Monday, November 13, 2006
Microbiology: Maize Fungal Genome Deciphered
Marburg (Germany), 12 November: The genome of Ustilago maydis, a fungus that causes disease in maize, is unveiled this week in Nature. The organism derives nutrients from a live host, making it the so-called biotrophic plant parasite to have its genetic makeup sequenced.
In particular, Regine Kahmann and colleagues found 12 clusters of genes encoding small, secreted proteins, with unknown functions. The team generated a range of mutant fungi, each with deletions in a particular cluster. Five of the clusters were involved in the process of plant infection. These are the first infection-related factors to be found for U. maydis.
Almost ~7,000 predicted protein-encoding genes were found, but the parasite's genome contained none of the disease-causing signatures found in the genomes of fungi that use enzymes and toxins to kill their hosts. This highlights just how novel is the infection strategy used by U. maydis.
(ResearchSEA)
In particular, Regine Kahmann and colleagues found 12 clusters of genes encoding small, secreted proteins, with unknown functions. The team generated a range of mutant fungi, each with deletions in a particular cluster. Five of the clusters were involved in the process of plant infection. These are the first infection-related factors to be found for U. maydis.
Almost ~7,000 predicted protein-encoding genes were found, but the parasite's genome contained none of the disease-causing signatures found in the genomes of fungi that use enzymes and toxins to kill their hosts. This highlights just how novel is the infection strategy used by U. maydis.
(ResearchSEA)
# posted by mediabhartiwebsolutions @ 5:05 AM 
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