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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stuttgart, Arkansas » Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #413920
Research Project: Broadening and Strengthening the Genetic Base of Rice for Adaptation to a Changing Climate, Crop Production Systems, and Markets

Location: Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center

Title: Unraveling the genetic diversity of Magnaporthe oryzae through a graph pangenome approach

Author
item WANG, LI - Orise Fellow
item Jia, Yulin
item Edwards, Jeremy

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/15/2024
Publication Date: 7/30/2024
Citation: Wang, L., Jia, Y., Edwards, J. 2024. Unraveling the genetic diversity of Magnaporthe oryzae through a graph pangenome approach. Abstract. 2024 Plant Health Conference, July 27-30, 2024. Memphia, Tennessee.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Magnaporthe oryzae (M. oryzae) is the causal agent of rice blast, a devastating disease that significantly impairs global rice production. Numerous researchers have investigated the genetic diversity of M. oryzae, resulting in the generation of genome assemblies for more than 380 worldwide isolates. However, a comprehensive pangenome that captures the full extent of genetic diversity within this species is currently lacking. To address this gap, we constructed a graph pangenome of M. oryzae, which encompasses all types of genetic diversity, including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), structural variations (SVs), and gene content variations. Furthermore, we predicted the effector repertoire contained within the graph pangenome. With this effector repertoire, both AlphaFold 2 and AlphaPulldown are being used to predict the interactions between the effectors and corresponding resistance(R) genes in rice. Studying R gene and effector interactions from a pangenome perspective is crucial, as it enables the identification of conserved and variable effector-R gene pairs across diverse M. oryzae populations, enhancing fundamental knowledge of co-evolutionary dynamics of M. oryzae and rice. This knowledge will facilitate the development of durable and broadly effective breeding strategies for managing rice blast disease.