This genome was sequenced as part of the 1000 Fungal Genomes Project - Deep Sequencing of Ecologically-relevant Dikarya, and more specifically as part of the Endophyte Genome Sequencing project, which seeks to sequence members of diverse lineages of endophytic species found in Arabidopsis, Populus and other plants to examine the functional diversity of fungi with a shared evolutionary history.
Fusarium oxysporum is a destructive fungal pathogen (Ascomycota phylum, Sordariomycetes class, Hypocreales order) that has a broad host range and causes disease on many economically important plants worldwide. The fungus can cause severe losses in many vegetables and flowers, field crops, such as cotton, and plantation crops, such as banana, date palm and oil palm. More than 120 different formae speciales have been identified based on specificity to host species. Although many formae speciales cause vascular wilt disease, some are not primarily vascular pathogens, but cause foot and root rot or bulb rot. Notably, several Fusarium oxysporum isolates have been isolated from healthy looking plants and numerous examples of nonpathogenic strains that can be used as biocontrol agents to reduce fusarium wilt incidence have been reported. The sequenced Fusarium oxysporum MPI-CAGE-CH-0212 has been isolated from surface sterilized roots of Cardamine hirsuta (a relative of Arabidopsis thaliana) grown in the Cologne Agricultural Soil (CAS). This suggest either that its corresponding gene repertoire lacks important virulence factors required for plant invasion or that its pathogenicity is reduced in a community context. The sequencing of this fungal isolate is part of a larger project aiming at sequencing the genomes of numerous phylogenetically diverse root-associated fungi from Arabidopsis, Populus, and other plant hosts for further comparative genome analysis. Unravelling the genomic signatures reflecting the adaptation of these microbes to the host cell environment represent a promising way to better understand how the endophytic lifestyle evolved in phylogenetically unrelated fungal species. Comparative genome analysis between different plant hosts, and between saprotrophic, mycorrhizal, and pathogenic fungi will provide new insights into the specific adaptations but also the conserved signatures associated with these different lifestyles.
Researchers who wish to publish analyses using data from unpublished CSP genomes are respectfully required to contact the PI and JGI to avoid potential conflicts on data use and coordinate other publications with the CSP master paper(s).
Genome Reference(s)
Mesny F, Miyauchi S, Thiergart T, Pickel B, Atanasova L, Karlsson M, Hüttel B, Barry KW, Haridas S, Chen C, Bauer D, Andreopoulos W, Pangilinan J, LaButti K, Riley R, Lipzen A, Clum A, Drula E, Henrissat B, Kohler A, Grigoriev IV, Martin FM, Hacquard S
Genetic determinants of endophytism in the Arabidopsis root mycobiome.
Nat Commun. 2021 Dec 10;12(1):7227. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-27479-y