Comparative Genomics Identifies Conserved and Variable TAL Effectors in African Strains of the Cotton Pathogen pv. .

Strains of pv. cause bacterial blight of cotton, a potentially serious threat to cotton production worldwide, including in sub-Saharan countries. Development of disease symptoms, such as water soaking, has been linked to the activity of a class of type 3 effectors, called transcription activator-like (TAL) effectors, which induce susceptibility genes in the host's cells.