Fusarium avenaceum Genome sequencing and assembly

Fusarium avenaceum is often associated with diseased grains in temperate areas, either alone or in co-occurrence with other Fusarium species, but its prevalence is also increasing in warmer regions throughout the world. The major problems caused by F. avenaceum are crown rot and head blight of wheat and barley, and the contamination of grains with mycotoxins. It produces a wide range of different bioactive secondary metabolites, depending on host and media, including moniliformin, enniatins, fusarin C, antibiotic Y, 2-amino-14,16-dimethyloctadecan-3-ol (2-AOD-3-ol), chlamydosporol and aurofusarin. The ability of F. avenaceum to adapt to so many different environments reflects the genetic versatility and diverse nature of F. avenaceum. The genome sequence may significantly contribute to the progressive understanding of the lifestyle, secondary metabolism and virulence mechanisms of this economically important plant pathogen. We have sequenced the genomes of three F. avenaceum strains, one isolated from barley in Finland and two from spring and winter wheat in Canada (strain designations NRRL54939, DAOM242879, and DAOM242880, respectively).