Award details

An open consortium for molecular understanding of ash dieback disease

Reference	BBS/E/J/000CA523
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor J Downie
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	John Innes Centre
Department	John Innes Centre Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	75,967
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/03/2013
End date	31/08/2015
Duration	29 months

Abstract

Ash dieback caused by Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus (anamorph Chalara fraxinea, Cf) is now widespread in UK ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.). The Nornex consortium of eleven research centres coordinated at JIC aims to understand the genomes of the fungus, its host and the pathogenic interaction. Understanding the genome and pathogenic nature of the fungus H. pseudoalbidus. The aims of the fungal genomics are (1) to understand the genome diversity of the pathogen in Europe, (2) to determine if there is any structure to this population (3) to identify relationships to indigenous Hymenoscyphus species, (4) to try to identify the potential origin of the pathogen. The aims of the pathogenesis studies are (5) to set up tests of infection and tests of pathogenicity in vitro and in the field, (6) to assess antibodies for diagnostic tests (7) to understand the survival of the fungus and factors that affect its spread (8) to identify fungal genes induced during plant infection and those genes that contribute to the pathogenic nature of the pathogen. Identifying genetic tolerance in ash. The aims are to (a) generate genome sequence and genetic map of ash and (b) map disease tolerance. DNA sequencing of a tree with low susceptibility is in progress and mapping will be done with progeny from a cross with this and another single tree. Mapping of disease tolerance will be done using a transcriptome-based approach. Expressed genes will be identified by RNA sequencing and genetic mapping will be done by sequencing RNA from of a diversity panel of trees with varying susceptibility to the pathogen. These data will be used to identify genes whose expression levels show a significant association with disease tolerance and DNA polymorphisms in genes that show association with inheritance of low susceptibility. Further details of the project and partners can be found at http://nornex.org/ and updates on research outputs are posted at http://oadb.tsl.ac.uk/ .

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Not funded via Committee
Research Topics	Crop Science, Microbiology, Plant Science
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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