Fusarium genomic resources: tools to limit crop diseases and mycotoxin contamination

It has been almost 10 years since Joan Bennett suggested that fungal biologists create a "wish list" for fungal genome sequences (Bennett JW. White paper: Genomics for filamentous fungi. Fungal Genet Biol 1997; 21: 3-7). The availability of over 200 review papers concerning fungal genomics is a reflection of significant progress with a diversity of fungal species. Although much progress has been made, the use of genomic data to study mycotoxin synthesis and function, pathogenesis and other aspects of fungal biology is in its infancy. Here, we briefly present the status of publicly available genomic resources for Fusarium, a genus of important plant pathogenic and mycotoxin-producing fungi of worldwide concern. Preliminary examination of microarray data collected from F. verticillioides liquid cultures provides evidence of widespread differential gene expression over time.