PostedDate: 08/16/2002 11:53:01 AM SendTo: forpath@nature.snr.uvm.edu From: Louis Bernier (Louis.Bernier@rsvs.ulaval.ca) Subject: Plant-Associated Microbe Genome Initiative Dear Forpathers: As many of you are aware, the American Phytopahological Society (APS) is currently developing a White Paper on a Plant-Associated Microbe Genome Initiative (PAMGI). In short, this document (which is available at http://www.apsnet.org/members/ppb) recommends that a 5-year, US$500 million international public effort be devoted to analyzing the genome of plant-associated microbes (mollicutes, viruses, bacteria, oomycetes, fungi, nematodes). The 2002 APS Annual Meeting in Milwaukee included 2 sessions (a Forum and a Discussion) during which members of the White Paper Drafting Committee presented the Initiative, as well as the current "Prioritized list of species for genome sequencing". In a nutshell, here are (in my view) some of the highlights of these sessions: 1- The PAMGI is one of several competing Microbe Genome initiatives being developed (for example, see the Fungal Genome initiative being developed by the Whitehead Institute Center for Genome research: http://www-genome.wi.mit.edu/seq/fgi). In the US, an action plan for microbial genetics is being developed by the Microbe Project Interagency Working Group, under the auspices of the National Science and Technology Council, Committee on Science, Subcommittee on Biotechnology http://www.ostp.gov/html/microbial/start.htm). The PAMGI, developed by the APS Public Policy Board, focuses on microbes that are important to agriculture and aims at securing funding for genomic studies of these organisms. 2- The "Prioritized list of species for genome sequencing" is a "Work in progress", subject to change over the years (or even months). Last May, Linda Haugen (then Chair of the APS Forest Pathology Committee) asked for our input through the FORPATH network . She got several suggestions for the inclusion of tree pathogens in the List, and forwarded these suggestions to the PAMGI committee. 3- However, after reading through the current drafts of both the White paper and the Prioritized list, it is clear to me that forestry currently does not count for much in the PAMGI , which is heavily slanted towards agriculture. 4- Thus, if the forest research community wants to promote successfully some tree pathogens, I believe the following will be key issues: make a strong case for the organism(s), as indicated on p. 6 of the White Paper draft document: eg, world-wide economic importance, biological features and environmental impact, implication of a community of scientists, genetic tractability of the organism, availability of methodological tools and other resources; however, I feel this probably will not be enough. The forest pathology community is quite small (and poorly funded) compared to its agricultural counterpart. I would suggest we also need the following: develop international initiatives. Local or regional projects will likely not make it. involve scientists from other fields (geneticists, molecular biologists, bioinformaticians...) try to get leverage $ from various institutions and programs (eg Canadian Forest Service and Genome Canada $ in Canada; similar institutions and programs in other countries) provide as much input as possible to the PAMGI committee. From discussions I had with members of the drafting Committee, I believe they are open-minded. However, they seem to know very little about tree pathogens and the impact of tree diseases. They need to hear more from us. Which brings me to the following. During the 2002 APS Meeting, an ad hoc committee of "Genomically-inclined forest pathologists" (for lack of official designation !) was formed. This very informal committee, composed of Ned Klopfenstein, Paul Zambino and myself, was set up to gather information about the PAMGI and distribute it among forest pathologists, and to stimulate input from our research community. The PAMGI committee is asking for feedback on the White Paper they have drafted. The deadline for sending comments is fast aproaching: AUGUST 31. If you are interested in genomics, please take time to read the current draft (available at the WWW site listed above). I would volunteer to gather your comments (please send them before August 30) and forward them to the PAMGI committee. PLEASE NOTE that at this point, we should provide comments on the White Paper, NOT on which one of our favorite tree pathogens should be on the prioritized list. So, the pressing issue here is to make sure that forest pathology as a whole is addressed in a more thorough way in the White Paper. If the PAMGI gets funded, the next step will be to ensure that some tree pathogens are among the high priority microbes. Best regards, Louis Bernier Professeur titulaire et directeur Centre de recherche en biologie forestière (CRBF) Pavillon C-E-Marchand Université Laval Québec (QC) G1K 7P4 Téléphone: (418) 656-7655 FAX: (418) 656-7493 Courriel: Louis.Bernier@rsvs.ulaval.ca