Alternate intron processing of family 5 endoglucanase transcripts from the genus Phytophthora.
Twenty-one homologs of family 5 endo-(1-4)-beta-glucanase genes (EGLs) were identified and characterized in the oomycete plant pathogens Phytophthora infestans, P. sojae, and P. ramorum, providing the first comprehensive analysis of this family in Phytophthora. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these genes constitute a unique eukaryotic group, with closest similarity to bacterial endoglucanases. Many of the identified EGL copies were clustered in a few genomic regions, and contained from zero to three introns. Using reverse transcription PCR to study in vitro and in planta gene expression levels of P. sojae, we detected partially processed RNA transcripts retaining one or more of their introns. In some cases, the positions of intron/exon splicing sites were also found to be variable. The relative proportions of these transcripts remain apparently unchanged under various growing conditions, but differ among orthologous copies of the three Phytophthora species. The alternate processing of introns in this group of EGLs generates both coding and non-coding RNA isoforms. This is the first report on Phytophthora family 5 endoglucanases, and the first record for alternative intron processing of oomycete transcripts.
Costanzo
Stefano
S
Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
Ospina-Giraldo
Manuel D
MD
Deahl
Kenneth L
KL
Baker
C Jacyn
CJ
Jones
Richard W
RW
D001483:Base Sequence; D002480:Cellulase / Q000235:genetics*; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010802:Phylogeny; D010838:Phytophthora / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D004271:DNA, Fungal; D002480:Cellulase