BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF FUNGAL PLANT PATHOGENS: ANALYSIS OF FUSAROMYCIN A PRODUCTION BY PSEUDOMANAS FLUORESCENS STRAIN NP77

ADVANCED GENETIC SCIENCES, INC. HAS A PSEUDOMONAS FLUORESCENS STRAIN WHICH SHOWS INHIBITION OF PYTHIUM ULTIMUM, FUSARIUM, THIELAVIOPSIS BASICOLA AND OTHER PATHOGENIC FUNGI DUE TO THE PRODUCTION OF A NOVEL ANTIBIOTIC, FUSAROMYCIN A. BOTH P. ULTIMUM AND T. BASICOLA ARE IMPORTANT COMPONENTS OF THE SEEDLING DISEASE COMPLEX OF COTTON. THE RESEARCHERS WILL STUDY THE GENETIC AND BIOCHEMICAL BASIS OF THIS INHIBITION AS A MEANS TO DEVELOPING AN IMPROVED MICROBIAL FUNGICIDE PRODUCT FOR THIS CROP. THEY WILL BEGIN THIS ANALYSIS BY ISOLATING THE GENOMIC REGIONS OF THE STRAIN WHICH CARRY THE ANTIBIOTIC BIOSYNTHETIC GENES BY COMPLEMENTATION OF CHEMICAL MUTANTS WHICH HAVE LOST FUNGAL INHIBITION WITH A COSMID LIBRARY. IN THIS MANNER THEY WILL ASSESS THE LEVEL OF GENETIC COMPLEXITY OF THE BIOSYNTHETIC PATHWAY. THIS IS AN ESSENTIAL FIRST STEP IN A RESEARCH PROGRAM DESIGNED TO MANIPULATE ANTIBIOTIC PRODUCTION TO IMPROVE DISEASE PROTECTION.