Home • Rhexocercosporidium sp. MPI-PUGE-AT-0058 v1.0
Rhexocercosporidium sp. MPI-PUGE-AT-0058 growing in the lab.
Rhexocercosporidium sp. MPI-PUGE-AT-0058 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, 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.

Rhexocercosporidium (Ascomycota phylum, Leotiomoycetes class) is a genus of soil fungi belonging to the Helotiales order. Several Rhexocercosporidium species have been described as plant pathogens, causing rusted root of ginseng or Carrot Root Rot. Notably, Rhexocercosporidium belong to a large clade within Helotiales that contains fungal endophytes that were isolated from the roots of asymptomatic plants. The sequenced Rhexocercosporidium sp. MPI-PUGE-AT-0058 isolate 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 not only 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Researchers who wish to publish analyses using data from unpublished CSP genomes are respectfully required to contact the PI and JGI to avoid potential conflicts on data use and coordinate other publications with the CSP master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)