Abstract
Background
Powdery mildew (PM) is a major fungal disease of thousands of plant species, including
many cultivated Rosaceae. PM pathogenesis is associated with up-regulation of MLO genes
during early stages of infection, causing down-regulation of plant defense pathways. Specific
members of the MLO gene family act as PM-susceptibility genes, as their loss-of-function
mutations grant durable and broad-spectrum resistance.
Results
We carried out a genome-wide characterization of the MLO gene family in apple, peach and
strawberry, and we isolated apricot MLO homologs through a PCR-approach. Evolutionary
relationships between MLO homologs were studied and syntenic blocks constructed.
Homologs that are candidates for being PM susceptibility genes were inferred by
phylogenetic relationships with functionally characterized MLO genes and, in apple, by
monitoring their expression following inoculation with the PM causal pathogen Podosphaera
leucotricha.
Conclusions
Genomic tools available for Rosaceae were exploited in order to characterize the MLO gene
family. Candidate MLO susceptibility genes were identified. In follow-up studies it can be
investigated whether silencing or a loss-of-function mutations in one or more of these
candidate genes leads to PM resistance.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Article number | 618 |
Journal | BMC Genomics |
Volume | 15 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2014 |
Keywords
- powdery mildew resistance
- barley
- identification
- protein
- defense
- genome
- orthologs
- evolution
- prunus
- plants