Several strains of Ustilago maydis, a causal agent of corn smut disease, exhibit a ‘killer’ phenotype that is due to persistent infection by double-stranded RNA Totiviruses. These viruses produce potent killer proteins that are secreted by the host. This is a rare example of virus/host symbiosis in that these viruses are dependent upon host survival and, to that end, produce antifungal proteins...

With the help of previously reported linked-markers to resistance genes Ht1, Ht2, Ht3, HtN1 and QTLs to northern corn leaf blight (NCLB) and resistance QTLs to head smut, total 94 tightly linked SSR markers falling in or nearby the reported markers were chosen from the public database of maize genome to conduct this study. Ten (10) SSR markers showing polymorphisms among 3 parents (one resistan...

The biotrophic fungus Ustilago maydis, the causal agent of corn smut disease, uses numerous small secreted effector proteins to suppress plant defence responses and reshape the host metabolism. However, the role of specific effectors remains poorly understood. Here, we describe the identification of ApB73 (Apathogenic in B73), an as yet uncharacterized protein essential for the successful colon...

The MAT region of Ustilago hordei, a bipolar barley pathogen, harbors distinct mating functions (a and b loci). Here, we show that the b locus is essential for mating and pathogenicity, and can induce pathogenicity when introduced into a strain carrying a b locus of opposite specificity. Transformation experiments using components of the a1 locus and analysis of resulting dual mating phenotypes...

False smut, caused by Ustilaginoidea virens, has recently been found in Arkansas. Plants infected by the fungus remain symptom-free until heading and it is difficult to see spores on contaminated seeds. Field tests were conducted in 2006 to determine the effect of false-smut inoculation of rice seeds on the yields of selected rice cultivars. Seeds were inoculated by vacuum infiltration in suspe...

Pseudozyma spp. are yeast-like fungi, classified in the Ustilaginales, which are mostly epiphytic or saprophytic and are not pathogenic to plants. Several Pseudozyma species have been reported to exhibit biological activity against powdery mildews. However, previous studies have reported that Pseudozyma aphidis, which can colonize plant surfaces, is not associated with the collapse of powdery m...

BACKGROUND Although standard skin prick test (SPT) panels are crucial for routine investigation of sensitization in daily clinical practice, it has limitations in terms of missing allergens. OBJECTIVE To find out sensitization rates (SR)s to additional panel of allergens and their relative contributions in allergic diseases. METHODS SPTs with a battery of aeroallergens [tree pollen (A.gluti...

Covered smut of barley (Hordeum vulgare), caused by Ustilago hordei, is a seed-borne disease. To identify and map disease resistance genes, current Canadian barley cultivars, parents of six barley mapping populations, and four differentials namely ‘Hannchen’ (Ruh1), ‘Excelsior’ (Ruh2), ‘Plush’ (Ruh6), and ‘Odessa’ (universal susceptible), were evaluated. Six mated combinations of U. hordei spor...

Many pathogens of plants are transmitted by arthropod vectors whose movement between individual hosts is influenced by foraging behavior. Insect foraging has been shown to depend on both the quality of hosts and the distances between hosts. Given the spatial distribution of host plants and individual variation in quality, vector foraging patterns may therefore produce predictable variation in e...

Genomic regions that determine mating compatibility are subject to distinct evolutionary forces that can lead to a cessation of meiotic recombination and the accumulation of structural changes between members of the homologous chromosome pair. The relatively recent discovery of dimorphic mating-type chromosomes in fungi can aid the understanding of sex chromosome evolution that is common to dio...