Identification of a Highly Virulent Verticillium nonalfalfae Strain Vn011 and Expression Analysis of Its Orphan Genes During Potato Inoculation

Potato (<i>Solanum tuberosum</i> L.) is an important food crop and in recent years, Verticillium wilt has become one of the major diseases limiting potato production. To study potato Verticillium wilt, a highly pathogenic strain was isolated from field samples in Heilongjiang. After sequencing and morphological identification, the strain was confirmed as a host-specialized <i>Verticillium nonalfalfae</i> (<i>V. nonalfalfae</i>), Vn011. The genome analysis revealed 151 orphan genes in Vn011, and comparative transcriptomic analysis before and after potato inoculation showed differential expression of 21 genes, including several encoding low-complexity regions (LCRs) and transmembrane (TM) domains. These domains are known to be involved in pathogen signaling, protein folding, and phase separation processes. This study presents the whole-genome sequence of Vn011, having predicted and analyzed the expression changes of orphan genes during the infection process of <i>V. nonalfalfae</i> in potato, and provides new insights into the pathogenic mechanisms of the pathogen. Further research on these orphan genes will not only enhance the understanding of the evolutionary adaptation of <i>V. nonalfalfae</i>, but may also provide new molecular targets for the control of potato wilt disease.