AnnoTALE: bioinformatics tools for identification, annotation and nomenclature of TALEs from Xanthomonas genomic sequences

Jan Grau (1) , Maik Reschke (2, 3) , Annett Erkes (2, 3) , Jana Streubel (2, 3) , Richard Morgan (4) , Geoffrey Wilson (4) , Ralf Koebnik (5) , Jens Boch (2, 3)

1 Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg
2 Institut für Genetik
3 Leibniz Universität Hannover=Leibniz University Hannover
4 New England Biolabs
5 UMR IPME - UMR - Interactions Plantes Microorganismes Environnement

Transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) are virulence factors, produced by the bacterial plant-pathogen Xanthomonas, that function as gene activators inside plant cells. Although the contribution of individual TALEs to infectivity has been shown, the specific roles of most TALEs, and the overall TALE diversity in Xanthomonas spp. is not known. TALEs possess a highly repetitive DNA-binding domain, which is notoriously difficult to sequence. Here, we describe an improved method for characterizing TALE genes by the use of PacBio sequencing. We present 'AnnoTALE', a suite of applications for the analysis and annotation of TALE genes from Xanthomonas genomes, and for grouping similar TALEs into classes. Based on these classes, we propose a unified nomenclature for Xanthomonas TALEs that reveals similarities pointing to related functionalities. This new classification enables us to compare related TALEs and to identify base substitutions responsible for the evolution of TALE specificities.

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Jan Grau, Maik Reschke, Annett Erkes, Jana Streubel, Richard Morgan, et al.. AnnoTALE: bioinformatics tools for identification, annotation and nomenclature of TALEs from Xanthomonas genomic sequences. Scientific Reports, 2016, 6 (1), pp.21077. ⟨10.1038/srep21077⟩. ⟨hal-03625304⟩