Publications & Resources
Discover plant pathogens—
Uncovering a novel virus in declining California Grapevines
Department of Plant Pathology
University of California, Davis
Study Summary: Researchers in the laboratory of Dr. Adib Rwahnih at the University of California in Davis have identified a novel RNA virus as the potential cause for decline of Syrah grapevine cultivars. As damage to the vines continues, the team used the GS FLX system to sequence the entire RNA content of both diseased and an apparently healthy vine. GenomeQuest analysis filtered through a hundred megabites of data to identify a previously unknown virus. The combined power of 454 Sequencing and GenomeQuest data analysis allowed the researchers to obtain the complete sequence of the viral genome, and to confirm its presence in several vineyards. The results of this research will aid in faster identification of infected vines, providing better management of viral outbreaks.
We asked Dr. Al Rwahnih what was the role of 454 Sequencing in the grapevine virus study? What was the most exciting discovery?
"The arrival on the scientific scene of sequencing technology from 454 Life Sciences made possible our study in viral diseases of grapevine. The technical breakthrough is the type that only appears once in a decade in our field, yet our research depends on these quantum advances. The Genome Sequencer FLX system has allowed us to characterize an entire suite of pathogens in a plant from which we had only confirmed one or two of them using the best previously available technology."
What have been the implications of this discovery in your field of research?
"This much deeper characterization of the viral load in infected grapevines has allowed us to visualize newly emerging disease syndromes in plants. These syndromes appear to be complex synergies that arise between combinations of pathogens. Such a potential revelation gives us a previously unavailable capacity to characterize an unexpected form of disease, and to be prepared to understand the ramifications, and develop a timely response strategy."
What's your next step? How do you plan to use 454 Sequencing in the future?
"We will now use the deep sequencing data base generated from the 454 sequencing library to characterize each pathogenic virus in detail. We will understand the genetic and strain variation of each, and that will allow us to better comprehend the etiology of the emerging challenge at the molecular level. With the help of the annotated listings generated by GenomeQuest, we are in position to generalize our novel findings all across our discipline — in application to related diseases of a broad range of crop plants —- to the advancement of the field of crop protection."
To view the publication abstract, click here.
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