ausblenden:
Schlagwörter:
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Zusammenfassung:
Genome structure and maintenance determine the evolvability of organisms. The genomes of fungal plant pathogens are often structured heterogeneously, harboring highly variable compartments and compartments of relative stability. Often, rapidly evolving, virulence-related genes are associated with dynamic regions that are rich in repetitive elements, TEs and accessory genomic regions. An extreme case of such genomic structural variation are supernumerary mini-chromosomes (mChr), that are present in only some individuals of a species. We identified diverse mChr in the wheat and rice infecting blast fungus,Magnaporthe (syn. Pyricularia) oryzae. These chromosomes are associated with intra- and inter-chromosomal rearrangements, copy number variation and horizontal transfer of genetic material and ultimately increase the genetic diversity and the adaptive potential of the blast fungus. In addition, we have identified several virulence effector candidates on a mChr of a highly virulent pandemic wheat blast lineage. Here, I will discuss recent progress we made towards understanding mChr biology and potential strategies how we can use this information for pathogen-informed disease management via bioengineering.
