RESEARCH ARTICLE Relocation of genes gener in

Full list of author information is available at the end of the articleBackground The genus Fusarium includes a large group of phytopatho-genic fungi, each having a different or partially overlapping host range. F. graminearum is an important pathogen on wheat, barley and maize, causing Fusarium head blight [1,2], while F. verticillioides mainly infects maize, causing rot and wilting [3]. In contrast, F. oxysporum causes dis-ease on more than 100 different plant species, but specific strains usually infect only a single host species [4]. This has led to the introduction of the forma specialis concept in F. oxysporum, where strains are categorized according to the host plant they infect, such as tomato or banana [5]. In addition, some strains of F. oxysporum may also cause infections in humans [6]. Genomic sequences of several Fusarium species have been generated, including F. grami-nearum (strain PH-1), F. verticillioides (strain FGSC 7600), F. pseudograminearum (strain CS3096), F. solani (strai