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Title: GENE DUPLICATION EVENT IN FAMILY 12 GLYCOSYL HYDROLASE FROM PHYTOPHTHORA SPP.

Author
item COSTANZO, S - UNIV OF MD
item OSPINA-GIRALDO, M - WILKES UNIV
item Deahl, Kenneth
item Baker, Con
item Jones, Richard

Submitted to: Fungal Genetics and Biology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/27/2006
Publication Date: 10/1/2006
Citation: Costanzo, S., Ospina-Giraldo, M., Deahl, K.L., Baker, C.J., Jones, R.W. 2006. Gene duplication event in family 12 glycosyl hydrolase from phytophthora spp. Fungal Genetics and Biology. 43:707-714.

Interpretive Summary: Disease-causing organisms have specific ways of penetrating a host plant. One way of penetrating a host plant is production of enzymes that break down the plant cell walls. An enzyme capable of doing this was identified in the disease-causing organism Phytophthora, which is capable of infecting and destroying many different crop and ornamental plants. One species of Phytophthora held ten copies and another held eight copies of a specific endoglucanase gene that can break down plant cell walls. Identification of host proteins that block these enzymes can allow for selection of improved, disease resistant plants. This information will benefit other scientists, plant breeders and various producers.

Technical Abstract: A total of eighteen paralogs of xyloglucan-specific endoglucanases (XEGs) from the glycosyl hydrolase (GHs) family 12 were identified and characterized in Phytophthora sojae and P. ramorum. These genes encode a predicted extracellular enzyme, with sizes ranging from 237 to 435-amino acid residues, which can specifically target the xyloglucan component of the host cell wall. In two cases, four and six functional copies of these genes were found in tight succession within a region of no more than 6 and 19 kb respectively. The overall gene copy number and relative organization appeared well conserved between P. sojae and P. ramorum, based on BLAST analysis against their complete genome database. Preliminary results also indicate the presence of at least three copies of XEGs in P. infestans. This is the first report of family 12 XEGs present in plant pathogen organisms. Phylogenetic analysis of these Phytophthora’s endoglucanases (EG) of family 12, among all others known EGs, revealed a close association with a fairly conserved gene sub-family containing among others, sequences from Emericella desertorum and Aspergillus aculeatus.