2022 journal article

Microsatellite Markers from Peronospora tabacina, the Cause of Blue Mold of Tobacco, Reveal Species Origin, Population Structure, and High Gene Flow

PHYTOPATHOLOGY, 112(2), 422–434.

By: M. Nowicki *, D. Hadziabdic*, R. Trigiano *, F. Runge*, M. Thines *, S. Boggess *, J. Ristaino n , O. Spring *

author keywords: clonal reproduction; evolution; genetic diversity; long-distance dispersal; obligate pathogen; oomycetes; Oomycota; population biology
MeSH headings : Gene Flow; Genetic Variation; Microsatellite Repeats / genetics; Peronospora / genetics; Plant Diseases / parasitology; Tobacco / genetics
TL;DR: Analysis of the most numerous P. tabacina collection to date pointed to the species origin in Australia and identified intra- and inter-continental migration patterns of this important pathogen. (via Semantic Scholar)
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
3. Good Health and Well-being (OpenAlex)
Source: Web Of Science
Added: April 4, 2022

Peronospora tabacina is an obligate parasite that causes blue mold of tobacco. The pathogen reproduces primarily by sporangia, whereas the sexual oospores are rarely observed. A collection of 122 isolates of P. tabacina was genotyped using nine microsatellites to assess the population structure of individuals from subpopulations collected from central, southern, and western Europe; the Middle East; Central America; North America; and Australia. Genetic variations among the six subpopulations accounted for ∼8% of the total variation, including moderate levels of genetic differentiation, high gene flow among these subpopulations, and a positive correlation between geographic and genetic distance (r = 0.225; P < 0.001). Evidence of linkage disequilibrium (P < 0.001) showed that populations contained partially clonal subpopulations but that subpopulations from Australia and Mediterranean Europe did not. High genetic variation and population structure among samples could be explained by continuous gene flow across continents via infected transplant exchange and/or long-distance dispersal of sporangia via wind currents. This study analyzed the most numerous P. tabacina collection and allowed conclusions regarding the migration, mutation, and evolutionary history of this obligate biotrophic oomycete. The evidence pointed to the species origin in Australia and identified intracontinental and intercontinental migration patterns of this important pathogen.