Alternaria Comparative Genomics: The Secret Life of Rots

The “rots” are among the most destructive plant diseases caused by necrotrophic fungi. Toxins and hydrolytic enzymes secreted by these pathogens inflict tissue damage and/or death on their hosts in advance of and in concert with hyphal colonization. Although they represent a small percentage of fungal diversity, these fungi are tremendously important, economically causing severe losses in some parts of the world annually. Necrotrophs, including many species of Alternaria, represent the largest class of plant pathogens, yet our understanding of host -parasite interactions involving this class of pathogens is still lacking. In addition, Alternaria has been shown to be a source of potent human allergens and associated with the onset and exacerbation of asthma. Multiple genomes of various plant -pathogenic and allergenic Alternaria spp. have now been sequenced and annotated, with the ultimate aim of improving our understanding of these important disease-causing fungi. This chapter describes the status and results of various Alternaria genome sequencing projects, annotation approaches, comparative genomics endeavors as well as public resources.