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Coffee rust genome measured using flow cytometry: does size matter?
Author(s) -
Carvalho G. M. A.,
Carvalho C. R.,
Barreto R. W.,
Evans H. C.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
plant pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.928
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1365-3059
pISSN - 0032-0862
DOI - 10.1111/ppa.12175
Subject(s) - biology , rust (programming language) , genome size , urediniospore , genome , spore , botany , genetics , gene , computer science , programming language
The genome size of most rust species is unknown due, in part, to technical constraints, especially the difficulty in accessing spores to extract the nuclei for cytometry. Using the urediniospores of coffee rust, Hemileia vastatrix , an improved methodology involving flow cytometry was developed for accurate measurement of the nuclear genome size. The results revealed that the genome of this primitive rust fungus is unusually large – measuring 1 C ‐value = 0·75 pg (733·5 Mb) – significantly bigger than other species quantified thus far in the more advanced rust lineages. The evolutionary consequences and the potential ecological constraints of this large genome size are discussed in relation to the epidemiology of coffee rust.