Molecular markers for tolerance of European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) to dieback disease identified using Associative Transcriptomics

Tree disease epidemics are a global problem, impacting food security, biodiversity and national economies. The potential for conservation and breeding in trees is hampered by complex genomes and long lifecycles, with most species lacking genomic resources. The European Ash tree Fraxinus excelsior is...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2016-01, Vol.6 (1), p.19335-19335, Article 19335
Main Authors: Harper, Andrea L, McKinney, Lea Vig, Nielsen, Lene Rostgaard, Havlickova, Lenka, Li, Yi, Trick, Martin, Fraser, Fiona, Wang, Lihong, Fellgett, Alison, Sollars, Elizabeth S A, Janacek, Sophie H, Downie, J Allan, Buggs, Richard J A, Kjær, Erik Dahl, Bancroft, Ian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Biological - genetics
Biodiversity
Biomarkers
Dieback
Epidemics
Food
Fraxinus - genetics
Fraxinus - microbiology
Fraxinus excelsior
Gene expression
Gene Expression Profiling
Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
Genetic diversity
Genomes
Herbivores
Hymenoscyphus fraxineus
Plant breeding
Plant Diseases - genetics
Plant Diseases - microbiology
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
Transcriptome
Trees
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Summary:Tree disease epidemics are a global problem, impacting food security, biodiversity and national economies. The potential for conservation and breeding in trees is hampered by complex genomes and long lifecycles, with most species lacking genomic resources. The European Ash tree Fraxinus excelsior is being devastated by the fungal pathogen Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, which causes ash dieback disease. Taking this system as an example and utilizing Associative Transcriptomics for the first time in a plant pathology study, we discovered gene sequence and gene expression variants across a genetic diversity panel scored for disease symptoms and identified markers strongly associated with canopy damage in infected trees. Using these markers we predicted phenotypes in a test panel of unrelated trees, successfully identifying individuals with a low level of susceptibility to the disease. Co-expression analysis suggested that pre-priming of defence responses may underlie reduced susceptibility to ash dieback.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/srep19335