Four reference quality genome assemblies of Pyrenophora teres f. maculata: A resource for studying the barley-spot form net blotch interaction

Authors: WYATT, NATHAN - Orise Fellow; Friesen, Timothy

Submitted to: Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/9/2020
Publication Date: 1/19/2021
Citation: Wyatt, N., Friesen, T.L. 2021. Four reference quality genome assemblies of Pyrenophora teres f. maculata: A resource for studying the barley-spot form net blotch interaction. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions. 34:135-139. https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-08-20-0228-A.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-08-20-0228-A

Interpretive Summary: Net blotch of barley is a major problem wherever barley is grown. The spot form of net blotch is a form that has recently become a major problem for barley producers in the Northern Great Plains, specifically North Dakota and Eastern Montana. Understanding of how the pathogen is causing disease is lacking, resulting in difficulty in breeding for durable resistance against this disease. Here we have assembled and annotated four reference quality genome sequences that will be valuable for several areas of research on this disease including pathogen genetics, genomics, and the characterization of virulence, i.e. how is this pathogen causing disease. These genome sequences have been made publicly available to the scientific community for those researchers that are investigating this important leaf disease of barley. Use of these high-quality sequence assemblies will result in the functional characterization of pathogen virulence, providing the resources needed to understand why barley is susceptible to this pathogen. This information will be useful to pathologists, barley geneticists, and barley breeders in solving this disease problem.

Technical Abstract: Pyrenophora teres is the causal agent of net blotch, the most devastating foliar disease of barley. Net blotch is seen in nature in two forms, net form net blotch, caused by P. teres f. teres, and spot form net blotch, caused by P. teres f. maculata. To date, 11 P. teres f. teres genomes have been sequenced and deposited on publicly available repositories, but only one P. teres f. maculata genome has been publicly deposited. Here we present four additional reference quality full genome sequences of P. teres f. maculata isolates with good geographical and phenotypic diversity with accompanying RNA sequencing-based genome annotations. These additional P. teres f. maculata genomes will aid in further understanding the genomic complexities of this important pathogen of barley.