Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the white root rot pathogen Dematophora necatrix (Xylariaceae: Xylariales)

The mitochondrial genome of <i>Dematophora necatrix</i> is 121,350 base pairs in length with a G + C content of 30.19%. Phylogenetic analysis showed that <i>D. necatrix</i> grouped with other members of the Xylariaceae, with which its mitogenome also shares a broadly similar architecture and gene content. The <i>D. necatrix</i> mitogenome contains 14 protein-coding and 26 tRNA-encoding genes, as well as one copy each of the <i>rnl</i>, <i>rns</i>, <i>rps3</i> and <i>nat1</i> genes. However, as much as 80% of this genome is intronic or non-coding. This is likely due to expansions and rearrangements caused by the large number of group I introns and the homing endonucleases and reverse-transcriptases they encode. Our study thus provides a valuable foundation from which to explore the mitochondrion's role in the biology of <i>D. necatrix</i>, and also serves as a resource for investigating the pathogen's population biology and general ecology.