Emergence of the Ug99 lineage of the wheat stem rust pathogen through somatic hybridisation

Feng Li, Narayana M. Upadhyaya, Jana Sperschneider, Oadi Matny, Hoa Nguyen-Phuc, Rohit Mago, Castle Raley, Marisa E. Miller, Kevin A. T. Silverstein, Eva Henningsen, Cory D. Hirsch, Botma Visser, Zacharias A. Pretorius, Brian J. Steffenson, Benjamin Schwessinger, Peter N. Dodds () and Melania Figueroa ()
Additional contact information
Feng Li: University of Minnesota
Narayana M. Upadhyaya: Agriculture and Food
Jana Sperschneider: The Australian National University
Oadi Matny: University of Minnesota
Hoa Nguyen-Phuc: University of Minnesota
Rohit Mago: Agriculture and Food
Castle Raley: Leidos Biomedical Research
Marisa E. Miller: University of Minnesota
Kevin A. T. Silverstein: Minnesota Supercomputing Institute
Eva Henningsen: University of Minnesota
Cory D. Hirsch: University of Minnesota
Botma Visser: University of the Free State
Zacharias A. Pretorius: University of the Free State
Brian J. Steffenson: University of Minnesota
Benjamin Schwessinger: The Australian National University
Peter N. Dodds: Agriculture and Food
Melania Figueroa: Agriculture and Food

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Abstract Parasexuality contributes to diversity and adaptive evolution of haploid (monokaryotic) fungi. However, non-sexual genetic exchange mechanisms are not defined in dikaryotic fungi (containing two distinct haploid nuclei). Newly emerged strains of the wheat stem rust pathogen, Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt), such as Ug99, are a major threat to global food security. Here, we provide genomics-based evidence supporting that Ug99 arose by somatic hybridisation and nuclear exchange between dikaryons. Fully haplotype-resolved genome assembly and DNA proximity analysis reveal that Ug99 shares one haploid nucleus genotype with a much older African lineage of Pgt, with no recombination or chromosome reassortment. These findings indicate that nuclear exchange between dikaryotes can generate genetic diversity and facilitate the emergence of new lineages in asexual fungal populations.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12927-7

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