11 Application of Genomics to the Study of Pathogenicity and Development in Fusarium

Abstract

The Fusarium species are a large and diverse group of fungi that include common plant pathogens and opportunistic animal pathogens. On plants, Fusarium species cause wilts, rots, seed damage, and perhaps more important, some of the most potent mycotoxins contaminating the human food supply. Over the last decade, genome sequences have emerged for five different Fusarium species, providing new opportunities to research the biological basis for these diseases. The availability of these genomes has launched an explosion in publications focusing on these organisms. This review presents the accomplishments that have been driven by the availability of genome sequences and their accompanying technologies and examines how this knowledge may be used in the future to produce a safer food supply.