The Dothideomycetes fungus Cochliobolus
lunatus m118, anamorph Curvularia
lunata var. lunata, belongs to a family of
many important cereal pathogens, and is a pathogen of sorghum, but
can also be an opportunistic human pathogen. The strain was
selected long ago as a prospective microorganism for steroid
biotransformation in the laboratories of Friedrich Schiller
University, Jena, Germany. It is deposited in the Mycotheque de
l’Universite Catholique de Louvain, Belgium (MUCL 38696).
Sorghum is the fifth most important cereal crop in the world and fungal infections cause significant economic losses. This African grass, related to sugar cane and maize, is grown for food, fodder, alcoholic beverage and biofuel production. Fungi belonging to more than 40 genera are reported to be associated with sorghum grain mold disease; C. lunatus, Fusarium verticillioides, and Alternaria alternata are among the more devastating. The genome sequence of the host organism Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench is available, which facilitates understanding of the host-pathogen relationship.