The Hyphal Tip: Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics

Several more fungi are on the docket for sequencing at JGI through their community sequencing program. This includes

• The Dothideomycete leaf streak disease causing fungus Mycosphaerella fijiensis
• Soybean rust Phakopsora pachyrhizi
• The Basidiomycete and jelly fungus Tremella mesenterica proposed by Joe Heitman for use as outgroup to the human pathogen Cryptococcus
• The plant pathogen Cochliobolus heterostrophus proposed by Gillian Turgeon which ironically was already sequenced

The Broad Institute has made available additional genomes of strains of Coccidioides immitis and C. posadasii. There are now genome sequences for 4 strains of C. immitis sequenced and 3 strains of C. posadasii including the C735 strain from the JCVI/TIGR. including the reference strain RS that is assembled into 7 supercontigs (there are probably 5 chromosomes) and annotated with ~10,000 genes.