Comparative Genomics of Fusarium oxysporum f sp. fragariae
P. HENRY (1), T. Gordon (2) (1) UC Davis Dept. Plant Pathology, U.S.A.; (2) UC Davis Department of Plant Pathology, U.S.A.

Fusarium oxysporum is a fungus with no known sexual state and a wide range of genotypes that have evolved pathogenicity to over 120 economically important crop species. Strains with the ability to cause disease are generally limited in pathogenicity to a single host but retain the ability to infect other plants asymptomatically. Many formae speciales are polyphyletic, and it is unknown whether strains that have evolved the ability to cause disease emerge from independent evolutions of pathogenicity. The recent finding that an entire small chromosome could be transferred between two somatically incompatible isolates has also raised the question of whether genetic exchange is occurring in wild populations. To better understand evolutionary relationships in a polyphyletic formal specialis, whole genomes of three isolates of Fusarium oxysporum f sp. fragariae (Fof), causal agent of Fusarium wilt of strawberry, were sequenced using the Pacific Biosciences RSII platform. The isolates chosen each represented a different lineage of Fof known to exist in California. Comparisons were conducted of micro- and macro-synteny, carbohydrate active enzymes, small secreted proteins, and repetitive element content. Significant differences were identified between these isolates and the previously sequenced Fusarium oxysporum f sp. lycopersici 4287.

Abstract Number: P11-362
Session Type: Poster