Genetic polymorphism of ToxB+ <i>Pyrenophora tritici-repentis</i> strains

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The phytotoxin Ptr ToxB as well as Ptr ToxA is one of the pathogenic factors of Pyrenophora tritici-repentis, that cause leaf chlorosis on susceptible wheat varieties, and is encoded by ToxB gene. P. tritici-repentis strains with ToxB gene are rather rare worldwide.
 MATERIALS AND METHODS: The object of the study was 37 strains isolated from the leaves of wheat grown in Greece. The virulence of the strains was analyzed and the presence of effector genes as well as the average copy number of ToxB was determined.
 RESULTS: The race composition of P. tritici-repentis population turned out to be mainly represented by the avirulent race 4 (50% of the strains). Strains of race 1 were not found, while strains of other races were found with a low frequency in the population. All analyzed P. tritici-repentis strains had ToxB gene in the genome, while its homologues and ToxA gene were not detected. The average copy number (R) of ToxB in three P. tritici-repentis strains varied from 0.24 to 1.22. The average copy number of ToxB in the mitotic generation of P. tritici-repentis Gr8 strain, which was characterized by the lowest value of R = 0.24, varied from 0.01 to 0.74 and, on average, turned out to be 2 times higher than in the original strain Gr8.
 CONCLUSION: Presumably, P. tritici-repentis has a mechanism that gives ToxB+ nuclei an advantage in the division rate over ToxB nuclei. This mechanism indicates the existence of an additional function of this gene that is not associated with pathogenicity.