Locust Pathogen XJ1 Is Different from and Based on Genomics Comparisons.

Fungi play an increasingly important role in the biological control of insect pests. XJ1 is highly virulent to locust adults and nymphs, which are a destructive economic pest worldwide. Because of its host association with locusts, which is unique in , in this study, we examined the genetic relationships of XJ1 within . We sequenced the genome of XJ1 and compared it with the genomes of other species. The complete genome of XJ1 is 37.9 Mb, comprising 11,720 putative genes, assembled into eight chromosomes. The genome size is similar to that of other strains. Phylogenomic analysis indicated that XJ1 was most closely related to NRRL3357, not RIB40. Core/pan-genome analysis of XJ1 and other species revealed that XJ1 had 704 strain-specific genes, whereas NRRL3357, KDG 21, and NRRL 2999 had 646, 955, and 779 unique genes, respectively. The XJ1 genome showed structural differences compared with the genomes of RIB40 and NRRL3357 in genomic synteny analysis. These results indicate that XJ1 is genetically distinct at the genome level from other species, including and , and may be as a distinct species. This will provide new insight into the classification of based on genomics.