Genome analysis of three isolates of Stemphylium lycopersici differ in their virulence and sporulation ability: Identification of effectors, pathogenesis and virulence factors

Tomato grey leaf spot is a fungal disease that provokes losses in tomato yield. The aim of this work is to analyse genomic differences among three isolates of Stemphylium lycopersici that differ in virulence and sporulation. The bioinformatics analysis led us to predict the identity of putative effectors, pathogenesis and virulence factors. Like the genome of other necrotrophic pathogens, Stemphylium encodes a wide spectrum of effectors, including an ample and diverse array of carbohydrate-degrading enzymes. Interestingly, the number of predicted effectors was unrelated to virulence. Low virulence appeared to be associated with the presence of several double-stranded RNAs from viruses as well as cellular processes related to protein degradation, redox and detoxifying processes and monoterpenes production. This is the first identification of the potential effectors of tomato–S. lycopersici interaction; nonetheless functional studies should be done.