Effects of host plant environment and Ustilago maydis infection on the fungal endophyte community of maize (Zea mays).

The focus of many fungal endophyte studies has been how plants benefit from endophyte infection. Few studies have investigated the role of the host plant as an environment in shaping endophyte community diversity and composition. The effects that different attributes of the host plant, that is, host genetic variation, host variation in resistance to the fungal pathogen Ustilago maydis and U.

Mapping QTLs contributing to Ustilago maydis resistance in specific plant tissues of maize.

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) contributing to the frequency and severity of Ustilago maydis infection in the leaf, ear, stalk, and tassel of maize plants were mapped using an A188 x CMV3 and W23 x CMV3 recombinant inbred (RI) populations. QTLs mapped to genetic bins 2.04 and 9.

Diversity, distribution, and ancient taxonomic relationships within the TIR and non-TIR NBS-LRR resistance gene subfamilies.

Phylogenetic relationships among the NBS-LRR (nucleotide binding site-leucine-rich repeat) resistance gene homologues (RGHs) from 30 genera and nine families were evaluated relative to phylogenies for these taxa. More than 800 NBS-LRR RGHs were analyzed, primarily from Fabaceae, Brassicaceae, Poaceae, and Solanaceae species, but also from representatives of other angiosperm and gymnosperm families. Parsimony, maximum likelihood, and distance methods were used to classify these RGHs relative to previously observed gene subfamilies as well as within more closely related sequence clades.