Genome Resource of Podosphaera xanthii, the Host-Specific Fungal Pathogen That Causes Cucurbit Powdery Mildew

Abstract

Approximately 33 types of commonly consumed fruits and vegetables are members of the family Cucurbitaceae, making it an important crop family worldwide. However, pathogen resistance to pesticides and fungicides has become a growing problem in cultivation practices. The identification of the effector proteins in each unique fungus–host pair would help toward the development of strategies for preventing the infection of important crops. In this study, we characterized the genome of Podosphaera xanthii, the fungal pathogen that causes powdery mildew disease in cucurbitaceous plants. A first-draft genome of 209.08 MB was assembled and compared with those of 25 other fungal pathogens, particularly for identifying candidate secreted effector proteins. This draft genome can serve as a valuable resource for future genomic and proteomic studies of P. xanthii and its host-specific pathogenesis.