The availability of genomic sequences of several Verticillium species triggered an explosion
of genome-scale investigations of mechanisms fundamental to the Verticillium life cycle and
disease process. Comparative genomics studies have revealed evolutionary mechanisms,
such as hybridization and interchromosomal rearrangements, that have shaped these
genomes. Functional analyses of a diverse group of genes encoding virulence factors
indicate that successful host xylem colonization relies on specific Verticillium responses to …