Plant Pathology (2012) 61, 106-119

O. Frenkel, I. Portillo, M.T. Brewer, J.P. Péros, L. Cadle-Davidson and M.G. Milgroom (2012)
Development of microsatellite markers from the transcriptome of Erysiphe necator for analysing population structure in North America and Europe
Plant Pathology 61 (1), 106-119
Abstract: Transcriptome sequences of the grape powdery mildew fungus Erysiphe necator were used to develop microsatellite markers (EST-SSRs) to study its relatively unexplored population structure in its centre of diversity in eastern North America. Screening the transcriptome sequences revealed 116 contigs with candidate microsatellites, from which 11 polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed from 31 markers tested. Eight of these markers were used to genotype isolates from different regions and hosts in the eastern USA and compare them to samples from southern France and Italy. Genetic diversity in the eastern USA is much greater than in Europe. Bayesian cluster analyses showed that 10 isolates from North America have high affinities with, but differ from, European group A; these are referred to as A-like isolates. No isolates with close affinity to European group B were found in the eastern USA. Bayesian analyses also detected genetic differentiation between isolates from Vitis rotundifolia and isolates from other Vitis hosts. Genetic differentiation detected between the northeastern and southeastern USA was mostly attributable to the A-like isolates in the southeast, which are significantly more aggressive than the other populations. This research demonstrates that transcriptome sequencing of fungal pathogens is useful for developing genetic markers in protein-coding regions and highlights the role of these markers in population biology studies of E. necator.
(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): Marin Talbot Brewer, Michael G. Milgroom

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
molecular biology - genes

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Erysiphe necator	Grapevine (Vitis)	France
	Erysiphe necator	Grapevine (Vitis)	Italy
	Erysiphe necator	Grapevine (Vitis)	U.S.A. (NE)
	Erysiphe necator	Grapevine (Vitis)	U.S.A. (SE)