Anthracnose Colletotrichum higginsianum. Photo by University of Georgia Plant Pathology Archive, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org

The genome and gene models of Colletotrichum higginsianum were downloaded from NCBI on Sept 6, 2016. JGI tools were used to add functional annotations to the gene models. Please note that this copy of the genome is not maintained by NCBI and is therefore not automatically updated. In order to allow comparative analyses with other fungal genomes sequenced by the JGI, a copy of this genome is incorporated into Mycocosm.

Colletotrichum higginsianum is an ascomycete pathogen that causes anthracnose disease on many plants in the Brassicaceae, including Arabidopsis thaliana and many cultivated forms of Brassica and Raphanus. In addition to its hemibiotrophic life-style, which involves differentiation of specialised infection structures, the fungus can be cultured in vitro and genetically transformed. The Colletotrichum-Arabidopsis interaction is therefore an important model pathosystem for investigating the molecular basis of fungal pathogenicity and host responses since both partners can be genetically manipulated. Phylogenetic analysis based on sequencing the ITS regions of rDNA indicates that C. higginsianum forms part of a group of closely-related taxa that also includes C. destructivum (tobacco and legume pathogen) and C. linicola (flax pathogen). A characteristic feature of all three species is that the initial biotrophic phase of infection is restricted to a single host epidermal cell, in contrast to other hemibiotrophic Colletotrichum species, including C. graminicola, which establish biotrophy in many host cells.