| Plant Fungi |
One plant fungal project involves sequencing the genome of Alternaria brassicicola, a plant pathogen representative of the fungi that cause substantial agricultural damage world-wide, including those that cause toxin contamination of food products. This project aims to obtain the genome sequence of the first fungal pathogen of Arabidopsis (the first plant genome to be sequenced) and thus has incredible potential to facilitate our understanding of host-pathogen interactions.
Another project seeks to sequence the genome of the oömycete, Hyaloperonospora parasitica that infects many plants, including Arabidopsis and is the most frequently occurring eukaryotic pathogen of Arabidopsis. In addition to revealing clues regarding the host-parasite relationship, the genome sequence will be an important asset for understanding many aspects of oömycete biology. |
| Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strain Project |
The Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome re-sequencing project will increase our understanding the genetic basis and evolution of phenotypic variation present in natural populations through the analysis of 25 strains of yeast. |
| Saccharomyces kluyveri Project |
Saccharomyces kluyveri was chosen for genomic sequencing because of its relatedness to Saccharomyces cerevisiae, commonly known as baker's yeast and the model organism for yeast. However, since S. kluyveri makes more efficient use of glucose than S. cerevisiae, it was an attractive comparative target. The data from this project should allow for investigation of the mechanisms leading to a more efficient use of glucose and for comparison with the S. cerevisiae data to enable determination the of phylogenetic position of both yeast species. |
| Other Fungi |
These fungal sequencing projects explore the genomes of 3 organisms, Histoplasma capsulatum G217B, Histoplasma capsulatum G186AR, and Blastomyces dermatitidis. All have the capacity to infect the human lung and to proliferate to other areas of the body. This data from this project should aid in elucidating the underlying mechanisms controlling the transition from the mold (non-infective) to the yeast (infective) stage. |
