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Title: Genome analysis of the ubiquitous boxwood pathogen Pseudonectria foliicola

Journal Article · · PeerJ
DOI:https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5401· OSTI ID:1494690
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5]
  1. Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory, US Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS), Beltsville, MD (United States); The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ (United States); Center for Plant Health, Science and Technology, USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Beltsville, MD (United States)
  2. Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory, US Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS), Beltsville, MD (United States); The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ (United States); Oak Ridge Inst. for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  3. Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory, US Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS), Beltsville, MD (United States); Oak Ridge Inst. for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Rockville, MD (United States)
  4. Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory, US Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS), Beltsville, MD (United States); Plant Germplasm Quarantine Program, USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Beltsville, MD (United States)
  5. Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory, US Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS), Beltsville, MD (United States)

Boxwood (Buxusspp.) are broad-leaved, evergreen landscape plants valued for their longevity and ornamental qualities. Volutella leaf and stem blight, caused by the ascomycete fungi Pseudonectria foliicola and P. buxi, is one of the major diseases affecting the health and ornamental qualities of boxwood. Although this disease is less severe than boxwood blight caused by Calonectria pseudonaviculata and C. henricotiae, its widespread occurrence and disfiguring symptoms have caused substantial economic losses to the ornamental industry. In this study, we sequenced the genome of P. foliicola isolate ATCC13545 using Illumina technology and compared it to other publicly available fungal pathogen genomes to better understand the biology of this organism. A de novo assembly estimated the genome size of P. foliicola at 28.7 Mb (425 contigs; N50 = 184,987 bp; avg. coverage 188×), with just 9,272 protein-coding genes. To our knowledge,P. foliicola has the smallest known genome within the Nectriaceae. Consistent with the small size of the genome, the secretome, CAzyme and secondary metabolite profiles of this fungus are reduced relative to two other surveyed Nectriaceae fungal genomes:Dactylonectria macrodidyma JAC15-245 and Fusarium graminearum Ph-1. Interestingly, a large cohort of genes associated with reduced virulence and loss of pathogenicity was identified from the P. foliicoladataset. These data are consistent with the latest observations by plant pathologists that P. buxi and most likely P. foliicola, are opportunistic, latent pathogens that prey upon weak and stressed boxwood plants.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-06OR23100
OSTI ID:
1494690
Journal Information:
PeerJ, Vol. 6; ISSN 2167-8359
Publisher:
PeerJ Inc.Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 14 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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