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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Crop Bioprotection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #341223
Research Project: Use of Microorganisms to Manage Weeds and Insect Pests in Turf and Agricultural Systems

Location: Crop Bioprotection Research

Title: Development and applications of the EntomopathogenID MLSA database for use in agricultural systems

Author
item Dunlap, Christopher

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/16/2017
Publication Date: 7/17/2017
Citation: Dunlap, C.A. 2017. Development and applications of the EntomopathogenID MLSA database for use in agricultural systems. Meeting Abstract.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The current study reports the development and application of a publicly accessible, curated database of Hypocrealean entomopathogenic fungi sequence data. The goal was to provide a platform for users to easily access sequence data from reference strains. The database can be used to accurately identify unknown entomopathogenic fungi based on sequence data for a variety of phylogenetically informative loci. The database provides full multi-locus sequence alignment capabilities. The initial release contains data compiled for 528 strains covering the phylogenetic diversity of three important entomopathogenic taxonomic families: Clavicipitaceae, Cordycipitaceae, and Ophiocordycipitaceae. Furthermore, the EntomopathogenID can be expanded to other fungal clades that cause important diseases to beneficial and pest arthropods, thus allowing storage of limitless number of specimens and enabling isolate characterization or even evolutionary or functional analyses. In addition to taxonomic and phylogenetic analysis, the database provides a platform to initiate translational research of these organisms in agroecosystems. One example of this type of research application is using the database to identify DNA targets for selective markers for a group of strains. The utility of the database should continue to grow as more Hypocrealean genomes available.