A chromosome-scale genome of Colletotrichum cereale reveals a large, dynamic accessory genome within a deeply structured species

Verdict. Here, we generated a chromosome-scale genome assembly for C. cereale isolate 6B using Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing, Hi-C scaffolding, and Illumina polishing. It intersects mitochondrial stress/dysfunction themes (disease context).

What the authors report

Colletotrichum cereale is a hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen of cool-season grasses associated with anthracnose disease in turfgrass and cereal systems. Despite its agricultural importance, genomic resources for C. cereale have remained highly fragmented, limiting characterization of its chromosome-scale genome structure and accessory genome.

Key results stated in the abstract include the following. Here, we generated a chromosome-scale genome assembly for C. cereale isolate 6B using Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing, Hi-C scaffolding, and Illumina polishing. The 58.01 Mb assembly comprised 13 chromosome-scale scaffolds and a mitochondrial genome, with an N50 of 5.44 Mb and 98.6% BUSCO completeness. These results demonstrate that C. cereale possesses a highly dynamic, discontinuously distributed accessory genome and a deeply structured pattern of intraspecific divergence, and establish a chromosome-scale framework for investigating genome evolution, adaptation, and pathogenicity in C. cereale .

Why it matters for mitochondrial biology

Within mitochondrial research, this work maps primarily to redox biology, structural biology. It is relevant to mitochondrial dysfunction discourse because the abstract invokes disease context. That does not by itself establish a validated disease mechanism; it indicates thematic proximity. Server: biorxiv. Posted 2026-08-11. Synthesis confidence is bounded by abstract completeness.

Study design (abstract-level)

Here, we generated a chromosome-scale genome assembly for C. cereale isolate 6B using Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing, Hi-C scaffolding, and Illumina polishing.

Principal findings

1. Here, we generated a chromosome-scale genome assembly for C. cereale isolate 6B using Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing, Hi-C scaffolding, and Illumina polishing.
2. The 58.01 Mb assembly comprised 13 chromosome-scale scaffolds and a mitochondrial genome, with an N50 of 5.44 Mb and 98.6% BUSCO completeness.
3. These results demonstrate that C. cereale possesses a highly dynamic, discontinuously distributed accessory genome and a deeply structured pattern of intraspecific divergence, and establish a chromosome-scale framework for investigating genome evolution, adaptation, and pathogenicity in C. cereale .

Limitations of this brief

• This Mitos brief is an abstract-level synthesis of a preprint; it is not peer review and not a substitute for reading the full paper.
• Preprint status: findings may change with revision or journal review.
• Effect sizes, n numbers, statistics, and full experimental controls are typically incomplete at abstract resolution.
• Comparator/control language is weak or absent in the abstract, limiting causal inference from this brief alone.
• Primary source: biorxiv DOI 10.64898/2026.08.06.743313 (posted 2026-08-11).

Open scientific questions

• Which specific experimental panels in the full paper establish the strongest causal claim, and how robust are the controls?
• How do these findings sit relative to prior literature on the same pathway—replication, contradiction, or incremental extension?

Bottom line

For mitochondrial biologists focused on redox biology, structural biology, this preprint is worth full-text review if the topic matches your program. Abstract-level takeaway: Here, we generated a chromosome-scale genome assembly for C. cereale isolate 6B using Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing, Hi-C scaffolding, and Illumina polishing. Confirm methods, effect sizes, and controls in the full PDF before citing the result as established.

Bibliographic record

Abstract-based editorial synthesis by Mitos. Not peer review.