Pest Management Science (2012) 68, 1191-1198

JianBo Qiu, TingTing Huang, JianQiang Xu, ChaoWei Bi, ChangJun Chen and MingGuo Zhou (2012)
β-Tubulins in Gibberella zeae: their characterization and contribution to carbendazim resistance
Pest Management Science 68 (8), 1191-1198
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Fusarium head blight caused by Gibberella zeae is an important disease of wheat and barley because it reduces grain yield and quality and results in the contamination of grain with mycotoxins. Recent studies have shown that carbendazim resistance in field strains of G. zeae is not caused by mutation of the β-tubulin gene (β₁tub), which is the case with other filamentous fungi, but that fungicide resistance is greatly increased by deletion of β₁tub. The aim of the present study was to clarify the function of β₁tub and its role in carbendazim resistance in G. zeae by artificial gene operation.
RESULTS: Deletion of β₁tub reduced vegetative growth and pathogenicity but increased asexual reproduction in G. zeae. All the mutants were more resistant to carbendazim than parent strains. A three-dimensional model of β₁tub was constructed, and the possible carbendazim binding site was analysed.
CONCLUSION: β₁tub is not an essential gene in G. zeae, but it affects the sensitivity of the fungus to carbendazim.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Ming-Guo Zhou, Chang-Jun Chen

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
pesticide resistance of pest

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Fusarium graminearum