Glomeromycota genomics and transcriptomics are currently poorly developed and restricted to one isolate (DAOM-197198) of Glomus irregulare (Synonym Rhizophagus irregularis). Because of the limited genomic information available in public databases, development of accurate molecular markers is challenging and often only available for ribosomal genes. This project aims to extend the genomic knowledge of glomeromycetes to develop a wide range of reliable molecular makers for their identification and quantification, both in commercial inocula and in the field. These markers and genomic data will be publically available for scientists and stakeholders through publications and deposition in sequence databases. We aim to sequence, assemble and annotate complete Glomeromycota mitochondrial genomes and analyze the intra- and inter-specific genetic polymorphism of taxa of commercial value and type-species covering major taxa. The expected AMF-specific sequence variation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) will allow the identification of sets of genomic PCR amplification/sequencing markers that will distinguish members both within the given collection, as well as recognize new isolates.

The specific objectives are:

• To sequence mitochondrial DNA from a range of well-established species;

• To identify genetic polymorphisms among isolates;

• To develop primer sets for genes of interest that will be used to develop of identification and quantification methods.

 

People that were involved in this project are:

• Dr Franck Stéfani (Postdoctoral fellow)

• Denis Beaubet (PhD Student)

• Maryam Nadimi (PhD Student)

• Stéphanie Berthiaume (MSc Student)