Genomic Characterization of Sugarcane Pathogens

The genomic characterisation of sugarcane pathogens has accelerated with advances in sequencing and comparative analysis. Pathogens such as Xanthomonas albilineans, the cause of leaf scald, exhibit reduced and specialised genomes adapted to the xylem environment of sugarcane. Contemporary studies reveal how genomic erosion, horizontal gene transfer and prophage integration shape virulence and host adaptation. In parallel, the discovery of genetic markers for resistance, including single-nucleotide polymorphisms and resistance gene analogues, underpins marker-assisted breeding for disease-resilient cultivars. Integrative omics approaches combining pathogen genome sequences with host transcriptomics have also begun to illuminate the molecular dialogue between sugarcane and its pathogens, guiding sustainable control strategies and highlighting global implications for sugarcane production and food security.

Research from Nature Portfolio

A recent field-based association study assessed 170 sugarcane genotypes and identified a suite of stable single-nucleotide polymorphisms linked to leaf scald resistance. Eight SNPs were consistently associated with phenotypic resistance across diverse environments, and candidate genes encoding NB-ARC leucine-rich repeat proteins were validated by expression profiling. These insights furnish molecular markers for marker-assisted selection and shed light on the architecture of quantitative disease resistance in a highly polyploid crop.

Genomic Characterization of Sugarcane Pathogens publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in genomic characterization of sugarcane pathogens across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP): A variation at a single base position in the genome used as a genetic marker.

Comparative genomics: The analysis of genome sequences across strains or species to identify similarities, differences and evolutionary patterns.

Prophage: A bacteriophage genome integrated into a bacterial chromosome that can influence bacterial virulence and genome plasticity.

NB-ARC leucine-rich repeat domain: A nucleotide-binding motif combined with leucine-rich repeats, commonly found in plant disease resistance proteins.

References

1. Identification of candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and genes associated with sugarcane leaf scald disease. Scientific Reports (2024).
2. Genome Organization of Four Brazilian Xanthomonas albilineans Strains Does Not Correlate with Aggressiveness. Microbiology Spectrum (2023).
3. The complete genome sequence of Xanthomonas albilineans provides new insights into the reductive genome evolution of the xylem-limited Xanthomonadaceae. BMC Genomics (2009).