DNA methylation dynamics during development in the rice blast fungus [Bisulfite-Seq]. Pyricularia oryzae KJ201

Cytosine methylation is an important epigenetic modification of DNA that is involved in genome defense and transcriptional regulation in eukaryotes. Despite extensive efforts to understand genome-wide distribution and function of DNA methylation in mammals and plants, contribution of DNA methylation to biology of microbial eukaryotes is largely unknown to date. Here we used genetic manipulations and high-throughput bisulphite sequencing on the model plant pathogenic fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae to elucidate the dynamics and mechanics of DNA methylation during pathogenic development. Overall design: Samples from three different developmental satges (mycelia, conidia and appressorium) and two DNA methyltransferase absent isolates (dmt1 and dmt2)