Genomics of the expanding pine pathogen Lecanosticta acicola reveals patterns of ongoing genetic admixture

Lecanosticta acicola is the causal agent for brown spot needle blight that affects pine trees across the northern hemisphere. Based on marker genes and microsatellite data, two distinct lineages have been identified that were introduced into Europe on two separate occasions. Despite their overall di...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Marcet Houben, Marina, Cruz, Fernando, Gómez Garrido, Jéssica, Alioto, Tyler S., Nunez Rodriguez, Juan Carlos, Mesanza, Nebai, Gut, Marta|||0000-0002-4063-7159, Iturritxa, Eugenia, Gabaldon, Toni
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/409366
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/409366
https://dx.doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00928-23
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Genomics and bioinformatics
Comparative genomics
Plant pathogen
Population genomics
Admixture
Lecanosticta acicola
Needle blight
Simulació per ordinador
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Informàtica::Aplicacions de la informàtica::Bioinformàtica
Descripción
Sumario:Lecanosticta acicola is the causal agent for brown spot needle blight that affects pine trees across the northern hemisphere. Based on marker genes and microsatellite data, two distinct lineages have been identified that were introduced into Europe on two separate occasions. Despite their overall distinct geographic distribution, they have been found to coexist in regions of northern Spain and France. Here, we present the first genome-wide study of Lecanosticta acicola, including assembly of the reference genome and a population genomics analysis of 70 natural isolates from northern Spain. We show that most of the isolates belong to the southern lineage but show signs of introgression with northern lineage isolates, indicating mating between the two lineages. We also identify phenotypic differences between the two lineages based on the activity profiles of 20 enzymes, with introgressed strains being more phenotypically similar to members of the southern lineage. In conclusion, we show undergoing genetic admixture between the two main lineages of L. acicola in a region of recent expansion.