The paper identifies a dominant virulence regulator in the tomato wilt pathogen by systematically analyzing accessory chromosomes through CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis.

bioRxiv · Sep 9, 2026 · PreprintMicrobiology

Extensive intrachromosomal duplications in a virulence-associated fungal accessory chromosome

Jelmer Dijkstra, Anouk C. van Westerhoven, Lucía Gómez-Gil, Carolina Aguilera-Gálvez, Giuliana Nakasato‐Tagami, Sebastien D. Garnier, Masaya Yamazaki, Tsutomu Arie, Takashi Kamakura, Takayuki Arazoe, Antonio Di Pietro, Michael F. Seidl, Gert H. J. Kema

The paper identifies extensive intrachromosomal duplications in the accessory chromosome of TR4, showing its role in virulence and chromosome dynamics in F. oxysporum.

Molecular Plant Pathology · Sep 1, 2025Peer-reviewedMicrobiology

Virulence of Fusarium oxysporum strains causing corneal or plant disease is associated with their accessory chromosomes

Dilay Hazal Ayhan, Serena Abbondante, Domingo Martínez‐Soto, Siyuan Wu, Ricardo Rodríguez-Vargas, Shira Milo, Katherine Rickelton, Vista Sohrab, Shunsuke Kotera, Tsutomu Arie, Michaela Ellen Marshall, Marina Campos Rocha, Sajeet Haridas, Igor V. Grigoriev, Neta Shlezinger, , Li‐Jun Ma

This study compares two Fusarium oxysporum strains causing human and plant diseases, finding differences in virulence and accessory chromosomes associated with host adaptation.

mBio · Jun 26, 2025Peer-reviewedMicrobiology