A genome-wide analysis of parasitic fitness in the Dutch elm disease fungus Ophiostoma novo-ulmi

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

More than one billion elms have been killed by two successive pandemics of Dutch elm disease (DED) since the early 20th century. The highly aggressive fungus Ophiostoma novo-ulmi is responsible for the current DED pandemic and has had a dramatic impact on populations of Ulmus americana, the most widespread native elm species in North America. Understanding the genetic basis of the host-pathogen interaction leading to DED is basic to developing control methods involving manipulation of the pathogen or its host. The general objective of the proposed research is to identify, characterize and manipulate genes that contribute to overall parasitic fitness in O. novo-ulmi. More specifically, we are targeting genes involved in pathogenicity, as well as genes that control the transition between the two growth forms (yeast and mycelium) observed in the DED fungi when they develop in their host.