This entry is submitted by Gloria Gamat, via Creative Reporter.The fungal pathogen Alternaria brassicicola causes black spot disease, leading to considerable leaf loss in such economically important crops as canola, cabbage, and broccoli. In addition to causing numerous plant diseases, Alternaria brassicicola is involved in the development of such chronic airway diseases as asthma, allergy and chronic rhinosinusitis.

A new method (gene disruption) to determine gene function on a genome-wide scale in this fungal pathogen has been developed by Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech, Colorado State University, and Duke University Medical Center:

Genomic methods that allow the disruption of several thousand genes are needed because they allow high-throughput identification of genes and gene function. Such procedures are widely applicable and would be extremely useful in allowing scientists to investigate the key events that occur when a host interacts with a pathogen.

"The new disruption method looks highly promising as a tool for functional genomic studies. The authors looked at over 20 genes and were able to produce transformants and inactivated genes or knock-outs in each experiment. In most cases, the efficiency of gene disruption was 100 percent, which represents a considerable improvement over previously reported methods and makes large-scale functional analysis of individual genes feasible."

The new gene disruption method may also find applications in the study of fungal pathogens that directly impact humans and human health. The method could help in identifying molecules from the fungus that trigger inflammatory and other types of immune responses in humans. By understanding how fungi modulate immune responses in humans, new ways of developing therapeutics for these conditions could be identified.

Photo: Semena.orgAbout Gloria Gamat: Gloria is a proud single-mom to Raine (Rainier Brando: born 29 December 2002) and a Chemist. Gloria also blogs about motherhood at EMothersOnline and about life and travel in the Philippines at The Philippine Culture Blog and at Pinoy Travel Blog respectively.