White rust survey
Looking for and collecting plants infected by the white rust around the world.
Who am I?
I have an MSc in Population genetics and Evolution that I got at the University of Lille 1 in France. I started my PhD in December, 2012 at the University of East Anglia and the Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich where I work on the plant pathogen Albugo candida. More particularly, I study the mechanisms underlying the evolution of genes engaged in an arms race (e.g. the effector genes of Albugo candida racing against the resistance genes of its hosts). This concept of “arms race”, often also described as the Red Queen Hypothesis, is at the basis of the evolution of systems like Albugo candida/Brassicaceae, Puccinia spp./Poaceae and Vertebrates’ pathogens/Major Histocompatibility Complex that I have studied or am still studying now.
Why I need your help?
I have sampled Albugo candida on various hosts in France, England, Poland, Ireland and Scotland. You can see a map of the samples that I have here. However, I need as many samples as possible to understand how Albugo candida is evolving. The more, the better! If you could collect infected individuals that you have spotted on your way to work, to a friend’s, during a Sunday walk or that you simply have found in your garden, it would help me greatly!
What will I do with the samples?
DNA from the plant samples will be extracted. RNA baits from MYcroarray will be used to "capture" genes from 54 plant pathogens, provided these are in the samples. For example, we are targeting 187 genomic regions in Albugo candida (~660,000 bp) and 4 MLST genes from 30 species of bacteria. Also targeted is the plant diagnostic sequence called ITS. Using this method, we will be able to study our organism of interest as well as other potentially associated pathogens and to identify the host, without having too much plant DNA. The captured genes will be amplified by PCR and everything sent to sequencing. A first round of 22 samples have been sequenced successfully and two other rounds are planned very soon.
Do not hesitate to get in contact to talk further about the method if you are interested!
© Agathe Jouet, PhD student, The Sainsbury Lab, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK.