Fungus genetic sequence is focus of study

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Oct. 8 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists are studying the recently mapped genetic makeup of a deadly fungus to learn more about the world of pathogens.

Purdue University researchers are studying the fungus Fusarium graminearum that spawns the worst cereal grains disease known and also can produce toxins potentially fatal to people and livestock.

The fungus, especially destructive to wheat and barley, has resulted in an estimated $10 billion in damage to U.S. crops in the past decade. The scientists who sequenced the fungus' genes expect the genome to aid in discovering what makes that particular pathogen so harmful, what triggers the process that spreads the fungus and why various fungi attack specific plants.

The investigations also might lead to producing plants that are resistant to the fungus -- something that, so far, hasn't been possible, said Purdue molecular biologist Jin-Rong Xu.

Xu is focusing on identifying which genes enable the fungus to cause the disease Fusarium head blight, or scab. He and an international team found certain chromosomal regions in Fusarium graminearum appear to allow the fungus to contaminate crops and cause disease.

That research was reported in the journal Science.