Hiding in plain sight: Genome-wide recombination and a dynamic accessory genome drive diversity in Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ciceris.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the origins of variation in agricultural pathogens is of fundamental interest and practical importance, especially for diseases that threaten food security. Fusarium oxysporum is among the most important of soil-borne pathogens, with a global distribution and an extensive host range. The pathogen is considered to be asexual, with horizontal transfer of chromosomes providing an analog of assortment by meiotic recombination. Here, we challenge those assumptions based on the results of population genomic analyses, describing the pathogen's diversity and inferring its origins and functional consequences in the context of a single, long-standing agricultural system. We identify simultaneously low nucleotide distance among strains, and unexpectedly high levels of genetic and

SUBMITTER: Fayyaz A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10318998 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature