Characterization of Golovinomyces cichoracearum Effectors
K. SCHEIBEL (1), S. Somerville (1) (1) UC Berkeley, U.S.A.

The causative agent of cucurbit powdery mildew, G. cichoracearum, is an obligate biotrophic plant pathogen. Through use of host-induced gene silencing, a variation on virus-induced gene silencing technique, genetic manipulation of this previously-untransformable fungus is now possible. Fifty candidate effector genes were identified, cloned and screened in the model G. cichoracearum host Arabidopsis thaliana. Effectors exhibiting an infection phenotype when knocked-down were selected for further characterization. Plants expressing fluorescently-tagged fungal effectors were evaluated to determine subcellular localization, and co-immunoprecipitation was used to identify potential host interacting partners. These experiments will shed light on the largely unknown mechanism of infection in this biologically interesting and economically important fungal system.

Abstract Number: P9-299
Session Type: Poster