Lect. 12 PL Path 111 - Variability in Plant Pathogens

Variability in Plant
Pathogens
Pl. Path. 111 (Cr. Hrs. 3+1)
P.N. Sharma
Department of Plant Pathology,
CSK HPKV, Palampur (H.P.)
Variability in Plant Pathogens
• One of the dynamic and significant aspect of
biology: individuals have diff. characteristics,
not fixed i.e. phenomenon of Variation
– This is more in sexualyy reproducing organisems
e.g. oomycetes, uradinales etc
– Low in asexually reproducing ones, however,
some have much higher variability e.g. C.
lindemuthianum
Terminology
• Physiological specialization:
– with in the species of a pathogen there exist certain
individuals that are morphologically similar but differs
w.r.t their physiology, biochemical characters and
pathogenicity and are differentiated on the basis of their
reaction on certain host genera or cultivars.
• Physiologic race:
– individuals with in the spp. Of a pathogen that
morphologically similar but difffer with respect to their
pathogenicity on particular set of host varieties
• Forma specialis (f. sp.):

– individuals with in the spp. Of a pathogen that
morphologically similar but difffer with respect to their
pathogenecity on particular host genera
• E.g. Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici
• Variability: it is the property of an organism to
change its characters from one generation to the
other
• Variation: when progeny of an individual show
variation in characters from parents such a
progeny is called a variant.
• Pathotype: A pathotype is a population of a
parasite species in which all individuals have a
stated pathosystem character (pathogenicity or
parasitic ability) in common.
• Biotype: progeny developed by variant having
similar heredity is called a biotype or a subgroup
of individuals with in the species, usually
characterized by the possession of single or few
characters in common.
Stages of Variation in pathogens
• Certain common traits in organism make up-
species e.g Puccina graminis
• In species some individual attack only some host
genera e.g. wheat, barley, oats, this give rise to
group – f.sp. Puccina graminis f.sp. tritici, F.
oxysporum f.sp. pisi
• With in species or f.sp. There are further sub-
groups of individual that infect different varietes
of the host– such subgroups are called races/
strains
• These may further have individuals that attack
some new variety in severe form than others
are--- Biotypes
Variability in fungi
• Mutation
• Recombination
• Herterokaryosis
• Parasexualism
• Heteroploidy
Mutation
• It is a more of less abrupt change in the genetic material
of an organism i.e. DNA and the change is heritable to
the progeny.
• Mutation represent change in sequences of the bases in
DNA either by
– substitution or by deletion or addition
– May be by amplification of particular segment of DNA
to multiple copies by insertion or excision of a
transposable element into coding or regulatory
sequences of the gene
– Mutations are spontaneous
– It is fast and expressed soon in single celled organism
mostly recessive
– Also reported in the extra nuclear DNA ( cytoplasmic
DNA
Recombination
• Most changes in the characteristics of pathogens are the
result of recombination occurs during sexual processes.
• When two haploid nuclei (1N) containing different gnentic
maeterial unite to form diploid (2N) nucleus called a Zygote,
when under go meiotic division produce new haploid .
Recombination of gnentic factor occurs during meiotic
division of zygote as a reslut of cross over in which part of
chromatid of one chromosome of a pair are expressed with
that of the other
• Recombination can also occur during mitotic division of cell in
the course of growth of the individual and is important in fungi
Puccinia graminis.
Recombination
• The majority of fungi being haploid, have only a very brief

diploid phase, very often undergoing meiosis very soon after
karyogamy.
• Some Oomycetes are predominantly diploid
• Many Basidiomycetes are functionally diploid by virtue of
their extended dikaryon phase.
• In case of homothallic fungi which are essentially self-
compatible and in a single thallus. In these fungi, the extent of
out-crossing will be close to zero and there will be little
opportunity for recombination between genetically different
individuals.
• On the other hand, there are homothallic fungi with
physiologic distant mycelia upon which are produced
compatible male and female gametes. Here the extent of out-
crossing might reach 100%.
• A good example is the black stem rust fungus,
Heterokaryosis
• In some fungi, hyphae or parts of hyphae contain nuclei,
which are genetically different, generally of two different
kinds. This condition is known as heterokaryosis
• The phenomenon is commonly brought about by hyphal
anastomosis between mycelia of two parental genotypes.
• In Ascomycotina and Basidiomycotina some fungi possess
cells containing numerous nuclei and these may be
heterokaryotic. The underlying implication of this state is
that the fungus may respond to selection by varying the
proportion of the dissimilar nuclei in the cells.
• There can be no doubt that heterokaryosis is involved in
the production of fungal variation in Cochliobolus sativus,
Leptosphaeria avenaria and Helminthosporium
gramineum.
Parasexualism
• Parasexualism is the process by which genetic
recombination can occur with in fungal heterokaryon
• In heterokaryotic fungal mycelium there is always the
opportunity for dissimilar nuclei to fuse and produce
diploids or what is known as mitotic recombination.
Mitotic recombination can then occur producing a
random re-assortment of genetics material that is
released in progeny after haploidization. This
sequence of events has been described in the
parasexual cycle
• The parasexual cycle (genetic recombination without
meiosis). Stages of the parasexual cycle are numbered as follows (1)
Hyphal conjugation (plasmogamy). (2) Heterokaryosis. (3) Nuclear
fusion (karyogamy). (4) Mitotic recombination and nondisjunction.
(5) Haploidization and nuclear segregation leading to homokaryosis.
Parasexualism
• First demonstrated by Pontecorvo (1956) in Aspergillus

nidulans.
• Parasexuality has also been reported in many rusts,
including P.graminis tirtici, P. coronata and in some
smuts Ustilago hordei and U. maydis.
• In rust fungi as P. graminis tritici, mitotic recombination
may represent a most important method of generating new
races especially in countries such as India where sexual
stage of the fungus is rare due to scarcity of the alternate
host, the barberry.
• For other fungi with no known sexual stage such as
P.striiformis, mitotic recombination is the only means of
genetic assortment.
Heteroploidy
• Heteroploidy is the existance of cells tissues
or whole organisms with numbers of
chromosomes per nucleus .
• Heteroploids may be haploids, diploid,
triploid or tetraploids i.e. have one or more
extra chromosomes from normal euploid
number e.g.N+1
• This represent a normal situation in
eukaryotes
Identification of Physiologic
races/strains
• Differential varieties
• Pathogen isolates
• Facility for inoculations under artificial
epiphytotic conditions
Wheat rust differential set
• Levine and Stakman (1918) first used the term
‘differential host’ in identifying pathotypes
of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici, cause of wheat
stem rust.
• Their set of differentials included varieties of bread
wheat, Triticum aestivum; tetraploid durum, T.
turgidum; and diploid einkorn, T. monococcum.
• Mains and Jackson (1926) used a set of 11
varieties of the single species T. aestivum to identify
pathotypes of wheat leaf rust (P. recondita).
• TABLE: Differential
genotypes used to
identify pathotypes of
Puccinia graminis f. sp.
tritici in different
geographic regions of
the world
Table: Bean Anthracnose differential set of bean
varieties (developed by CIAT, Cali Colombia)
Differential Cultivar Host Genes1 Gene Pool2 Binary Number3
A. Michelite -- MA 1
B. MDRK Co-1 A 2
C. Perry Marrow Co-13 A 4
D. Cornell 49242 Co-2 MA 8
E. Widusa -- A 16
F. Kaboon Co-12 A 32
G. Mexico 222 Co-3 MA 64
H. PI 207262 -- MA 128
I. TO Co-4 MA 256
J. TU Co-5 MA 512
K. AB 136 Co-6, co-8 MA 1024
L. G 2333 Co-42, Co-5, Co-7 MA 2048
Variability in Colletotrichum lindemuthianum isolates on CIAT differential bean
varietiesb
Isolates Reaction of common bean differentialsc Race
designation
A B C D E F G H I J K L
CL-88, CL-98, CL-100, CL-118 - - - - - - - - - - - - 0
CL-123, CL-140a CL-181, CL-178, CL + - - - - - - - - - - - 1

199, CL- 194a,
CL-129a, CL-194, CL-198 - + - - - - - - - - - - 2
CL-77, CL-180, CL-186a CL-186c, CL-94 + + - - - - - - - - - - 3
CL-159, CL-133b, CL-197 + - - - + - - - - - - - 17
CL-134, CL-145 + - + - - + + - - - - - 101
CL-99, CL-102, CL-164, CL-173, CL-177, + + + - - + + - - - - - 103

CL-192b, CL-192a
CL-14c, CL-44b, CL-44c, CL-80, CL-81, + - - - - - - - - + - - 513

CL-83, CL-76, CL-96, CL-101, CL-103,
CL-105, CL-112, CL-140d, CL-166, CL-
187, CL-185
CL-14, CL-24a, CL-94c, CL-3, CL194b + + - - - - - - - + - - 515
CL-25, CL-44, CL-151 + - - + - - - - - + - - 521
CL-94a, CL-82, CL-20, CL-116, CL-121, + - - - + - - - - + - - 529

CL-137, CL-141, CL-147
a: + = susceptible; - = resistant; b: Proposed by CIAT (1988)

c: Differential cultivars and their binary values (In parentheses): A-Michelite (1); B- Michigan
dark red kidney(2); C- Perry Marrow (4); D- Cornell 49242 (8); E- Widusa (16); F- Kaboon(32);
G- Mexique 222 (64); H- PI 207262(128); I-TO(256); J-TU(512); K-AB136(1024);and L-
G2333(2048).
Variability in Bacteria
• Conjugation
• Transformation
• transduction
1. Conjugation
Transfer of DNA from

one bacterial cell
to another
Donor cell (F+ or Hfr)

transfers DNA to
recipient cell (F-)
Conjugation
In this two compatible bacteria come in contact and exchange the portion o plasmid or
chromosome through conjugation bridge or pilus
2. Transformation
DNA taken up from external environment by

absorption
3. Transduction
Transfer of bacterial genes with a bacteriophage
Variability in Viruses
• Recombination
• May results from mixed infection of two
strains of the virus
• Occurs mostly during replication
• Mutation
– Results from nucleotide changes in the coding
regions due to addition or deletion or
replacement.
– Ultimately leads to functional chlanges in the
genes.

Lect. 12 PL Path 111 - Variability in Plant Pathogens

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Lect. 12 PL Path 111 - Variability in Plant Pathogens

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Variability in Plant

• Forma specialis (f. sp.):

• The majority of fungi being haploid, have only a very brief

• First demonstrated by Pontecorvo (1956) in Aspergillus

CL-88, CL-98, CL-100, CL-118 - - - - - - - - - - - - 0

CL-123, CL-140a CL-181, CL-178, CL + - - - - - - - - - - - 1

CL-77, CL-180, CL-186a CL-186c, CL-94 + + - - - - - - - - - - 3

CL-159, CL-133b, CL-197 + - - - + - - - - - - - 17

CL-134, CL-145 + - + - - + + - - - - - 101

CL-99, CL-102, CL-164, CL-173, CL-177, + + + - - + + - - - - - 103

CL-14c, CL-44b, CL-44c, CL-80, CL-81, + - - - - - - - - + - - 513

CL-25, CL-44, CL-151 + - - + - - - - - + - - 521

CL-94a, CL-82, CL-20, CL-116, CL-121, + - - - + - - - - + - - 529

a: + = susceptible; - = resistant; b: Proposed by CIAT (1988)

Transfer of DNA from

Donor cell (F+ or Hfr)

DNA taken up from external environment by

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