Wiebke Kummer, Diplomandin
Development of an ATMT based strategy to identify postpenetration virulence/pathogenicity genes in Colletotrichum graminicola
Our work is implemented in the project frame, which aims to identify virulence genes in the maize pathogen Colletotrichum graminicola by ATMT. In contrast to our co-workers in the ATMT group, we focus on the identification of late virulence genes, e.g. on genes for controlling the biotrophic or the necrotrophic phase of the infection prosess.
In order to find those interesting genes, we transform the T-DNA of Agrobacterium tumefaciens into the fungus and tag randomly genes in the genome of the fungus. Subsequently, the generated transformants are screened for virulence defects (virulence assays on living plants and detached leaves) and furthermore investigated by molecular methods. In the end, a putative virulence gene will be confirmed by a directed gene deletion.
Methods:
- ATMT
- virulence assays
- genomic Southern blotting
- different PCR based techniques
- construction of a gene deletion cassette
- gene deletion