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ARS Home » Midwest Area » West Lafayette, Indiana » Crop Production and Pest Control Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #133835
Title: CERCOSPORIN BIOSYNTHESIS BY CERCOSPORA ZEAE-MAYDIS: EXPRESSION OF GENES INVOLVED IN LIPID METABOLISM AND SECONDARY METABOLISM

Author
item DUNKLE, LARRY
item SHIM, WON BO

Submitted to: Phytopathology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2002
Publication Date: 6/1/2002
Citation: Dunkle, L.D., Shim, W. 2002. Cercosporin biosynthesis by cercospora zeae-maydis: Expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism and secondary metabolism. Phytopathology. 92(S):76.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Cercospora zeae-maydis, the fungal pathogen causing gray leaf spot of maize, produces cercosporin, a perylenequinone phytotoxin that is a pathogenicity factor in other Cercospora species. Pathway intermediates and genes directly involved in cercosporin biosynthesis have not been determined. We constructed a C. zeae-maydis cDNA subtraction library and identified a number of genes that are up-regulated during nutritionally controlled synthesis of cercosporin. For further characterization, we selected seven genes suggested to be involved in lipid metabolism and secondary metabolism based on nucleotide sequence analysis (translated BLAST). We analyzed the expression of those genes and cercosporin production in liquid media over a 7-day incubation period. Also, from a C. zeae-maydis genomic library, we isolated cosmid clones that contain the respective genes. Gene cloning, sequence analysis and targeted gene disruption experiments are in progress to assess the role of cercosporin in pathogenicity of C. zeae-maydis.