Cryphonectriaceae: Biodiverse and Threatening Tree Pathogens in the Tropics and Southern Hemisphere.

The chestnut blight pathogen is well-known for the devastation it caused to North American forests. It is less well recognized that numerous other fungi in the Cryphonectriaceae are emerging as threats to native and planted forests in the tropics and Southern Hemisphere. Unlike , these fungi, such as , initially gained attention due to a canker disease in plantations of non-native .

Three new species of (Nectriaceae, Hypocreales) isolated from Eastern Cape dairy pastures in South Africa.

A survey of the fungal diversity associated with mixed pastures from Eastern Cape dairy farms in South Africa led to the isolation of 155 strains that belong to the species complex (FIESC). Using single and multigene phylogenies based on partial sequences of the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (), calmodulin (), and the partial RNA polymerase second largest subunit () genes, we identified 11 species. They included , , , , , and , with five species that were found to be new.

Extracting Protoplasts from Filamentous Fungi Using Extralyse, An Enzyme Used in the Wine Industry.

The ability to extract protoplasts has contributed significantly to the study of fungi and plants. Protoplasts have historically been used to determine chromosome number via pulsed-field electrophoresis and for the functional characterization of genes via protoplast transformation. More recently, protoplasts have been used to extract the high-molecular-weight DNA required for long-read sequencing projects.

Tracing the evolution and genomic dynamics of mating-type loci in pathogens and closely related species.

Sexual reproduction in basidiomycete fungi is governed by loci ( and ), which exhibit remarkable evolutionary plasticity, characterized by expansions, rearrangements, and gene losses often associated with mating system transitions. The sister genera and provide a powerful framework for studying loci evolution owing to their diverse reproductive strategies and distinct architectures, spanning bipolar and tetrapolar systems with either linked or unlinked loci. Building on recent large-scale comparative genomic analyses, we generated additional chromosome-level assemblies uncovering distinct evolutionary trajectories shaping loci organization.

CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing reveals that the Pgs gene of Fusarium circinatum is involved in pathogenicity, growth and sporulation.

Fusarium circinatum, the causal agent of pine pitch canker, is one of the most destructive pathogens of Pinus species worldwide. Infections by this pathogen result in serious mortality of seedlings due to root and root collar disease, and growth reduction in trees due to canker formation and dieback. Although much is known about the population biology, genetics, and genomics of F.

Harnessing exogenous membrane vesicles for studying Fusarium circinatum and its biofilm communities.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are tiny messengers that convey bioactive molecules from donor to recipient cells, leading to changes in their physiology and function. We investigated the role of EVs in shaping growth and the biofilm biology of the tree pathogen Fusarium circinatum and its interaction with the susceptible host, Pinus patula. Vesicles were collected from fungal planktonic and biofilm cultures and from pine seedling needles and roots.

Several Seiridium species (Sporocadaceae: Xylariales) cause cypress canker in South Africa.

Cypress canker is an important fungal disease caused by at least seven different Seiridium species. The disease has been known on Cupressaceae trees in South Africa since the 1980's, but its relevance was recently accentuated with an outbreak on native Widdringtonia nodiflora trees in the Western Cape. The causal agent, S.

Gene transfer between fungal species triggers repeated coffee wilt disease outbreaks.

Two outbreaks of coffee wilt disease have devastated African coffee production. A PLOS Biology study suggests that horizontal gene transfer via large Starship transposons between 2 fungal species played a key role in the repeated emergence of the disease.

Sporothrix and Sporotrichosis: A South African Perspective on a Growing Global Health Threat.

Sporotrichosis is a disease that arises from a fungal infection caused by members of the Ascomycete genus Sporothrix. The disease has a unique history in South Africa, due to an association with gold mines, where large numbers of mine workers were infected in the 1930s and 1940s. This was likely driven by hot humid conditions and timber supports used in these mine shafts.

Six type-I PKS classes and highly conserved melanin and elsinochrome gene clusters found in diverse Elsinoë species.

Elsinoë species are phytopathogenic fungi that cause serious scab diseases on economically important plants. The disease symptoms arise from the effects of a group of phytotoxins known as elsinochromes, produced via a type-I polyketide synthase (PKS) biosynthetic pathway. The elsinochrome gene cluster was first annotated in Elsinoë fawcettii where the main type-I PKS gene was characterized as EfPKS1.

Diversity of Calonectria species from leaves and soils in diseased southern China Eucalyptus plantation.

Calonectria leaf blight (CLB) is one of the best-known diseases of Eucalyptus spp., particularly in Asia and South America. Recently, typical symptoms of leaf and shoot blight caused by Calonectria spp.

IMA Genome - F19 : A genome assembly and annotation guide to empower mycologists, including annotated draft genome sequences of Ceratocystis pirilliformis, Diaporthe australafricana, Fusarium ophioides, Paecilomyces lecythidis, and Sporothrix stenoceras.

The pace at which Next Generation Sequence data is being produced continues to accelerate as technology improves. As a result, such data are increasingly becoming accessible to biologists outside of the field of bioinformatics. In contrast, access to training in the methods of genome assembly and annotation are not growing at a similar rate.

Sex Pheromone Receptor Ste2 Orchestrates Chemotropic Growth towards Pine Root Extracts in the Pitch Canker Pathogen .

In ascomycetous fungi, sexual mate recognition requires interaction of the Ste2 receptor protein produced by one partner with the α-factor peptide pheromone produced by the other partner. In some fungi, Ste2 is further needed for chemotropism towards plant roots to allow for subsequent infection and colonization. Here, we investigated whether this is also true for the pine pitch canker fungus, , which is a devastating pathogen of pine globally.

LAMP Assay to Detect , an Important Shoot and Leaf Pathogen.

Eucalyptus scab and shoot malformation caused by is an emerging disease and a serious threat to the global commercial forestry industry. The disease was first discovered in North Sumatra, Indonesia, and now requires a simple and effective method for early pathogen detection. In this study, a rapid and sensitive loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was developed for .

Characterization of the Fusarium circinatum biofilm environmental response role.

The capacity to form biofilms is a common trait among many microorganisms present on Earth. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that the fatal pine pitch canker agent, Fusarium circinatum, can lead a biofilm-like lifestyle with aggregated hyphal bundles wrapped in extracellular matrix (ECM). Our research shows F.

Chromosome-Level Assemblies for the Pine Pitch Canker Pathogen .

The pine pitch canker pathogen, , is globally regarded as one of the most important threats to commercial pine-based forestry. Although genome sequences of this fungus are available, these remain highly fragmented or structurally ill-defined. Our overall goal was to provide high-quality assemblies for two notable strains of , and to characterize these in terms of coding content, repetitiveness and the position of telomeres and centromeres.

Unidirectional mating-type switching is underpinned by a conserved MAT1 locus architecture.

Unidirectional mating-type switching is a form of homothallic reproduction known only in a small number of filamentous ascomycetes. Their ascospores can give rise to either self-sterile isolates that require compatible partners for subsequent sexual reproduction, or self-fertile individuals capable of completing this process in isolation. The limited studies previously conducted in these fungi suggest that the differences in mating specificity are determined by the architecture of the MAT1 locus.

Two distinct non-ribosomal peptide synthetase-independent siderophore synthetase gene clusters identified in Armillaria and other species in the Physalacriaceae.

Siderophores are important for ferric iron solubilization, sequestration, transportation, and storage, especially under iron-limiting conditions such as aerobic conditions at high pH. Siderophores are mainly produced by non-ribosomal peptide synthetase-dependent siderophore pathway, non-ribosomal peptide synthetase-independent siderophore synthetase pathway, or the hybrid non-ribosomal peptide synthetases/non-ribosomal peptide synthetases-independent siderophore pathway. Outcompeting or inhibition of plant pathogens, alteration of host defense mechanisms, and alteration of plant-fungal interactions have been associated with fungal siderophores.

Needles in fungal haystacks: Discovery of a putative a-factor pheromone and a unique mating strategy in the Leotiomycetes.

The Leotiomycetes is a hugely diverse group of fungi, accommodating a wide variety of important plant and animal pathogens, ericoid mycorrhizal fungi, as well as producers of antibiotics. Despite their importance, the genetics of these fungi remain relatively understudied, particularly as they don't include model taxa. For example, sexual reproduction and the genetic mechanisms that underly this process are poorly understood in the Leotiomycetes.

A practical approach to genome assembly and annotation of Basidiomycota using the example of .

Technological advancements in genome sequencing, assembly and annotation platforms and algorithms that resulted in several genomic studies have created an opportunity to further our understanding of the biology of phytopathogens, including species. Most species are facultative necrotrophs that cause root- and stem-rot, usually on woody plants, significantly impacting agriculture and forestry worldwide. Genome sequencing, assembly and annotation in terms of samples used and methods applied in genome projects are evaluated in this review.