The Soilborne Fungus Verticillium longisporum and Its Interactions with the Brassicaceous Hosts

Verticillium longisporum, a soilborne fungal species, is the causative agent of Verticillium stripe disease in Brassica species and represents a notable threat to agricultural production, particularly in regions where oilseed rape is a major crop, including Europe, North America, and Asia. The microsclerotia of this pathogen can persist in the soil for extended periods, with a potential lifespan of up to a decade, thereby posing a substantial challenge for the complete eradication of the pathogen from infested soil. The genome of V. longisporum is amphidiploid and resulted from the hybridization of V. dahliae (D genotypes) and an unidentified species (A1 genotype). At least three independent hybridization events are estimated to have occurred, resulting in three distinct lineages: A1/D1, A1/D2, and A1/D3. Genome sequence analysis revealed the presence of mating-type idiomorphs, putative cell wall-degrading enzymes, and effectors. However, due to the complexity of the genome, there is a paucity of research on the molecular interactions between V. longisporum and Brassica crops. This review summarizes the extant knowledge regarding the pathogenicity factors that V. longisporum deploys upon infection and the host immune responses against this attack, highlighting aspects that remain to be elucidated and the molecular tools available for studying this interaction. A better understanding of the molecular interactions in this pathosystem will contribute to developing more effective control measures against this disease in Brassica oilseed and cabbage crops. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.