Home • Plectosphaerella cucumerina MPI-SDFR-AT-0117 v2.0
Plectosphaerella cucumerina MPI-SDFR-AT-0117 growing in the lab.
Plectosphaerella cucumerina MPI-SDFR-AT-0117 growing in the lab.
Image Credit: Stephane Hacquard

This genome was sequenced as part of the 1000 Fungal Genomes Project - Deep Sequencing of Ecologically-relevant Dikarya. Within the framework of this project, we are sequencing keystone lineages of saprophytic, mycorrhizal, and endophytic fungi that are of special ecological importance. Dozens of sequenced species were harvested from Long Term Observatories to serve as the foundation for a reference database for metagenomics of fungi and for a comprehensive survey of the soil fungal metatranscriptome.

Plectosphaerella cucumerina (Ascomycota, Sordariomycetes) is a destructive necrotrophic fungal pathogen that causes devastating diseases in crops worldwide. The pathogen also colonizes the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana in its natural habitat, therefore promoting the Arabidopsis - Plectosphaerella cucumerina interaction as a model pathosystem for studying fungal necrotrophic lifestyle and plant disease resistance (Sanchez-Vallet et al. 2010). Several Plectosphaerella cucumerina isolates were isolated from healthy Arabidopsis thaliana (García et al. 2013), and strains with plant growth promoting activities have been reported (Junker et al. 2012). This illustrates the fine continuum between pathogenic and non-pathogenic lifestyles within this species. The sequenced Plectosphaerella cucumerina MPI-SDFR-AT-0117 has been isolated from healthy Arabidopsis thaliana plants grown in natural soil after surface sterilization of plant roots. 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Researchers who wish to publish analyses using data from unpublished CSP genomes are respectfully required to contact the PI and JGI to avoid potential conflicts on data use and coordinate other publications with the CSP master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).