Background Fungal plant pathogens pose major threats to crop yield and sustainable food
production if they are highly adapted to their host and the local environment. Variation in …

Melanin plays an important role in virulence and antimicrobial resistance in several fungal
pathogens. The wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici is important worldwide, but little is …

The ascomycete fungus Mycosphaerella graminicola is an important pathogen of wheat that
causes Septoria tritici blotch. Despite the serious impact of M. graminicola on wheat …

Dynamic changes in transcription profiles are key for the success of pathogens in colonizing
their hosts. In many pathogens, genes associated with virulence, such as effector genes, are …

Transposable elements (TEs) are drivers of genome evolution and affect the expression
landscape of the host genome. Stress is a major factor inducing TE activity; however, the …

Host specialization by pathogens requires a repertoire of virulence factors as well as fine-
tuned regulation of gene expression. The fungal wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici …

The maize pathogen Cochliobolus heterostrophus requires two mitogen-activated protein
kinases (MAPKs), Chk1 and Mps1, to produce normal pigmentation. Young colonies of …

Verticillium dahliae is a soil‐borne fungus that causes vascular wilt on numerous plants
worldwide. The fungus survives in the soil for up to 14 years by producing melanized …

Containing fungal diseases often depends on the application of fungicidal compounds.
Fungicides can rapidly lose effectiveness due to the rise of resistant individuals in …

We isolated and characterized Bipolaris melanin regulation 1 gene (BMR1) encoding a
transcription factor for melanin biosynthesis genes in the phytopathogenic fungus Bipolaris …