Botrytis cinerea Loss and Restoration of Virulence during In Vitro Culture Follows Flux in Global DNA Methylation

Pathogenic fungi can lose virulence after protracted periods of culture, but little is known of the underlying mechanisms. Here, we present the first analysis of DNA methylation flux at a single-base resolution for the plant pathogen B. cinerea and identify differentially methylated genes/genomic regions associated with virulence erosion during in vitro culture.

Citation:
Breen J, Mur LAJ, Sivakumaran A, Akinyemi A, Wilkinson MJ, Rodriguez Lopez CM. Botrytis cinerea Loss and Restoration of Virulence during In Vitro Culture Follows Flux in Global DNA Methylation. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(6).

Keywords:
Epigenetic; fungal pathogen culture; grey mould fungus; Methylation Sensitive Amplified Polymorphisims; virulent; Whole Genome Bisulfite Sequencing

Abstract:
Pathogenic fungi can lose virulence after protracted periods of culture, but little is known of the underlying mechanisms. Here, we present the first analysis of DNA methylation flux at a single-base resolution for the plant pathogen B. cinerea and identify differentially methylated genes/genomic regions associated with virulence erosion during in vitro culture.