Characterization of the genome of Sclerospora graminicola, the causal fungus of downy mildew of pearl millet

A genomic library of the most virulent pathotype path-6 (7042S) of Sclerospora graminicola, the causal fungus of downy mildew in pearl millet, was constructed in the lambda gt11 vector. Repetitive DNA content was estimated at about 8% based on colony hybridization of total fungal DNA with a genomic library. Digestion with isoschizomeric methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes revealed partial methylation of GATC and CCGG sequences in the genome. The presence of retrotransposable elements in the genome was detected by amplification of part of the reverse transcriptase gene in a PCR reaction, using a specific set of primers designed for the conserved region.