Abstract
BackgroundCompared to other ascomycetes, the barley powdery mildew pathogen Blumeria graminis f.sp. hordei (Bgh) has a large genome (ca. 120 Mbp) that harbors a relatively small number of protein-coding genes (ca. 6500). This genomic assemblage is thought to be the result of numerous gene losses, which likely represent an evolutionary adaptation to a parasitic lifestyle in close association with its host plant, barley (Hordeum vulgare). Approximately 8% of the Bgh genes are predicted to encode virulence effectors that are secreted into host tissue and/or cells to promote pathogenesis; the remaining proteome is largely uncharacterized at present.ResultsWe provide a comparative analysis of the conceptual Bgh proteome, with an emphasis on proteins with known roles in fungal development and pathogenicity, for example heterotrimeric G proteins and G protein coupled receptors; components of calcium and cAMP signaling; small monomeric GTPases; mitogen-activated protein cascades and transcription factors. The predicted Bgh proteome lacks a number of proteins that are otherwise conserved in filamentous fungi, including two proteins that are required for the formation of anastomoses (somatic hyphal connections). By contrast, apart from minor modifications, all major canonical signaling pathways are retained in Bgh. A family of kinases that preferentially occur in pathogenic species of the fungal clade Leotiomyceta is unusually expanded in Bgh and its close relative, Blumeria graminis f.sp. tritici.ConclusionsOur analysis reveals characteristic features of the proteome of a fungal phytopathogen that occupies an extreme habitat: the living plant cell.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-843) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Compared to other ascomycetes, the barley powdery mildew pathogen Blumeria graminis f.sp. hordei (Bgh) has a large genome that harbors a relatively small number of protein-coding genes
Global characterization of the conceptual Bgh proteome The annotated Bgh isolate DH14 genome (v3.0) comprises 6,470 genes, including ca. 250 partial genes (5′- or 3′- truncated) and/or genes that are split on two contigs
We found that of the 24 genes analyzed, two were absent in the genomes of all three powdery mildew species (Bgh, E. pisi and G. orontii)
Summary
The barley powdery mildew pathogen Blumeria graminis f.sp. hordei (Bgh) has a large genome (ca. 120 Mbp) that harbors a relatively small number of protein-coding genes (ca. 6500). The barley powdery mildew pathogen Blumeria graminis f.sp. Powdery mildew is a prevalent disease of many higher plant species that is caused by ascomycetes of the order Erysiphales [1]. Tritici (Bgt), the wheat powdery mildew pathogen), has been published [4] and additional Bgh isolates have been sequenced [5]. The genome sequence of a fourth powdery mildew species These studies show that in comparison to other ascomycetes, powdery mildew genomes are unusually large Haplotype structure of the Bgh and Bgt genomes reveals a mosaic pattern of alternating homomorphic and polymorphic blocks, which has been interpreted as an indication of frequent asexual and rare sexual reproduction [4,5]
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