Plant Sciences Commons^™

Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus Lacking Helper Component-Proteinase Is Competent To Produce Disease Synergism In Double Infections With Maize Chlorotic Mottle Virus, Drake C. Stenger, Brock A. Young, Feng Qu, Thomas Jack Morris, Roy French

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The tritimovirus Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) and the machlomovirus Maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) each cause systemic chlorosis in infected maize plants. Infection of maize with both viruses produces corn lethal necrosis disease (CLND). Here, we report that complete deletion of the WSMV helper component-proteinase (HC-Pro) coding region had no effect on induction of CLND symptoms following coinoculation of maize with WSMV and MCMV. We further demonstrated that elevation of virus titers in double infections, relative to single infections, also was independent of WSMV HC-Pro. Thus, unlike potyvirus HC-Pro, WSMV HC-Pro was dispensable for disease synergism. Because disease synergism …

Genetic Diversity In Populations Of Xanthomonas Campestris Pv. Campestris In Cruciferous Weeds In Central Coastal California, A. Ignatov, A. Sechler, E. L. Schuenzel, Irina V. Agarkova, B. Oliver, A. K. Vidaver, N. W. Schaad

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (X. campestris) infects a large number of cruciferous plants, including weeds. California has one of the largest and most diverse populations of wild cruciferous plants in the world. Although considerable information is available on the genetic diversity of X. campestris in commercial crop plants, nothing is known about the diversity in strains infecting weeds. To assess the genetic diversity among strains of X. campestris in weeds in noncultivated and cultivated areas, strains of the pathogen were isolated from populations of cruciferous weeds growing in coastal valley crop-production sites and from remote nonproduction sites along the …

Soybean Fgam Synthase Promoters Useful In Nematode Control: U.S. Patent No. Us 7,223,901 B2, Sally Ann Mackenzie, Zarir Vaghchhipawala

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The subject invention relates to nematode responsive domains obtained from soybean promoters for phosphoribosylformylglycinamidine ribonucleotide (FGAM) synthase paralogs. The nematode responsive domains can be used in promoters that are linked to heterologous DNA. Such constructs can be expressed in transfected or transformed soybean and used in the control of nematode infection of soybean.

Pseudomonas Avr And Hop Proteins, Their Encoding Nucleic Acids, And Use Thereof, James R. Alfano, Alan Collmer, Samuel W. Cartinhour, David J. Schneider

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

One aspect of the present invention relates to isolated nucleic acid molecules encoding avirulence proteins or polypeptides of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae DC 3000, or nucleic acid moleculues which are complementary thereto. Expression vectors, host cells, and transgenic plants which include the DNA molecules of the present invention are also disclosed. Another aspect relates to the isolated proteins or polypeptides and compositions containing the same. The various nucleic acid molecules and proteins of the present invention can be used to impart disease resistance to a plant, make a plant hypersusceptible to colonization by nonpathogenic bacteria, modify a metabolic pathway in …

Genetic Structure In Natural Populations Of Barley/Cereal Yellow Dwarf Virus Isolates From Alaska, N.L. Robertson, Roy C. French

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The genetic structure of natural populations of Alaskan barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV)-PAV, BYDV-PAS, and cereal yellow dwarf virus (CYDV)- RPV from barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and oats (Avena sativa L.) in Alaska were analyzed between 2002 and 2004. PCR products spanning the viral coat protein gene of 187 isolates were cloned and sequenced. The majority (78%) were similar to BYDV-PAS, 19% were similar to CYDV-RPV, and only about 3% resembled BYDV-PAV. The CYDVRPV isolates clustered in three groups: 44, 17, and 39% resembled RPS-like CP from Mexico, resembled RPV-like CP from New York, or formed a unique …

Functional Characterization Of The Aspergillus Fumigatus Calcineurin, Márcia Eliana Da Silva Ferreira, Thorsten Heinekamp, Albert Hartl, Axel A. Brakhage, Camile P. Semighini, Steven D. Harris, Marcela Savoldi, Paula Fagundes De Gouvêa, Maria Helena De Souza Goldman, Gustavo H. Goldman

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Aspergillus fumigatus is an aggressive opportunistic pathogen of humans as well as a major allergen. Environmental sensing and retrieving essential nutrients from the environment are general metabolic traits associated with the growth of this saprophytic fungus. Two important mediators of calcium signals in eukaryotic cells are the Ca²⁺-binding protein calmodulin and the Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent phosphatase calcineurin. Calcineurin is a heterodimer that consists of a catalytic subunit A and a Ca²⁺/calmodulin binding unit. We deleted the A. fumigatus calA gene, which encodes the calcineurin A catalytic subunit, and demonstrated that this gene is not essential in …

A Pseudomonas Syringae Pv. Tomato Dc3000 Mutant Lacking The Type Iii Effector Hopq1-1 Is Able To Cause Disease In The Model Plant Nicotiana Benthamiana, Chia-Fong Wei, Brian H. Kvitko, Rena Shimizu, Emerson Crabill, James R. Alfano, Nai-Chun Lin, Gregory B. Martin, Hsiou-Chen Huang, Alan Collmer

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

The model pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 causes bacterial speck in tomato and Arabidopsis, but Nicotiana benthamiana, an important model plant, is considered to be a non-host. Strain DC3000 injects approximately 28 effector proteins into plant cells via the type III secretion system (T3SS). These proteins were individually delivered into N. benthamiana leaf cells via T3SS-proficient Pseudomonas fluorescens, and eight, including HopQ1-1, showed some capacity to cause cell death in this test. Four gene clusters encoding 13 effectors were deleted from DC3000: cluster II (hopH1, hopC1), IV (hopD1, hopQ1-1, hopR1), IX (hopAA1-2, hopV1, hopAO1, hopG1), and native plasmid pDC3000A …

Proceedings Of The 34th Annual Meeting Of The Southern Soybean Disease Workers (February 18-19, 2007, St. Louis, Missouri), Daniel H. Poston, Michael E. Schmidt, J. Allen Wrather, Jason Bond, Stephen R. Koenning

Southern Soybean Disease Workers: Conference Proceedings

Southern United States Soybean Disease Loss Estimates for 2006. SR Koenning

Stratego 250 EC, Broad Spectrum Disease Control in Soybeans. JR Bloomberg, RA Myers, and R Kraus

Asian Soybean Rust: Efficacy of Selected Fungicides and Observations on Their Use. RW Schneider, CL Clark, EP Mumma, and CG Giles

Effects of Light Intensity and Darkness Period on Infection of Soybean Rust in Controlled Conditions. J Mo, T Guo, X Li, and XB Yang

Identification of Maturity Group 3 and 4 Soybean Cultivars and Lines Resistant to Cercospora sojina by Field Screening and Molecular Markers. A Wrather, R Mian, G Shannon, J …

Association Of Ergot Alkaloids With Conidiation In Aspergillus Fumigatus, Christine M. Coyle, Shawn C. Kenaley, William R. Rittenour, Daniel G. Panaccione

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Ergot alkaloids are mycotoxins that affect the nervous and reproductive systems of exposed individuals through interactions with monoamine receptors. They have been studied more widely in ergot fungi and grass endophytes but also are found in Aspergillus fumigatus, an opportunistic human pathogen that reproduces and disseminates exclusively through conidia. The ergot alkaloids festuclavine and fumigaclavines A, B and C are present in or on conidia of A. fumigatus. Cultures of the fungus that are free of conidia are difficult to obtain, obscuring comparisons of conidia versus vegetative hyphae as sources of the ergot alkaloids. To create conidiation-deficient strains of A. …

Expression Analysis Of Rice Defense-Related Genes In Turfgrass In Response To Magnaporthe Grisea, Young-Ki Jo, Guo-Liang Wang, Michael J. Boehm

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Magnaporthe grisea (anamorph = Pyricularia grisea) causes blast on rice (Oryza sativa) and gray leaf spot on turfgrass. Gray leaf spot is a serious disease on St. Augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea). Virulence assays performed in this study revealed that M. grisea collected from rice could also cause disease on St. Augustinegrass and tall fescue. One rice isolate, Che86061, caused similar disease reactions on susceptible cultivars of rice and St. Augustinegrass and an incompatible interaction on resistant cultivars of both species. To explore whether …

Genetic Analysis Of A Novel Alaska Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus In The Family Luteoviridae, N.L. Robertson, Roy C. French

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

A new plant virus belonging to the family Luteoviridae and isolated from diseased oat (Avena sativa L.) plants was discovered in Alaska in 2003. Even though plants with red/orange leaves were indicative of barley yellow dwarf disease, they were not reactive to specific antibodies corresponding to barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV)-MAV, -PAV, -SGV, and cereal yellow dwarf virus-RPV from enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). An alternative RT-PCR assay that incorporated Shu-F/Yan-R primers for detection of BYDV-MAV, -PAS, -PAV, and SGV was effective in producing ~830-nt fragments that contained genomic sequences to the 3’-terminus of the polymerase gene (ORF 2), the …

Genetic Diversity In Populations Of Xanthomonas Campestris Pv. Campestris In Cruciferous Weeds In Central Coastal California, A. Ignatov, A. Sechler, E. L. Schuenzel, I. Agarkova, B. Oliver, A. K. Vidaver, N. W. Schaad

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (X. campestris) infects a large number of cruciferous plants, including weeds. California has one of the largest and most diverse populations of wild cruciferous plants in the world. Although considerable information is available on the genetic diversity of X. campestris in commercial crop plants, nothing is known about the diversity in strains infecting weeds. To assess the genetic diversity among strains of X. campestris in weeds in noncultivated and cultivated areas, strains of the pathogen were isolated from populations of cruciferous weeds growing in coastal valley crop-production sites and from remote nonproduction sites along the …

Structure And Biosynthesis Of Heat-Stable Antifungal Factor (Hsaf), A Broad-Spectrum Antimycotic With A Novel Mode Of Action, Fengan Yu, Kathia Zaleta-Rivera, Xiangcheng Zhu, Justin Huffman, Jeffrey C. Millet, Steven D. Harris, Gary Yuen, Xing-Cong Li, Liangcheng Du

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

A screen for antifungal compounds from Lysobacter enzymogenes strain C3, a bacterial biological control agent of fungal diseases, has previously led to the isolation of heat-stable antifungal factor (HSAF). HSAF exhibits inhibitory activities against a wide range of fungal species and shows a novel mode of antifungal action by disrupting the biosynthesis of a distinct group of sphingolipids. We have now determined the chemical structure of HSAF, which is identical to that of dihydromaltophilin, an antifungal metabolite with a unique macrocyclic lactam system containing a tetramic acid moiety and a 5,5,6-tricyclic skeleton. We have also identified the genetic locus responsible …

Structure And Function Of A Chlorella Virus Encoded Glycosyltransferase, Ying Zhang, Ye Xiang, James L. Van Etten, Michael G. Rossmann

James Van Etten Publications

Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus-1 encodes at least 5 putative glycosyltransferases that are probably involved in the synthesis of the glycan components of the viral major capsid protein. The 1.6 Å crystal structure of one of these glycosyltransferases (A64R) has a mixed α/β fold containing a central, six-stranded β-sheet flanked by α-helices. Crystal structures of A64R, complexed with UDP, CMP, or GDP, established that only UDP bound to A64R in the presence of Mn2+, consistent with its high structural similarity to glycosyltransferases which utilize UDP as the sugar carrier. The structure of the complex of A64R, UDP-glucose, and Mn2+ showed that …

Sequence And Annotation Of The 288-Kb Atcv-1 Virus That Infects An Endosymbiotic Chlorella Strain Of The Heliozoon Acanthocystis Turfacea, Lisa A. Fitzgerald, Michael V. Graves, Xiao Li, James Hartigan, Artur J.P. Pfitzner, Ella Hoffart, James L. Van Etten

James Van Etten Publications

Acanthocystis turfacea chlorella virus (ATCV-1), a prospective member of the family Phycodnaviridae, genus Chlorovirus, infects a unicellular, eukaryotic, chlorella-like green alga, Chlorella SAG 3.83, that is a symbiont in the heliozoon A. turfacea. The 288,047-bp ATCV-1 genome is the first virus to be sequenced that infects Chlorella SAG 3.83. ATCV-1 contains 329 putative protein-encoding and 11 tRNA-encoding genes. The protein-encoding genes are almost evenly distributed on both strands and intergenic space is minimal. Thirty-four percent of the viral gene products resemble entries in the public databases, including some that are unexpected for a virus. For example, these …

Chlorella Viruses Contain Genes Encoding A Complete Polyamine Biosynthetic Pathway, Sascha Baumann, Adrienne Sander, James Gurnon, Giane M. Yanai-Balser, James L. Van Etten, Markus Piotrowski

James Van Etten Publications

Two genes encoding the putative polyamine biosynthetic enzymes agmatine iminohydrolase (AIH) and N-carbamoylputrescine amidohydrolase (CPA) were cloned from the chloroviruses PBCV-1, NY-2A and MT325. They were expressed in Escherichia coli to form C-terminal (His)6-tagged proteins and the recombinant proteins were purified by Ni2+- binding affinity chromatography. The biochemical properties of the two enzymes are similar to AIH and CPA enzymes from Arabidopsis thaliana and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Together with the previously known virus genes encoding ornithine/arginine decarboxlyase (ODC/ADC) and homospermidine synthase, the chloroviruses have genes that encode a complete set of functional enzymes that synthesize the rare polyamine homospermidine from arginine …

Response Of Soybean Cultivars To Bean Pod Mottle Virus Infection, Amy D. Ziems, Loren J. Giesler, George L. Graef, Margaret G. Redinbaugh, Jean L. Vacha, Sueann Berry, Laurence V. Madden, Anne E. Dorrance

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Bean pod mottle virus (BPMV) has become increasingly common in soybean throughout the north-central region of the United States. Yield loss assessments on southern soybean germplasm have reported reductions ranging from 3 to 52%. Currently, no soybean cultivars have been identified with resistance to BPMV. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of BPMV infection on soybean cultivars representing a broad range of northern soybean germplasm by comparing inoculated and noninoculated soybean plants in paired row studies. In all, 30 and 24 cultivars were evaluated in Nebraska (NE) in which soybean plants were inoculated at the V3 …

Free-Living Dorylaimid Nematodes From Nature Reserves In Costa Rica. The Genus Pachydorylaimus Siddiqi, 1983, A. Esquivel, P. Guerrero, R. Peña-Santiago, Thomas O. Powers

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

A taxonomic study of three species, two known and one new, belonging to the genus Pachydorylaimus Siddiqi, 1983 from natural areas in Costa Rica is presented. Pachydorylaimus holovachovi sp. n. is described and can be distinguished by its body 0.90-1.00 mm long, lip region 14-17 μm wide, odontostyle 13-15 μm long, odontophore morphology with differentiated hyaline spindle-shaped area surrounding its junction to pharyngeal lining but lacking distinct basal flanges, total stylet length 35- 44 μm, pars refringens vaginae absent, V = 43-47, female tail straight and tapering to an acute tip (57- 78 μm, c = 12.5-15.8, c’ = 2.0-3.0), …

Basa Regulates Cell Wall Organization And Asexual/Sexual Sporulation Ratio In Aspergillus Nidulans, Shaojie Li, Dapeng Bao, Gary Yuen, Steven D. Harris, Ana M. Calvo

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Sphingolipid C4 hydroxylase catalyzes the conversion of dihydrosphingosine to phytosphingosine. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Sur2 is essential for sphingolipid C4 hydroxylation activity but not essential for normal growth. Here we demonstrate that the Aspergillus nidulans Sur2 homolog BasA is also required for phytosphingosine biosynthesis but is also essential for viability. We previously reported that a point missense mutation in basA resulted in aberrant cell wall thickening. Here our data suggest that accumulation of dihydrosphingosine is responsible for this phenotype. In addition, two different mutations in basA consistently accelerated the transition from asexual development to sexual development compared to the wild-type …

Regulation Of Hyphal Morphogenesis By Cdc42 And Rac1 Homologues In Aspergillus Nidulans, Aleksandra Virag, Maurice P. Lee, Haoyu Si, Steven D. Harris

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The ability of filamentous fungi to form hyphae requires the establishment and maintenance of a stable polarity axis. Based on studies in yeasts and animals, the GTPases Cdc42 and Rac1 are presumed to play a central role in organizing the morphogenetic machinery to enable axis formation and stabilization. Here, we report that Cdc42 (ModA) and Rac1 (RacA) share an overlapping function required for polarity establishment in Aspergillus nidulans. Nevertheless, Cdc42 appears to have a more important role in hyphal morphogenesis in that it alone is required for the timely formation of lateral branches. In addition, we provide genetic evidence …