ASCOTRANSSEQ

Identification of pathogenicity and virulence genes of the necrotrophic fungus Ascochyta spp. by genome-wide transcriptome analyses coupled to high-throughput next-generation sequencing

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'This project aims at identifying genes involved in pathogenicity and virulence of Ascochyta spp., the causal agents of ascochyta blight in legumes. Legumes are economically and agronomically important crops for sustainable agriculture in the European community, that have a very high potential for human and animal nutrition and the potential to fix atmospheric nitrogen. However, diseases, and especially ascochyta blight, strongly limit stable yield and quality. All major legume crops suffer from an ascochyta blight as a major constraint. The genomes of four different pathotypes of Ascochyta rabiei differing in virulence and of an isolate each of A. pinodes and A. lentis have been sequenced. This information coupled with state-of-the-art transcriptomic technologies will be applied to unravel the pathogenicity and virulence of these fungi at the molecular level. The genomes of the four pathotypes of A. rabiei will be compared to identify the genes underlying virulence. In addition, using deepSuperSAGE technology, the transcripts expressed by the pathogen during different steps of the infection process in the ascochyta-legume interaction will be compared to each other and to the transcriptome of the fungus growing in the absence of the host. This approach will identify genes specifically involved in pathogenicity. Another outcome of the project will be the construction of a global transcript map of the different genomes depicting the location of transcribed genes. During the project the applicant will learn up-to-date next-generation sequencing and gene expression techniques, and different bioinformatics software. This should substantially extend the applicant’s range of expertise beyond her existing experience in plant pathology, traditional breeding and molecular marker technologies. This will add a competitive advantage to her scientific career, which so far focused on disease resistance breeding in pea.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Researchers finally understand how a common and destructive fungus infects and overwhelms its legume hosts.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Ascochyta blight is a fungal disease that affects peas, chickpeas and other important legume crops. This disease is currently a major limiting factor to the productivity of these crops, which are valued for food and their ability to improve soils.

With the support of EU funding, the ASCOTRANSSEQ project aimed to better understand the fungus that causes ascochyta blight by using high-throughput sequencing techniques. Specifically, researchers looked for genes that were associated with pathogenicity (i.e. infectivity and plant damage).

An important output of the project was a consensus genome sequence of one ascochyta species, A. rabiei, pieced together from four variants of the fungus. Another aspect of the project identified all of the genes transcribed by the fungus during its growth in presence and absence of its host. More than 22 000 genes were identified as part of this process; 597 of these are more expressed when the fungus is growing on a plant. From this information, researchers determined individual genetic changes that enable the fungus to infect the plant.

Among these, ASCOTRANSSEQ identified genes to disable plant defence systems and plant cell wall-degrading enzymes, as well as toxins to kill plant cells and enzymes to digest dead plant cells.

ASCOTRANSSEQ has produced a vast amount of information about the genetics of the Ascochyta fungus. This will underscore research into methods to prevent and treat ascochyta blight, and may have a far-reaching impact on legume agriculture.