Whole-genome sequencing of global forest pathogen Diplodia sapinea causing pine shoot blight

The pathogenic fungus Diplodia sapinea is of significant importance due to its primary role inducing tip dieback on various Pinus species which are widely distributed throughout the world. The objective of this study is to further provide comprehensive and specific resources for genome assembly and sequence annotation of this important forest pathogen from China, thereby establishing a robust foundation for future studies on its systematics, population genetics, genomics and global movement.

A high-quality genome of D. sapinea strain ZXD319 was sequenced utilizing the Nanopore PromethION and BGI DNBSEQ-T7 platforms. The assembled genome spans a total length of 36.81 Mb, comprising 14 contigs, with a GC content of 56.80% and an N50 value of 2,972,533 bp. It encompasses 11,200 protein-coding genes and 252 noncoding RNAs. The predicted genes were annotated against multiple public databases, and 1,611 potential virulence genes were identified through the Pathogen Host Interactions (PHI) database. Furthermore, the genome comparative analysis of D. sapinea and related species revealed 11,568 gene clusters and 3,436 single-copy clusters. Phylogenetic analysis indicated a close evolutionary relationship between D. sapinea with D. corticola and D. seriata. The genomic data presented herein serve as a valuable resource for future studies on this globally important pathogen.