Plant, Animal & Microbe Genomes X Conference

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

Poster: Genome Sequencing & ESTs
            

GENOMIC STUDIES OF THE BROAD HOST RANGE PATHOGEN FUSARIUM GRAMINERUM AND ITS CEREAL HOSTS

¹ Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 960 Carling Ave, Ottawa, On, K1A 0C6, Canada

Fusarium graminearum (teleomorph: Gibberella zeae) is a broad-host pathogen, attacking a range of plant species including wheat and barley (head blight/scab), and maize (gibberella ear and stalk rots). It has been the cause of several recent epidemics causing millions of dollars in lost revenue to Canadian and U.S. cereal producers and has been identified as the most important cereal problem in Canada in terms of yield/grade losses and toxicity of infected grains. Substantial efforts are being employed by research groups across North America to improve resistance to fusarium head blight in wheat and gibberella ear rot in maize. Surprisingly, very little is understood about the molecular events involved in the host-pathogen interactions and resistance mechanisms for these diseases. We are using a genomics approach to identify and characterize genes from wheat and maize that are involved in the host-pathogen interaction and possibly in resistance mechanisms. Libraries enriched in genes induced by F. graminearum, or prepared from resistant wheat and maize cultivars have been constructed. Sequencing of ESTs from those libraries has been initiated. A parallel approach is also being used with F. graminearum to identify pathways necessary for fungal pathogenicity and plant infection.