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R W Michelmore

Publications and source records attributed to R W Michelmore.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Analysis of a detailed genetic linkage map of Lactuca sativa (lettuce) constructed from RFLP and RAPD markers.

A detailed genetic map has been constructed from the F2 population of a single intraspecific cross of Lactuca sativa (n = 9). It comprises 319 loci, including 152 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), 130 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), 7 isozyme, 19 disease resistance, and 11 morphological markers. Thirteen major, four minor linkage groups and several unlinked markers are identified for this genome which is estimated to be approximately 1950 cM. RFLP and RAPD markers show similar distributions throughout the genome and identified similar levels of polymorphism. RAPD loci were much quicker to identify but more difficult to order. Procedures for generating accurate genetic maps and their limitations are described.

Chromosome Mapping↗
PubMed1992

Regulatory sequences for expressing genes in oomycete fungi.

Promoter and terminator sequences from a range of species were tested for activity in the oomycetes, a group of lower fungi that bear an uncertain taxonomic affinity to other organisms and in which little is known of the sequences required for transcription. Transient assays, using the reporter gene beta-glucuronidase (GUS), were used to examine the function of these promoters and terminators in the plant pathogens Phytophthora infestans and P. megasperma f. sp. glycinea, and in the saprophytic water mold, Achlya ambisexualis. Oomycete promoters, isolated from the ham34 and hsp70 genes of Bremia lactucae and the actin gene of P. megasperma f. sp. glycinea, resulted in high levels of GUS accumulation in each of the three oomycetes. In contrast, little or no activity was detected when promoters from higher fungi (four ascomycetes and one basidiomycete), plants, and animals were tested. The terminator from the ham34 gene resulted in much higher levels of GUS accumulation than did others, although an oomycete terminator was not absolutely required for expression. Transcript mapping of RNA from stable transformants confirmed accurate initiation from the B. lactucae hsp70 promoter and termination within 3' ham34 sequences in P. infestans. Our results indicate that the transcriptional machinery of the oomycetes differs significantly from that of the higher fungi, but that enough conservation exists within the class to allow vectors developed from one oomycete species to be used for others.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Recent amplification of triose phosphate isomerase related sequences in lettuce.

A random cDNA clone was identified as distinguishing near-isogenic lines for downy mildew resistance in lettuce. The clone detected multiple restriction fragments in genomic Southern blots of lettuce. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) detected by this clone mapped to separate clusters of resistance genes; therefore, these sequences were studied in a greater detail. Sequence analysis indicated that the cDNA encoded the glycolytic enzyme triose phosphate isomerase (TPI). The lettuce clone shares 85% sequence similarity at the amino acid level with TPI from maize. TPI-related sequences were mapped in lettuce using three crosses. Ten loci were distributed in six linkage groups. Possible mechanisms of amplification and dispersion were investigated. Retrotransposition was excluded, since intron five is retained in all TPI-related genomic sequences. Large scale chromosomal rearrangements were not involved, as RFLP markers flanking TPI loci were not duplicated. A high level of genomic variability was detected by the TPI clone; 37 different restriction fragments were detected in Southern hybridizations to 64 populations of lettuce including 47 cultivars of Lactuca sativa and five wild species. Species distantly related to L. sativa had few TPI loci, indicating that their amplification and dispersion were recent and had occurred after the emergence of the L. serriola complex.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Identification of markers linked to disease-resistance genes by bulked segregant analysis: a rapid method to detect markers in specific genomic regions by using segregating populations.

We developed bulked segregant analysis as a method for rapidly identifying markers linked to any specific gene or genomic region. Two bulked DNA samples are generated from a segregating population from a single cross. Each pool, or bulk, contains individuals that are identical for a particular trait or genomic region but arbitrary at all unlinked regions. The two bulks are therefore genetically dissimilar in the selected region but seemingly heterozygous at all other regions. The two bulks can be made for any genomic region and from any segregating population. The bulks are screened for differences using restriction fragment length polymorphism probes or random amplified polymorphic DNA primers. We have used bulked segregant analysis to identify three random amplified polymorphic DNA markers in lettuce linked to a gene for resistance to downy mildew. We showed that markers can be reliably identified in a 25-centimorgan window on either side of the targeted locus. Bulked segregant analysis has several advantages over the use of near-isogenic lines to identify markers in specific regions of the genome. Genetic walking will be possible by multiple rounds of bulked segregation analysis; each new pair of bulks will differ at a locus identified in the previous round of analysis. This approach will have widespread application both in those species where selfing is possible and in those that are obligatorily outbreeding.

Alleles↗
PubMed1989

Structure and expression of a gene encoding heat-shock protein Hsp70 from the Oomycete fungus Bremia lactucae.

A gene encoding a protein homologous to a 70-kDa heat-shock protein (Hsp70) was isolated from Bremia lactucae and its structure and pattern of expression were determined. This is the first report on the structure of a protein-coding gene from an Oomycete fungus. The cloned gene is a member of a small multigene family. The level of hsp70 mRNA in germlings increases from a low constitutive level in response to heat or cold treatment. A high level of the mRNA is also detected in spores. The hsp70 gene is expressed as a primary transcript of 2241 nucleotides (nt) and contains a continuous open reading frame of 2025 nt. Near the C terminus of the coding sequence is an unusual region that contains repeated enhancer-like sequences. This insert has not been described in other hsp70 genes and is not an intron. Upstream from the 5' terminus of the mRNA are multiple CCAAT motifs, a sequence similar to a consensus heat-shock regulatory element, and an A + T-rich putative 'TATA' box. A canonical polyadenylation recognition sequence is present downstream from the coding sequence. The deduced amino acid sequence is equally similar to yeast and maize Hsp70, providing further evidence of the dissimilarity between Oomycetes and true fungi. The cloning of this gene is part of our strategy to develop a transformation system for B. lactucae.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1988

Genetic analysis of the fungus, Bremia lactucae, using restriction fragment length polymorphisms.

Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) were developed as genetic markers for Bremia lactucae, the biotrophic Oomycete fungus which causes lettuce downy mildew. By using 55 genomic and cDNA probes, a total of 61 RFLP loci were identified among three heterothallic isolates of B. lactucae. Of these 61 RFLP loci, 53 were heterozygous in at least one of the three strains and thus were informative for linkage analysis in at least one of two F1 crosses that were performed. Analysis of the cosegregation of these 53 RFLPs, eight avirulence loci and the mating type locus allowed the construction of a preliminary genetic linkage map consisting of 13 small linkage groups. Based on the extent of linkage detected among probes, the genome of B. lactucae can be estimated to be approximately 2000 cM. Linkage was detected between a RFLP locus and an avirulence gene, providing a potential starting point for chromosome walking to clone an avirulence gene. The high frequency of DNA polymorphism in naturally occurring isolates and the proper Mendelian segregation of loci detected by low copy number probes indicates that it will be possible to construct a detailed genetic map of B. lactucae using RFLPs as markers. The method of analysis employed here should be applicable to many other outbreeding, heterozygous species for which defined inbred lines are not available.

Blotting, Southern↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Highly abundant and stage-specific mRNAs in the obligate pathogen Bremia lactucae.

Germinating spores of the obligate pathogen Bremia lactucae (lettuce downy mildew) contain several unusually abundant species of mRNA. Thirty-nine cDNA clones corresponding to prevalent transcripts were isolated from a library synthesized using poly(A)+ RNA from germinating spores; these clones represented only five distinct classes. Each corresponding mRNA accounted for from 0.4 to 9 percent by mass of poly(A)+ RNA from germinating spores and together represented greater than 20 percent of the mRNA. The expression of the corresponding genes, and a gene encoding Hsp70, was analyzed in spores during germination and during growth in planta. The Hsp70 mRNA and mRNA from one abundant cDNA clone (ham34) were expressed constitutively. Two clones (ham9 and ham12) hybridized only to mRNA from spores and germinating spores. Two clones (ham37 and ham27) showed hybridization specific to germinating spores. Quantification of the number of genes homologous to each cDNA clone indicated that four clones corresponded to one or two copies per haploid genome, and one hybridized to an approximately 11-member family of genes. A sequence of the gene corresponding to ham34 was obtained to investigate its function and to identify sequences conferring high levels of gene expression for use in constructing vectors for the transformation of B. lactucae.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Transformation of the oomycete pathogen, Phytophthora infestans.

A stable transformation procedure has been developed for Phytophthora infestans, an oomycete fungus that causes the late blight diseases of potato and tomato. This is the first description of reliable methods for transformation in an oomycete pathogen. Drug-resistant transformants were obtained by using vectors that contained bacterial genes for resistance to hygromycin B or G418 fused to promoters and terminators from the Hsp70 and Ham34 genes of the oomycete, Bremia lactucae. Using polyethylene glycol and CaCl2, vector DNA was introduced into protoplasts as a complex with cationic liposomes or with carrier DNA only. Transformants were obtained at similar frequencies with each combination of promoter and selectable marker and were confirmed by DNA and RNA hybridization and phosphotransferase assays. Transformation occurred through the integration of single or tandemly repeated copies of the plasmids into genomic DNA, conferring mitotically stable drug-resistant phenotypes. The sizes of the marker gene mRNAs in each transformant and the results of transcript mapping studies were consistent with the function of the B. lactucae regulatory sequences in P. infestans. A hygromycin-resistant transformant was tested and found to maintain pathogenicity, indicating that the gene transfer procedure will be useful for the molecular analysis of genes relevant to disease.

Base Sequence↗