ARS | Publication request: Development of simple sequence repeat markers for the soybean rust fungus, Phakopsora pachyrhizi

Submitted to: Molecular Ecology Notes
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: March 29, 2008
Publication Date: October 31, 2008
Citation: Anderson, S.J., Stone, C.L., Posada-Buitrago, M., Boore, J.L., Neelam, B.A., Stephens, R.M., Luster, D.G., Frederick, R.D., Pedley, K.F. 2008. Development of simple sequence repeat markers for the soybean rust fungus, Phakopsora pachyrhizi. Molecular Ecology Resources. 8:1310-1312.

Interpretive Summary: Soybean rust, caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi, is an aggressive foliar disease of soybeans that has recently been discovered within the continental United States. In this study, we utilized available genomic sequence data to develop a set of 24 molecular markers, called simple sequence repeats (SSR), which can be used to characterize individual isolates of the pathogen. A set of 24 markers was evaluated on a collection of 28 isolates of P. pachyrhizi collected in 13 countries over the last 35 years. These molecular markers should provide a valuable resource for further investigations aimed at understanding and combating this economically important disease.

Technical Abstract: We developed 24 simple sequence repeat markers for Phakopsora pachyrhizi, a fungal pathogen of soybean (Glycine max) and other legumes. All 24 of the loci were evaluated on 28 isolates of P. pachyrhizi. Twenty-one loci were polymorphic, with allelic diversity ranging from two to eight alleles, and null alleles were observed for 8 of the 24 loci. A preliminary screen with the closely-related species, P. meibomiae, indicated that these primer pairs are specific to P. pachyrhizi.