Lifestyle transitions in plant pathogenic Colletotrichum fungi deciphered by genome and transcriptome analyses

Richard O'Connell and colleagues report the genomes and transcriptomes of two Colletotrichum plant fungal pathogens. C. higginsianum infects Arabidopsis thaliana, and C. graminicola infects maize (Zea mays); comparative genomics in both species lead to molecular insights into the transition from biotrophic to necrotrophic life stages. Colletotrichum species are fungal pathogens that devastate crop plants worldwide. Host infection involves the differentiation of specialized cell types that are associated with penetration, growth inside living host cells (biotrophy) and tissue destruction (necrotrophy). We report here genome and transcriptome analyses of Colletotrichum higginsianum infecting Arabidopsis thaliana…

• UD
  U.S. Department of Agriculture
• UO
  University of Kentucky
• DF
  Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

  Award: SPP1212
• M
  Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
• MD
  Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
• CS
  Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service

  Awards: 2009-34457-20125, 2007-35600-17829