Draft Genome Sequence of Alternaria longipes Causing Tobacco Brown Spot.

Alternaria is a cosmopolitan fungal genus associated with diverse hosts. Tobacco brown spot caused by Alternaria longipes is one of the most destructive diseases of tobacco. A. longipes can also infect many other plants, some animals and even humans. Here, we report a genome assembly of A. longipes CBS 540.94 using Oxford Nanopore Technologies. A total of 15 contigs were assembled, and the genome size was 37.5 Mb with contig N50 of 4.33 Mb. This genome resource will provide information for further research on comparative genomics of the genus Alternaria and be a valuable resource in investigations of the molecular interactions of pathogen and hosts.

Draft Genome Sequence of Cumin Blight Pathogen Alternaria burnsii.

The fungal genus Alternaria consists of highly diverse species. They can be isolated readily from soil, water, and many plants, and even from animals and humans. Alternaria burnsii is a small-spored species of section Alternaria. It has been reported as a pathogen, an endophyte, and a saprophyte, and can also be found in indoor air. It causes cumin blight, a destructive disease on cumin (Cuminum cyminum), and also causes other serious diseases, such as pumpkin seed rot, date palm leaf spot, wheat leaf spot, and gray spot of Notopterygium incisum. In this study, we sequenced and assembled the first genome of A. burnsii isolate CBS 107.38. The draft genome can be used as a reference for the further study of related pathogens and comparative genomics of Alternaria species.