Comparative genome analyses of four rice-infecting Rhizoctonia solani isolates reveal extensive enrichment of homogalacturonan modification genes.

Four R. solani genomes were sequenced, annotated, and compared to other fungal genomes to identify distinctive genomic features that may contribute to the pathogenicity of rice-infecting R. solani. Our analyses provided evidence that genomic conservation of R. solani genomes among neighboring AGs was more diversified than among AG1-IA isolates and the presence of numerous predicted pectin modification genes in the rice-infecting R. solani genomes that may contribute to the wide host range and virulence of this necrotrophic fungal pathogen.