Near-complete genome and infection transcriptomes of the maize leaf and sheath spot pathogen Epicoccum sorghinum

Maize leaf and sheath spot disease caused by Epicoccum sorghinum is an emerging disease of maize in China. To disentangle the molecular pathogenesis, we sequenced the genome and infection transcriptomes of the E. sorghinum strain NJC07. The genome was sequenced on Oxford Nanopore GridION and Illumina NovaSeq 6000, producing a near-complete gapless nuclear genome assembly of 32.69 Mb at 285.20-fold depth, comprising 23 contigs (including 12 full-length chromosomes) with an N₅₀ contig number/length of 6/1.66 Mb, and a complete mitochondrial genome assembly of 61.24 kb. The nuclear genome contains 11,779 protein-coding genes, including those predicted to encode potential virulence/pathogenicity factors, such as effectors and carbohydrate-active enzymes. Temporal RNA-Seq analysis revealed that 4,058 of the 11,779 genes were induced during maize infection, with a subset potentially implicated in fungal invasion and colonization of maize plants. Together, the genomic and transcriptomic data generated in the study provide a valuable foundation for the functional analysis of virulence and pathogenicity factors, offering critical insights into the molecular mechanisms driving E. sorghinum pathogenesis on maize.