-maydis at the molecular level. Therefore, we generated a collection of expressed sequence tags (genes) and evaluated their expression during vegetative, parasitic, and reproductive growth. We identified a large group of novel genes predicted to be involved in reception of light, pathogenesis, and spore formation in the fungus and demonstrated differential patterns of expression for selected genes during the various growth phases. This study reveals specific target genes for characterization by molecular genetics and functional genomics and establishes a basis for future studies in evolutionary and comparative genomics among species of Cercospora and closely related plant pathogenic fungi. This information also will be useful to plant pathologists challenged with discovering potential gene targets for innovative strategies of disease control.

Technical Abstract: The fungus Cercospora zeae-maydis is an aggressive foliar pathogen of maize that causes substantial yield losses annually throughout the western hemisphere. To learn more about the molecular regulation of pathogenesis in C. zeae-maydis, we generated a collection of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and evaluated their expression during vegetative, invasive, and reproductive growth. From five cDNA libraries, 27,551 ESTs were generated, their sequences analyzed, and their molecular functions predicted based on Gene Ontology (GO) classification. We identified a large group of novel genes predicted to be involved in photoreception, pathogenesis, and conidiation and demonstrated differential patterns of expression for selected genes during vegetative, invasive, and reproductive growth. This study points to specific target genes for characterization by molecular genetics and functional genomics and establishes a basis for future studies in evolutionary and comparative genomics among species of Cercospora and closely related plant pathogenic fungi.