Abstract Detail

Population Genetics/Genomics

Gabriel Peralta, Sergio Manuel [1], Gambhir, Nikita [2], Adams, Gerard [1], Winton, Loretta [3], Cerny, Karel [4], Everhart, Sydney [5].

Gemmamyces piceae causing bud blight disease of spruce in Alaska is different from European populations.

Gemmamyces piceae has been found in Alaska since 2016 causing bud blight disease of spruce (Picea spp.) although its status as a native or invasive pathogen has not been fully elucidated. Isolates from European and Alaskan populations of G. piceae were analyzed using phylogenetics of single and concatenated genes of the ITS, RPB2 and TEF1 but could not be differentiated since no important differences in nucleotides were observed. In order to understand the population structure of G. piceae present in Alaska and the relationship with G. piceae from Europe a population genetics approach was used. Short Sequence Repeats (SSR) are microsatellite loci highly variable among individuals and useful to determine differences between individuals. Primers for 24 SSR loci were designed with msatcommander-1.0.8-beta from one de novo assembly from a European isolate and used to genotype several isolates of G. piceae collected in Alaska in 2020 and European isolates. Results showed only 10 primers had consistent amplification in all isolates evaluated and fragment analysis showed important differences between these populations. Among seven European isolates genotyped, polymorphisms were observed in five loci, yielding seven haplotypes. Among 18 Alaskan isolates, ignoring null alleles, only one locus was polymorphic, which produced a total of two haplotypes. Due to the constricted variation observed in the Alaskan population, it remains unclear whether reduced polymorphism is due to a bottleneck event or is simply ascertainment bias. Several tests are required to conclude these findings, which will be combined with an analysis of mating types present in Alaska and used to create a diagnostic assay to differentiate European from Alaskan populations.

1 - University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Plant Pathology, 406 Plant Sciences Hall Lincoln, NE 68583, 1875 N 38th St, Lincoln, NE 68503, Lincoln, Ne, 68503, United States
2 - Cornell University, Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, 236 Tower Rd, Geneva, NY, 14456, USA
3 - USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Protection, 709 W. 9th Street, PO Box 756780, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, United States
4 - Silva Tarouca Research Institute, Department of Biological Risks, Kvetnove nam. 391, Pruhonice, 25243, Czech Republic
5 - University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Plant Pathology, 406 Plant Sciences Hall Lincoln, NE 68583-0722, 1875 N 38th St, Lincoln, NE 68503, Lincoln, Ne, 68503, United States

Keywords:
Emerging disease
Spruce
Gemmamyces piceae
Population Genetics.

Presentation Type: Poster
Session: P3, Population Genetics/Genomics Posters
Location: Virtual/Virtual
Date: Wednesday, July 21st, 2021
Time: 5:00 PM(EDT)
Number: P3PG003
Abstract ID:635
Candidate for Awards:None