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Title:   Author  item
                                            DHILLON, BRAHAM - University Of British Columbiaitem
                                            FEAU, NICOLAS - University Of British Columbiaitem
                                            AERTS, ANDREA - Energy Joint Genome Instituteitem
                                            BEAUSEIGLE, STEPHANIE - University Of British Columbiaitem
                                            LABUTTI, KURT - Joint Genome Instituteitem
                                            OHM, ROBIN - Joint Genome Instituteitem
                                            PANGILINAN, JASMYN - Joint Genome Instituteitem
                                            Goodwin, Stephen

                                                         - *Steve*
  Submitted to: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 1/28/2015
                                    Publication  Date: 3/2/2015
                                    Citation: Dhillon, B., Feau, N., Aerts, A., Beauseigle, S., Labutti, K., Ohm, R., Pangilinan, J., Goodwin, S.B. 2015. Horizontal gene transfer and gene dosage drives adaptation to wood colonization in a tree pathogen. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 112(11):3451-3456.Interpretive Summary: Some of the most damaging tree diseases are caused by pathogens that attack woody stems and cause cankers that weaken the stems and can be fatal. To investigate the cause of canker formation, the genomes of poplar pathogens that do and do not cause cankers were sequenced. Canker pathogens had a unique cluster of genes that produce toxic compounds when the fungus is grown on poplar wood and leaves. This gene cluster appears to have been transferred from unrelated fungi that are associated with wood decay. Differences in levels of expression of the genes also were seen on poplar wood chips, including some of those from other fungi. Adaptation to colonize poplar woody stems appears to be the result of acquisition and maintenance of these genes. Plant pathologists and foresters may be able to use this information to design better strategies for disease management.
                                Technical Abstract: Some of the most damaging tree pathogens can attack woody stems, causing lesions (cankers) that may be lethal. To identify the genomic determinants of wood colonization leading to canker formation, we sequenced the genomes of the poplar canker pathogen, Mycosphaerella populorum, and the closely related poplar leaf pathogen, M. populicola. A secondary metabolite cluster unique to M. populorum is fully activated following induction by poplar wood and leaves. In addition, genes encoding hemicellulose degrading enzymes, peptidases, and metabolite transporters were more abundant and were up-regulated in M. populorum growing on poplar wood-chip medium compared with M. populicola. The secondary gene cluster and several of the carbohydrate degradation genes have the signature of horizontal transfer from ascomycete fungi associated with wood decay and from prokaryotes. Acquisition and maintenance of the gene battery necessary for growth in woody tissues and gene dosage resulting in gene expression reconfiguration appear to be responsible for the adaptation of M. populorum to infect, colonize, and cause mortality on poplar woody stems.


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