Nuclear DNA content of the hybrid plant pathogen Phytophthora andina determined by flow cytometry.
Phytophthora andina is a heterothallic plant pathogen of Andean solanaceous hosts and is an interspecific hybrid of P. infestans and an unknown Phytophthora species. The objective of this study was to estimate the nuclear DNA content of isolates in three clonal lineages of P. andina relative to P. infestans Twelve isolates of P. andina and six isolates of P. infestans were measured for nuclear DNA content by propidium iodide-stained flow cytometry. We found that the DNA content of P. andina was similar but slightly smaller, on average, than that of our sample of P. infestans isolates. This is consistent with P. andina being a homoploid hybrid rather than allopolyploid hybrid. Nuclear DNA content was more variable among a smaller sample of P. infestans isolates, including a putative triploid isolate from Mexico, but small differences in nuclear DNA content were also observed among P. andina isolates. Both species appear to be able to tolerate significant variation in genome size.
Department of Plant Pathology, PO Box 110680, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611.
Jianan
J
Wang
School of Natural Resources and Environment and Emerging Pathogens Institute, PO Box 116455, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611.
Jackson W
JW
Presser
Department of Plant Pathology and Emerging Pathogen Institute, PO Box 110680, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611 emgoss@ufl.edu.
Erica M
EM
Goss
D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D008800:Mexico; D010838:Phytophthora / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010944:Plants / Q000382:microbiology*
D004247:DNA
Phytophthora infestans; flow cytometry; interspecific hybrid; ploidy