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Cochliobolus heterostrophus is a foliar pathogen of maize, causing Southern Corn Leaf Blight. It is a necrotrophic pathogen that causes lesions on leaves and other aboveground organs of the plant. If the host is sensitive to the polyketide T-toxin produced by the pathogen, symptoms are severe, as manifested in major crop loss in the early 1970s. The genomes of several members of the genus have been sequenced and those of additional members of the class Dothideomycetes too. In this chapter, we review how C. heterostrophus has been studied as a model necrotroph, and what has been learned and can be learned in the future from the genome sequences. Among the subjects of detailed molecular genetic studies are signal transduction pathways, stress responses, and secondary metabolite production. Finally, we discuss this primarily aboveground pathogen in relation to soil biology. |
