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ARS Home » Midwest Area » West Lafayette, Indiana » Crop Production and Pest Control Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #121607
Title: ISOLATION OF CERCOSPORIN BIOSYNTHESIS GENES IN CERCOSPORA ZEAE-MAYDIS

Author
item SHIM, W - PURDUE UNIVERSITY
item Dunkle, Larry

Submitted to: Phytopathology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/27/2001
Publication Date: 8/27/2001
Citation: SHIM, W.B., DUNKLE, L.D. ISOLATION OF CERCOSPORIN BIOSYNTHESIS GENES IN CERCOSPORA ZEAE-MAYDIS. PHYTOPATHOLOGY. 2001.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Gray leaf spot, caused by the fungus Cercospora zeae-maydis (Czm), is the most destructive foliar disease of maize in the U.S. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms involved in disease development. Czm, like other members of the genus, produces cercosporin, a phytotoxin suggested to be a virulence factor in other diseases caused by Cercospora species. To identify genes involved in cercosporin biosynthesis and ultimately determine the role of cercosporin in gray leaf spot, we constructed a subtraction cDNA library of Czm. Poly (A)+ RNAs isolated from cultures grown in cercosporin-inducing medium were subtracted from poly (A)+ RNAs isolated from cultures grown in cercosporin-suppressing medium, resulting in transcripts that are unique to the cercosporin-induced culture. The subtraction library will be analyzed to identify putative genes involved in cercosporin biosynthesis and as potential targets for gene disruption.