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Submitted to: American Society of Sugarbeet Technologists
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 2/3/2003 Publication Date: 2/17/2003 Citation: WEILAND, J.J., FRIESEN, T.L. FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS OF CERCOSPORA BETICOLA. ABSTRACTS OF JOINT MEETING OF INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR BEET RESEARCH AND THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SUGARBEET TECHNOLOGISTS. 2003. ABSTRACT P. 56. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Cercospora leaf spot continues to be a damaging and costly disease to sugarbeet production, yet our understanding of Cercospora genetics and biology remains incomplete. Studies were carried out to better characterize the genome of C. beticola and to provide methods for genome manipulation. An electrophoretic karyotype of C. beticola isolate 98-23 revealed the presence of 7-8 chromosomes ranging from ~0.5 megabases to ~5.5 megabases in size, comparable to the size range for the related soybean pathogen, C. kikuchii. Southern blot analysis of total C. beticola genomic DNA with fungal telomere probes supported the chromosome number estimate. The genome size of C. beticola estimated from the study is ~26-28 Mb. A gene transfer technology useful for gene ablation in this haploid fungus, as well as for gene introduction and analysis, was developed using Agrobacterium tumefacies strain EHA105. To date, a library consisting of 57 independent C. beticola transformants have been generated using the technique. Mutants of C. beticola produced in this manner that are compromised for the ability to infect sugarbeet will be detected using leaf disc inoculation. Analysis of genes disrupted by the transforming DNA will lead to new information regarding the basis for the infection of sugarbeet by this pathogen. |
