High-Quality Genome Sequence Resource of a Rice False Smut Fungus Ustilaginoidea virens Isolate, UV-FJ-1

Ustilaginoidea virens is the fungal pathogen causing rice false smut, resulting in not only yield lost but also grain pollution with toxic mycotoxins. Here we deployed PacBio Sequel II HIFI-read sequencing technology to generate a near-complete genome assembly for the U. virens isolate UV-FJ-1 (38.48 Mb), which was isolated from Fujian province, China. The genome assembly contains 116 contigs with N-50 of 0.65 Mb and a maximum length of 2.10 Mb, and the genome completeness is >= 98% assessed by benchmarking universal single-copy orthologs (BUSCOs) and the mapping rate of Illumina short reads. Excluding 35.78% repeat sequences, we identified a total of 7,164 protein-coding genes, of which 5,818 were functionally annotated and 223 encode putative effector proteins. Moreover, 21 secondary metabolite biosynthesis gene clusters were found in UV-FJ-1 genome. Taken together, this high-quality genome assembly and gene annotation resource will provide a better insight for characterizing the biological and pathogenic mechanisms of U. virens.

Automated summary

In this study, a near-complete genome assembly of U. virens isolate UV-FJ-1 was generated using PacBio Sequel II HIFI-read sequencing technology, revealing a large number of protein-coding genes and secondary metabolite biosynthesis gene clusters, which will be valuable resources for further understanding the biological and pathogenic mechanisms of this fungus.