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ARS Home » Midwest Area » West Lafayette, Indiana » Crop Production and Pest Control Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #374282
Research Project: Molecular Mechanisms of Host-Fungal Pathogen Interactions in Cereal Crops

Location: Crop Production and Pest Control Research

Title: Draft genome sequence resource for Phyllachora maydis – an obligate pathogen that causes tar spot of corn with recent economic impacts in the United States

Author
item PARTRIDGE-TELENKO, DARCY - PURDUE UNIVERSITY
item TIFFANNA, ROSS - PURDUE UNIVERSITY
item SHIM, SUJOUNG - PURDUE UNIVERSITY
item WANG, QINHU - NORTHWEST A&F UNIVERSITY
item SINGH, RAKSHA

Submitted to: Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/31/2020
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Phyllachora maydis (Tar Spot disease) has recently emerged as an economic concern for corn production in the United States and other countries. The pathogen was first identified in the United States in 2015; to date, very little is known about the pathogen and how it causes disease. This study seeks to understand the pathogen in order to prevent corn yield loss. This study identified the genome of the pathogen for the first time. This finding significantly enhances our understanding of the pathogen and will help contribute to improvement in strategies based around disease resistance in corn.

Technical Abstract: Phyllachora maydis is an important fungal pathogen that causes tar spot of corn and has led to significant yield loss in the U.S. and other countries. P. maydis is an obligate biotroph belonging to Sordariomycetes class of Ascomycota. Due to the challenges posed by their obligate nature, there is no genome sequence available in the Phyllachora genus. P. maydis isolate PM01 was collected from a corn field in Indiana and the genome was determined by next-generation sequencing. The assembly size is 45.7 Mb, with 56.46% repetitive sequences. There are 5,992 protein-coding genes and 59 are predicted as effector proteins. This genome resource will increase our understanding of genomic features of P. maydis and will assist in studying the corn–P. maydis interaction and identifying potential resistant candidates for corn breeding programs.