Julie Pattemore

The genome sequence of the biocontrol fungus Metarhizium anisopliae and comparative genomics of Metarhizium species

BackgroundMetarhizium anisopliae is an important fungal biocontrol agent of insect pests of agricultural crops. Genomics can aid the successful commercialization of biopesticides by identification of key genes differentiating closely related species, selection of virulent microbial isolates which are amenable to industrial scale production and formulation and through the reduction of phenotypic variability. The genome of Metarhizium isolate ARSEF23 was recently published as a model for M. anisopliae, however phylogenetic analysis has since re-classified this isolate as M. robertsii. We present a new annotated genome sequence of M. anisopliae (isolate Ma69) and whole genome comparison to M. robertsii (ARSEF23) and M. acridum (CQMa 102).ResultsWhole genome analysis of M. anisopliae indicates significant macrosynteny with M. robertsii but with some large genomic inversions. In comparison to M. acridum, the genome of M. anisopliae shares lower sequence homology. While alignments overall are co-linear, the genome of M. acridum is not contiguous enough to conclusively observe macrosynteny. Mating type gene analysis revealed both MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 genes present in M. anisopliae suggesting putative homothallism, despite having no known teleomorph, in contrast with the putatively heterothallic M. acridum isolate CQMa 102 (MAT1-2) and M. robertsii isolate ARSEF23 (altered MAT1-1). Repetitive DNA and RIP analysis revealed M. acridum to have twice the repetitive content of the other two species and M. anisopliae to be five times more RIP affected than M. robertsii. We also present an initial bioinformatic survey of candidate pathogenicity genes in M. anisopliae.ConclusionsThe annotated genome of M. anisopliae is an important resource for the identification of virulence genes specific to M. anisopliae and development of species- and strain- specific assays. New insight into the possibility of homothallism and RIP affectedness has important implications for the development of M. anisopliae as a biopesticide as it may indicate the potential for greater inherent diversity in this species than the other species. This could present opportunities to select isolates with unique combinations of pathogenicity factors, or it may point to instability in the species, a negative attribute in a biopesticide.

Application of large-scale sequencing to marker discovery in plants

Advances in DNA sequencing provide tools for efficient large-scale discovery of markers for use in plants. Discovery options include large-scale amplicon sequencing, transcriptome sequencing, gene-enriched genome sequencing and whole genome sequencing. Examples of each of these approaches and their potential to generate molecular markers for specific applications have been described. Sequencing the whole genome of parents identifies all the polymorphisms available for analysis in their progeny. Sequencing PCR amplicons of sets of candidate genes from DNA bulks can be used to define the available variation in these genes that might be exploited in a population or germplasm collection. Sequencing of the transcriptomes of genotypes varying for the trait of interest may identify genes with patterns of expression that could explain the phenotypic variation. Sequencing genomic DNA enriched for genes by hybridization with probes for all or some of the known genes simplifies sequencing and analysis of differences in gene sequences between large numbers of genotypes and genes especially when working with complex genomes. Examples of application of the above-mentioned techniques have been described.

Draft genome sequence of Bacillus thuringiensis strain DAR 81934, which exhibits molluscicidal activity.

ABSTRACT Bacillus thuringiensis has been widely used as a biopesticide for a long time. Its molluscicidal activity, however, is rarely realized. Here, we report the genome sequence of B. thuringiensis strain DAR 81934, a strain with molluscicidal activity against the pest snail Cernuella virgata.

Next-generation re-sequencing as a tool for rapid bioinformatic screening of presence and absence of genes and accessory chromosomes across isolates of Zymoseptoria tritici

The wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici possesses a large number of accessory chromosomes that may be present or absent in its genome. The genome of the reference isolate IPO323 has been assembled to a very high standard and contains 21 full length chromosome sequences, 8 of which represent accessory chromosomes. The IPO323 reference, when combined with low-cost next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics, can be used as a powerful tool to assess the presence or absence of accessory chromosomes. We present an outline of a range of bioinformatics techniques that can be applied to the analysis of presence-absence variation among accessory chromosomes across 13 novel isolates of Z. tritici.

Nanotechnology: the future of cost-effective plant genotyping

This chapter includes a review of first and second generation molecular marker genotyping techniques with the focus on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection. Using barley as a case study, the useful application of these genotyping techniques is identified and the limitations of these to HTP genotyping applications is discussed. Nanotechnology and a number of nanoparticle-based assays are subsequently explored and the potential cost-effective implications of this third generation genotyping technology on multiplexing and HTP genotyping are discussed.

First record of collar rot caused by Fusarium oxysporum in Australian jojoba plantations

A crown and collar rot disease of jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) caused by Fusarium oxysporum was found to be widespread in Australian plantations.

RNA Extraction from Cereal Vegetative Tissue

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) extraction is the necessary first step in many protocols, primarily to investigate genes and gene expression. RNA comes in a variety of forms: total RNA, ribosomal RNA, messenger RNA (mRNA), and small interfering RNA (siRNA) to name a few. In some instances, total RNA is all that is required; however most applications will require the enrichment for some particular form of RNA. In plants, including cereals, total RNA is a mixture of many types of RNA and enrichment is generally required. In this protocol, the TRIzol(®) method of RNA extraction from cereal leaf material is described, as it is a relatively simple technique.