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Melampsora lini infection of flax
Melampsora lini infection of flax. Image provided by Dr. Peter Dodds

Rust fungi are one of the largest and most destructive groups of plant pathogens. They are obligate biotrophs which require a living host for survival. Melampsora lini, the causal agent of flax rust, has long been recognized as a model system for studying host-pathogen interactions (Flor, 1955). Like many other rusts, the 189.52 Mb genome of Melampsora lini is dramatically expanded and riddled with transposable elements (Nemri et al., 2014). This genome was imported into mycocosm for comparative purposes.

 

Genome Reference(s)

Additional references:

Flor, H. H. (1955). Host-parasite interaction in flax rust - its genetics and other implications. Phytopathology 45, 680–685.