What will a genome sequence do for fire blight research? Pectobacterium atrosepticum and potato - A case study.

Ian K Toth, Paul Birch, H. Liu, Leighton Pritchard, Sonia Humphris, Michael Ravensdale, Lucy Moleleki, Christelle Robert, Pete E Hedley, Eleanor M. Gilroy

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Genomics research is changing the way we study all forms of life, and the interaction between plant pathogens and their hosts is benefiting greatly from the genomics revolution. To have the "genetic blueprint" for a pathogen is of immeasurable value as it lays bare the potential capabilities of that organism and allows comparisons to be made with others. Although genomics opens up the field of research it also has the potential to target key genes and mechanisms precisely. In 2004 the first genome of an enterobacterial plant pathogen (Pectobacterium atrosepticum Pba – formerly Erwinia carotovora subsp. atroseptica) was sequenced and several more are now available, including Erwinia amylovora. Based on this genome sequence, microarrays, bioinformatics, comparative genomics and systems biology have all been used to advance our knowledge of the pathogen, together with new discoveries in potential alternative hosts in the environment and comparisons to Pba's human and animal enterobacterial cousins E. coli and Salmonella.
Original languageEnglish
JournalActa Horticulturae
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2008

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'What will a genome sequence do for fire blight research? Pectobacterium atrosepticum and potato - A case study.'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this