Plant & Animal Genomes XI Conference

January 11-15, 2003
Town & Country Convention Center
San Diego, CA

Poster: Genome Sequencing & ESTs
            

AN EXPRESSED SEQUENCE TAG AND MICROARRAY PROJECT TO EXAMINE TRANSCRIPTIONAL RESPONSES OF VITIS VINIFERA TO INFECTION BY THE BACTERIAL PATHOGEN XYLELLA FASTIDIOSA

¹ Department of Plant Pathology, University of California Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616

² Department of Viticulture and Enology, University of California Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616

We are taking an EST sequencing and transcriptional profiling approach to develop a detailed picture of the molecular events that underlie host susceptibility and host resistance to the pathogen Xylella fastidiosa in Vitis species. cDNA leaf libraries were constructed from infected and non-infected plants of Vitis vinifera at host developmental stages corresponding to key steps in disease development. DNA sequencing reactions are being completed and analyzed for a total of 16,000 cDNA products from these pathogen-related libraries, with an additional 24,000 cDNA sequences to be obtained from select stages of Vitis vinifera development. A similar strategy is being implemented to sequence and characterize an additional 30,000 cDNA sequences from related species of grapes that are resistant to Xylella infection. An online relational database is being implemented to distill relationships within the data, and in particular to estimate a minimum gene set expressed during Xylella-grape interactions. Subsequent to cDNA sequencing and electronic data mining we will employ a functional genomics strategy to monitor host gene expression during grape development using oligonucleotide microarrays. The strategies outlined above should allow us to identify genes in Vitis species that may be causal to host susceptibility or resistance/tolerance. This talk will emphasize the implementation of a relational database for the currently available EST information.