The fungus Verticillium dahliae causes vascular wilt disease on many plant species,
including economically important crop and ornamental plants worldwide. It produces darkly
pigmented resting structures known as microsclerotia, which are able to survive for up to 14
years in soil, and represent one of the defining characteristics of this species. The pigment
produced in V. dahliae is dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN)-melanin, a form of melanin common
among fungi and named so for the intermediary of this melanin biosynthetic pathway. In this …