The More the Merrier? Investigating Copy Number Variation in Brassica Disease Resistance

Batley, Jacqueline

Date: Monday, June 6, 2016
Time: 1:50 PM

Room: Waterfront 2

Jacqueline Batley , University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia

Aria Dolatabadian , University of Western Australia, Australia

Hua Yang , University of QLD, University of Western Australia, Australia

Anita Severn-Ellis , University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia

Salman Alamery , University of Queensland

Reece Tollenaere , University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia

Philipp E. Bayer , University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia

Bhavna Hurgobin , University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

Agnieszka Golicz , University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

David Edwards , University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia

Copy number variants (CNVs) are segments of DNA that have been duplicated or lost in the genome of one individual or line with respect to another. CNVs have been shown to contribute significantly to phenotypic differences and disease susceptibility in humans. However there is still little information on the extent of CNVs in plants and their role in local adaptation. Blackleg, caused by the fungal pathogen Leptosphaeria maculans is a devastating disease affecting canola plants (Brassica species), leading to significant economic losses every year. Effective and sustainable methods must be developed to manage this disease. Next generation sequencing (NGS) technology provides a variety of tools that enable us to scrutinise any organism at the genomic level. Here we demonstrate the utility of NGS for the identification of candidate disease resistance genes from B. napus. Analysis of the complete genome sequence of B. napus identified candidate CC-NBS-LRR and TIR-NBS-LRR family genes implicated in disease response, several of which were clustered around a region syntenic with major loci for blackleg resistance. Molecular analyses of these candidate genes and the role of CNVs will be presented. The characterisation of CNVs across Brassica genomes will provide an understanding of recent selection pressures on plant genomes, the genomic components that contribute to adaptation, and the genes that have been the target of selection.