De novo genome assembly of the fungal plant pathogen Pyrenophora semeniperda

PLoS One. 2014 Jan 27;9(1):e87045. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0087045. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Pyrenophora semeniperda (anamorph Drechslera campulata) is a necrotrophic fungal seed pathogen that has a wide host range within the Poaceae. One of its hosts is cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), a species exotic to the United States that has invaded natural ecosystems of the Intermountain West. As a natural pathogen of cheatgrass, P. semeniperda has potential as a biocontrol agent due to its effectiveness at killing seeds within the seed bank; however, few genetic resources exist for the fungus. Here, the genome of P. semeniperda isolate assembled from sequence reads of 454 pyrosequencing is presented. The total assembly is 32.5 Mb and includes 11,453 gene models encoding putative proteins larger than 24 amino acids. The models represent a variety of putative genes that are involved in pathogenic pathways typically found in necrotrophic fungi. In addition, extensive rearrangements, including inter- and intrachromosomal rearrangements, were found when the P. semeniperda genome was compared to P. tritici-repentis, a related fungal species.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Ascomycota / genetics*
  • Base Sequence
  • Bromus / microbiology*
  • DNA, Complementary / genetics
  • Genome Components / genetics*
  • Genome, Fungal / genetics*
  • Idaho
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Oligonucleotides / genetics
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA

Substances

  • DNA, Complementary
  • Oligonucleotides

Grants and funding

This research was funded by grant 2008-35320-18677 from CSREES, National Research Initiative, United States Department of Agriculture. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.