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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Hilo, Hawaii » Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center » Tropical Plant Genetic Resources and Disease Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #431744
Research Project: Conservation, Management, and Genetic Improvement of Tropical and Subtropical Fruit, Nut, and Beverage Crop Germplasm for the Pacific Region

Location: Tropical Plant Genetic Resources and Disease Research

Title: Complete genome sequence of Ceratocystis huliohia, a fungal pathogen of the native ‘ohi‘a tree in Hawai‘i

Author
item NAKAMOTO, ANNE - University Of California Santa Cruz
item Keith, Lisa
item Yu, Qingyi
item Sugiyama, Lionel
item WU, XIAOHUA - University Of Hawaii
item Luiz, Blaine
item Villalun, Maryann
item JACOBS, JODIE - University Of California Santa Cruz
item CORBETT-DETIG, RUSS - University Of California Santa Cruz
item CISNEROS, ARIANA - University Of California Santa Cruz
item HEATH, HARRISON - University Of California Santa Cruz
item SHANKS, COLE - University Of California Santa Cruz
item OKAMOTO, FAITH - University Of California Santa Cruz
item ALBURO, ALEXIS - University Of California Santa Cruz
item HENRICSON, KYLE - University Of California Santa Cruz

Submitted to: Microbiology Resource Announcements
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/20/2026
Publication Date: 5/6/2026
Citation: Nakamoto, A., Keith, L.M., Yu, Q., Sugiyama, L.S., Wu, X., Luiz, B.C., Villalun, M.V., Jacobs, J., Corbett-Detig, R., Cisneros, A., Heath, H., Shanks, C., Okamoto, F., Alburo, A., Henricson, K. 2026. Complete genome sequence of Ceratocystis huliohia, a fungal pathogen of the native ‘ohi‘a tree in Hawai‘i. Microbiology Resource Announcements. https://doi.org/10.1128/mra.00236-26.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/mra.00236-26

Interpretive Summary: We present the complete genome sequence of Ceratocystis huliohia, one of two fungal pathogens causing the Rapid ‘Ohi‘a Death disease of the native ‘ohi‘a tree in Hawai‘i. This assembly was generated using long-read Nanopore sequencing of C. huliohia isolate C25-5, collected on the island of Maui in April 2025.

Technical Abstract: Hawai‘i’s native forests are threatened by Rapid ‘Ohi‘a Death (ROD), a disease of the keystone and culturally significant native ‘ohi‘a tree (Metrosideros polymorpha) species. ROD was first characterized in 2014, and is caused by two novel, non-native fungal pathogen species, Ceratocystis lukuohia and huliohia. Genomic resources for these pathogens remain limited, and while C. lukuohia has a high quality, long-read reference genome, no such genome has been available for C. huliohia. More broadly, representative long-read genomes exist for the Latin American and African clades of Ceratocystis, however not for the Asian-Australian clade (AAC) in which C. huliohia resides. Here, we present a complete, long-read genome assembly of C. huliohia isolate C25-5 collected in April 2025 at Pu‘u Kukui Elementary School on the island of Maui. This resource will serve as a representative long-read genome for the AAC of Ceratocystis, and facilitate further investigation into the origins of C. huliohia in Hawai‘i.