Author
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Flaherty, Joseph |
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Dunkle, Larry |
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Submitted to: Phytopathology
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 3/11/2005 Publication Date: 6/10/2005 Citation: Flaherty, J.E., Dunkle, L.D. 2005. Light-regulated genes in development of the maize pathogen, setosphaeria turcica. Phytopathology. 95(6):S29. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Light influences the genetic regulation of numerous developmental and biochemical processes in fungi. We examined the effects of light on growth and development in the northern corn leaf blight pathogen, Setosphaeria turcica. Cultures grown in continuous white or blue light were arrested after the formation of conidiophores, whereas light-grown cultures exposed to darkness for at least 2 hr produced mature conidia. We exploited this requirement for darkness to identify genes specifically upregulated after induction of synchronous conidiation. Sequence analysis of cDNA subtraction libraries revealed several candidate genes with putative regulatory functions, and quantitative PCR confirmed that those genes were preferentially expressed after cultures were shifted to darkness. Twelve of the dark-induced ESTs exhibit high translated similarity to proteins involved in signaling cascades or gene regulation, including three classes of monomeric G-proteins, various kinases and receptors, and a transcription factor. Of these, we are particularly interested in a cryptochrome-like blue-light receptor, EtCry1. Homologs of EtCry1 appear to be limited to genomes of pathogenic fungi. Results of efforts to functionally characterize EtCry1 and other candidate genes in S. turcica and their respective homologs in Magnaporthe grisea and Gibberella zeae will be presented. |
