Plant, Animal & Microbe Genomes X Conference

January 12-16, 2002
Town & Country Convention Center
San Diego, CA

Poster: Microbial Sequencing and Genome Programs
            

BAC BY BAC SEQUENCING OF THE RICE PATHOGEN MAGNAPORTHE GRISEA CHROMOSOME 7.

¹ Department of Plant Pathology, Fungal Genomics Laboratory, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27965, USA

² Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 77843, USA

Magnaporthe grisea, the causal agent of rice blast disease, is a serious pathological threat to food supplies worldwide. This fungus has been the focus of intense studies in recent history that have increased our understanding the molecular determinants of pathogenesis and biology for this and related fungi. These activities provide a starting point and the necessary tools to more thoroughly elucidate the mechanisms involved in host pathogen interactions. Previously, a physical map of the M. grisea genome was constructed using a 25X BAC library from which a minimum tiling path of 42 BAC clones spanning 95% of chromosome 7 was determined. Using this BAC library, we have initiated a large-scale sequence analysis of chromosome 7 following a BAC-by-BAC approach. Chromosome 7 was chosen because it is the smallest and most thoroughly characterized chromosome, and has many mapped genetic markers. Sequencing is being done in two phases, first 10 seed BACs are being sequenced that are spaced along the chromosome, followed by contiguous BAC sequencing to join seed BACs. Selected BAC clones are sequenced to 5X coverage. Contigs are then ordered and assembled into supercontigs using BAC end sequences, EST sequence data, and paired end reads. We will present results from BAC sequencing including analyses of gene content and order, EST location, genome structure across chromosome 7, and chromosome-wide synteny with related fungi. Also presented will be the federated database designed to codify and present sequence, map, and marker data to the public.