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Paiva DS, Fernandes L, Portugal A, Trovão J. First Genome Sequence of the Microcolonial Black Fungus Saxispiralis lemnorum MUM 23.14: Insights into the Unique Genomic Traits of the Aeminiaceae Family. Microorganisms 2024; 12:104. [PMID: 38257931 PMCID: PMC10820743 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12010104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Saxispiralis lemnorum MUM 23.14 is an extremotolerant microcolonial black fungus, originally isolated from a biodeteriorated limestone artwork in Portugal. This recently introduced species belongs to the Aeminiaceae family, representing the second member of this monophyletic clade. This fungus exhibits a unique set of characteristics, including xerophily, cold tolerance, high UV radiation tolerance, and an exceptional ability to thrive in NaCl concentrations of up to 30% while also enduring pH levels ranging from 5 to 11. To gain insights into its genomic traits associated with stress resistance mechanisms, specialization, and their potential implications in stone biodeterioration, we conducted a comprehensive genome sequencing and analysis. This draft genome not only marks the first for the Saxispiralis genus but also the second for the Aeminiaceae family. Furthermore, we performed two comparative genomic analyses: one focusing on the closest relative within the Aeminiaceae family, Aeminium ludgeri, and another encompassing the genome of different extremotolerant black fungi. In this study, we successfully achieved high genome completeness for S. lemnorum and confirmed its close phylogenetic relationship to A. ludgeri. Our findings revealed traits contributing to its extremophilic nature and provided insights into potential mechanisms contributing to stone biodeterioration. Many traits are common to both Aeminiaceae species and are shared with other black fungi, while numerous unique traits may be attributed to species-specific characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana S. Paiva
- Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE)—Science for People & the Planet, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal (J.T.)
| | - Luís Fernandes
- Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE)—Science for People & the Planet, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal (J.T.)
| | - António Portugal
- Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE)—Science for People & the Planet, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal (J.T.)
- FitoLab—Laboratory for Phytopathology, Instituto Pedro Nunes (IPN), Rua Pedro Nunes, 3030-199 Coimbra, Portugal
- TERRA—Associate Laboratory for Sustainable Land Use and Ecosystem Services, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - João Trovão
- Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE)—Science for People & the Planet, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal (J.T.)
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Francis A, Ghosh S, Tyagi K, Prakasam V, Rani M, Singh NP, Pradhan A, Sundaram RM, Priyanka C, Laha GS, Kannan C, Prasad MS, Chattopadhyay D, Jha G. Evolution of pathogenicity-associated genes in Rhizoctonia solani AG1-IA by genome duplication and transposon-mediated gene function alterations. BMC Biol 2023; 21:15. [PMID: 36721195 PMCID: PMC9890813 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01526-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rhizoctonia solani is a polyphagous fungal pathogen that causes diseases in crops. The fungal strains are classified into anastomosis groups (AGs); however, genomic complexity, diversification into the AGs and the evolution of pathogenicity-associated genes remain poorly understood. RESULTS We report a recent whole-genome duplication and sequential segmental duplications in AG1-IA strains of R. solani. Transposable element (TE) clusters have caused loss of synteny in the duplicated blocks and introduced differential structural alterations in the functional domains of several pathogenicity-associated paralogous gene pairs. We demonstrate that the TE-mediated structural variations in a glycosyl hydrolase domain and a GMC oxidoreductase domain in two paralogous pairs affect the pathogenicity of R. solani. Furthermore, to investigate the association of TEs with the natural selection and evolution of pathogenicity, we sequenced the genomes of forty-two rice field isolates of R. solani AG1-IA. The genomic regions with high population mutation rates and with the lowest nucleotide diversity are enriched with TEs. Genetic diversity analysis predicted the genes that are most likely under diversifying and purifying selections. We present evidence that a smaller variant of a glucosamine phosphate N-acetyltransferase (GNAT) protein, predicted to be under purifying selection, and an LPMP_AA9 domain-containing protein, predicted to be under diversifying selection, are important for the successful pathogenesis of R. solani in rice as well as tomato. CONCLUSIONS Our study has unravelled whole-genome duplication, TE-mediated neofunctionalization of genes and evolution of pathogenicity traits in R. solani AG1-IA. The pathogenicity-associated genes identified during the study can serve as novel targets for disease control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleena Francis
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Srayan Ghosh
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, 110067, India
- Present address: Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Kriti Tyagi
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - V Prakasam
- ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research (ICAR-IIRR), Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, 500 030, India
| | - Mamta Rani
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Nagendra Pratap Singh
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Amrita Pradhan
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - R M Sundaram
- ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research (ICAR-IIRR), Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, 500 030, India
| | - C Priyanka
- ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research (ICAR-IIRR), Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, 500 030, India
| | - G S Laha
- ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research (ICAR-IIRR), Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, 500 030, India
| | - C Kannan
- ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research (ICAR-IIRR), Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, 500 030, India
| | - M S Prasad
- ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research (ICAR-IIRR), Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, 500 030, India
| | - Debasis Chattopadhyay
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, 110067, India.
| | - Gopaljee Jha
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, 110067, India.
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Naranjo-Ortiz MA, Molina M, Fuentes D, Mixão V, Gabaldón T. Karyon: a computational framework for the diagnosis of hybrids, aneuploids, and other nonstandard architectures in genome assemblies. Gigascience 2022; 11:6751106. [PMID: 36205401 PMCID: PMC9540331 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giac088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2021] [Revised: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent technological developments have made genome sequencing and assembly highly accessible and widely used. However, the presence in sequenced organisms of certain genomic features such as high heterozygosity, polyploidy, aneuploidy, heterokaryosis, or extreme compositional biases can challenge current standard assembly procedures and result in highly fragmented assemblies. Hence, we hypothesized that genome databases must contain a nonnegligible fraction of low-quality assemblies that result from such type of intrinsic genomic factors. FINDINGS Here we present Karyon, a Python-based toolkit that uses raw sequencing data and de novo genome assembly to assess several parameters and generate informative plots to assist in the identification of nonchanonical genomic traits. Karyon includes automated de novo genome assembly and variant calling pipelines. We tested Karyon by diagnosing 35 highly fragmented publicly available assemblies from 19 different Mucorales (Fungi) species. CONCLUSIONS Our results show that 10 (28.57%) of the assemblies presented signs of unusual genomic configurations, suggesting that these are common, at least for some lineages within the Fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A Naranjo-Ortiz
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona 08003, Spain,Health and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona 08003, Spain,Biology Department, Clark University, Worcester, MA 01610, USA,Naturhistoriskmuseum, University of Oslo, Oslo 0562, Norway
| | - Manu Molina
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona 08003, Spain,Health and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona 08003, Spain,Life Sciences Department, Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (BSC-CNS), Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - Diego Fuentes
- Life Sciences Department, Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (BSC-CNS), Barcelona 08034, Spain,Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Verónica Mixão
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona 08003, Spain,Health and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona 08003, Spain,Life Sciences Department, Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (BSC-CNS), Barcelona 08034, Spain,Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Toni Gabaldón
- Correspondence address. Toni Gabaldón, Plaça Eusebi Güell, 1-3, Barcelona 08034, Spain. E-mail:
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Gostinčar C, Sun X, Černoša A, Fang C, Gunde-Cimerman N, Song Z. Clonality, inbreeding, and hybridization in two extremotolerant black yeasts. Gigascience 2022; 11:giac095. [PMID: 36200832 PMCID: PMC9535773 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giac095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The great diversity of lifestyles and survival strategies observed in fungi is reflected in the many ways in which they reproduce and recombine. Although a complete absence of recombination is rare, it has been reported for some species, among them 2 extremotolerant black yeasts from Dothideomycetes: Hortaea werneckii and Aureobasidium melanogenum. Therefore, the presence of diploid strains in these species cannot be explained as the product of conventional sexual reproduction. RESULTS Genome sequencing revealed that the ratio of diploid to haploid strains in both H. werneckii and A. melanogenum is about 2:1. Linkage disequilibrium between pairs of polymorphic loci and a high degree of concordance between the phylogenies of different genomic regions confirmed that both species are clonal. Heterozygosity of diploid strains is high, with several hybridizing genome pairs reaching the intergenomic distances typically seen between different fungal species. The origin of diploid strains collected worldwide can be traced to a handful of hybridization events that produced diploids, which were stable over long periods of time and distributed over large geographic areas. CONCLUSIONS Our results, based on the genomes of over 100 strains of 2 black yeasts, show that although they are clonal, they occasionally form stable and highly heterozygous diploid intraspecific hybrids. The mechanism of these apparently rare hybridization events, which are not followed by meiosis or haploidization, remains unknown. Both extremotolerant yeasts, H. werneckii and even more so A. melanogenum, a close relative of the intensely recombining and biotechnologically relevant Aureobasidium pullulans, provide an attractive model for studying the role of clonality and ploidy in extremotolerant fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cene Gostinčar
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Lars Bolund Institute of Regenerative Medicine, BGI-Qingdao, Qingdao 266555, China
| | - Xiaohuan Sun
- BGI-Shenzhen, Beishan Industrial Zone, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Anja Černoša
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Chao Fang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Beishan Industrial Zone, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Nina Gunde-Cimerman
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Zewei Song
- BGI-Shenzhen, Beishan Industrial Zone, Shenzhen 518083, China
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Palumbo RJ, McKean N, Leatherman E, Namitz KEW, Connell L, Wolfe A, Moody K, Gostinčar C, Gunde-Cimerman N, Bah A, Hanes SD. Coevolution of the Ess1-CTD axis in polar fungi suggests a role for phase separation in cold tolerance. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabq3235. [PMID: 36070379 PMCID: PMC9451162 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq3235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Most of the world's biodiversity lives in cold (-2° to 4°C) and hypersaline environments. To understand how cells adapt to such conditions, we isolated two key components of the transcription machinery from fungal species that live in extreme polar environments: the Ess1 prolyl isomerase and its target, the carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of RNA polymerase II. Polar Ess1 enzymes are conserved and functional in the model yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. By contrast, polar CTDs diverge from the consensus (YSPTSPS)26 and are not fully functional in S. cerevisiae. These CTDs retain the critical Ess1 Ser-Pro target motifs, but substitutions at Y1, T4, and S7 profoundly affected their ability to undergo phase separation in vitro and localize in vivo. We propose that environmentally tuned phase separation by the CTD and other intrinsically disordered regions plays an adaptive role in cold tolerance by concentrating enzymes and substrates to overcome energetic barriers to metabolic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan J. Palumbo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SUNY-Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Nathan McKean
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SUNY-Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Erinn Leatherman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SUNY-Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Kevin E. W. Namitz
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SUNY-Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Laurie Connell
- School of Marine Sciences and Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - Aaron Wolfe
- Ichor Life Sciences Inc., 2651 US Route 11, LaFayette, NY 13084, USA
- Lewis School of Health Sciences, Clarkson University, 8 Clarkson Avenue, Potsdam, NY 13699, USA
- The BioInspired Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA
| | - Kelsey Moody
- Ichor Life Sciences Inc., 2651 US Route 11, LaFayette, NY 13084, USA
- Lewis School of Health Sciences, Clarkson University, 8 Clarkson Avenue, Potsdam, NY 13699, USA
- The BioInspired Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA
| | - Cene Gostinčar
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Nina Gunde-Cimerman
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Alaji Bah
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SUNY-Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Steven D. Hanes
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SUNY-Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
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Fungi are key players in extreme ecosystems. Trends Ecol Evol 2022; 37:517-528. [PMID: 35246323 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Extreme environments on Earth are typically devoid of macro life forms and are inhabited predominantly by highly adapted and specialized microorganisms. The discovery and persistence of these extremophiles provides tools to model how life arose on Earth and inform us on the limits of life. Fungi, in particular, are among the most extreme-tolerant organisms with highly versatile lifestyles and stunning ecological and morphological plasticity. Here, we overview the most notable examples of extremophilic and stress-tolerant fungi, highlighting their key roles in the functionality and balance of extreme ecosystems. The remarkable ability of fungi to tolerate and even thrive in the most extreme environments, which preclude most organisms, have reshaped current concepts regarding the limits of life on Earth.
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de Melo Teixeira M, Stajich JE, Sahl JW, Thompson GR, Brem RB, Dubin CA, Blackmon AV, Mead HL, Keim P, Barker BM. A chromosomal-level reference genome of the widely utilized Coccidioides posadasii laboratory strain "Silveira". G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2022; 12:jkac031. [PMID: 35137016 PMCID: PMC8982387 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkac031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Coccidioidomycosis is a common fungal disease that is endemic to arid and semi-arid regions of both American continents. Coccidioides immitis and Coccidioides posadasii are the etiological agents of the disease, also known as Valley Fever. For several decades, the C. posadasii strain Silveira has been used widely in vaccine studies, is the source strain for production of diagnostic antigens, and is a widely used experimental strain for functional studies. In 2009, the genome was sequenced using Sanger sequencing technology, and a draft assembly and annotation were made available. In this study, the genome of the Silveira strain was sequenced using single molecule real-time sequencing PacBio technology, assembled into chromosomal-level contigs, genotyped, and the genome was reannotated using sophisticated and curated in silico tools. This high-quality genome sequencing effort has improved our understanding of chromosomal structure, gene set annotation, and lays the groundwork for identification of structural variants (e.g. transversions, translocations, and copy number variants), assessment of gene gain and loss, and comparison of transposable elements in future phylogenetic and population genomics studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus de Melo Teixeira
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
- The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
| | - Jason E Stajich
- Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Jason W Sahl
- The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
| | - George R Thompson
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Rachel B Brem
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Claire A Dubin
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Austin V Blackmon
- The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
| | - Heather L Mead
- The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
| | - Paul Keim
- The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
| | - Bridget M Barker
- The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
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Recent developments in the biology and biotechnological applications of halotolerant yeasts. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2022; 38:27. [PMID: 34989905 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-021-03213-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Natural hypersaline environments are inhabited by an abundance of prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms capable of thriving under extreme saline conditions. Yeasts represent a substantial fraction of halotolerant eukaryotic microbiomes and are frequently isolated as food contaminants and from solar salterns. During the last years, a handful of new species has been discovered in moderate saline environments, including estuarine and deep-sea waters. Although Saccharomyces cerevisiae is considered the primary osmoadaptation model system for studies of hyperosmotic stress conditions, our increasing understanding of the physiology and molecular biology of halotolerant yeasts provides new insights into their distinct metabolic traits and provides novel and innovative opportunities for genome mining of biotechnologically relevant genes. Yeast species such as Debaryomyces hansenii, Zygosaccharomyces rouxii, Hortaea werneckii and Wallemia ichthyophaga show unique properties, which make them attractive for biotechnological applications. Select halotolerant yeasts are used in food processing and contribute to aromas and taste, while certain gene clusters are used in second generation biofuel production. Finally, both pharmaceutical and chemical industries benefit from applications of halotolerant yeasts as biocatalysts. This comprehensive review summarizes the most recent findings related to the biology of industrially-important halotolerant yeasts and provides a detailed and up-to-date description of modern halotolerant yeast-based biotechnological applications.
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Plemenitaš A. Sensing and Responding to Hypersaline Conditions and the HOG Signal Transduction Pathway in Fungi Isolated from Hypersaline Environments: Hortaea werneckii and Wallemia ichthyophaga. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:jof7110988. [PMID: 34829275 PMCID: PMC8620582 DOI: 10.3390/jof7110988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensing and responding to changes in NaCl concentration in hypersaline environments is vital for cell survival. In this paper, we identified and characterized key components of the high-osmolarity glycerol (HOG) signal transduction pathway, which is crucial in sensing hypersaline conditions in the extremely halotolerant black yeast Hortaea werneckii and in the obligate halophilic fungus Wallemia ichthyophaga. Both organisms were isolated from solar salterns, their predominating ecological niche. The identified components included homologous proteins of both branches involved in sensing high osmolarity (SHO1 and SLN1) and the homologues of mitogen-activated protein kinase module (MAPKKK Ste11, MAPKK Pbs2, and MAPK Hog1). Functional complementation of the identified gene products in S. cerevisiae mutant strains revealed some of their functions. Structural protein analysis demonstrated important structural differences in the HOG pathway components between halotolerant/halophilic fungi isolated from solar salterns, salt-sensitive S. cerevisiae, the extremely salt-tolerant H. werneckii, and halophilic W. ichthyophaga. Known and novel gene targets of MAP kinase Hog1 were uncovered particularly in halotolerant H. werneckii. Molecular studies of many salt-responsive proteins confirm unique and novel mechanisms of adaptation to changes in salt concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Plemenitaš
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Ljubljana, Vrazov trg 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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10
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Seven Years at High Salinity-Experimental Evolution of the Extremely Halotolerant Black Yeast Hortaea werneckii. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:jof7090723. [PMID: 34575761 PMCID: PMC8468603 DOI: 10.3390/jof7090723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The experimental evolution of microorganisms exposed to extreme conditions can provide insight into cellular adaptation to stress. Typically, stress-sensitive species are exposed to stress over many generations and then examined for improvements in their stress tolerance. In contrast, when starting with an already stress-tolerant progenitor there may be less room for further improvement, it may still be able to tweak its cellular machinery to increase extremotolerance, perhaps at the cost of poorer performance under non-extreme conditions. To investigate these possibilities, a strain of extremely halotolerant black yeast Hortaea werneckii was grown for over seven years through at least 800 generations in a medium containing 4.3 M NaCl. Although this salinity is well above the optimum (0.8–1.7 M) for the species, the growth rate of the evolved H. werneckii did not change in the absence of salt or at high concentrations of NaCl, KCl, sorbitol, or glycerol. Other phenotypic traits did change during the course of the experimental evolution, including fewer multicellular chains in the evolved strains, significantly narrower cells, increased resistance to caspofungin, and altered melanisation. Whole-genome sequencing revealed the occurrence of multiple aneuploidies during the experimental evolution of the otherwise diploid H. werneckii. A significant overrepresentation of several gene groups was observed in aneuploid regions. Taken together, these changes suggest that long-term growth at extreme salinity led to alterations in cell wall and morphology, signalling pathways, and the pentose phosphate cycle. Although there is currently limited evidence for the adaptive value of these changes, they offer promising starting points for future studies of fungal halotolerance.
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Muggia L, Ametrano CG, Sterflinger K, Tesei D. An Overview of Genomics, Phylogenomics and Proteomics Approaches in Ascomycota. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:E356. [PMID: 33348904 PMCID: PMC7765829 DOI: 10.3390/life10120356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Fungi are among the most successful eukaryotes on Earth: they have evolved strategies to survive in the most diverse environments and stressful conditions and have been selected and exploited for multiple aims by humans. The characteristic features intrinsic of Fungi have required evolutionary changes and adaptations at deep molecular levels. Omics approaches, nowadays including genomics, metagenomics, phylogenomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and proteomics have enormously advanced the way to understand fungal diversity at diverse taxonomic levels, under changeable conditions and in still under-investigated environments. These approaches can be applied both on environmental communities and on individual organisms, either in nature or in axenic culture and have led the traditional morphology-based fungal systematic to increasingly implement molecular-based approaches. The advent of next-generation sequencing technologies was key to boost advances in fungal genomics and proteomics research. Much effort has also been directed towards the development of methodologies for optimal genomic DNA and protein extraction and separation. To date, the amount of proteomics investigations in Ascomycetes exceeds those carried out in any other fungal group. This is primarily due to the preponderance of their involvement in plant and animal diseases and multiple industrial applications, and therefore the need to understand the biological basis of the infectious process to develop mechanisms for biologic control, as well as to detect key proteins with roles in stress survival. Here we chose to present an overview as much comprehensive as possible of the major advances, mainly of the past decade, in the fields of genomics (including phylogenomics) and proteomics of Ascomycota, focusing particularly on those reporting on opportunistic pathogenic, extremophilic, polyextremotolerant and lichenized fungi. We also present a review of the mostly used genome sequencing technologies and methods for DNA sequence and protein analyses applied so far for fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Muggia
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Claudio G. Ametrano
- Grainger Bioinformatics Center, Department of Science and Education, The Field Museum, Chicago, IL 60605, USA;
| | - Katja Sterflinger
- Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Institute of Natual Sciences and Technology in the Arts, 1090 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Donatella Tesei
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1190 Vienna, Austria;
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12
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Coleine C, Stajich JE, de Los Ríos A, Selbmann L. Beyond the extremes: Rocks as ultimate refuge for fungi in drylands. Mycologia 2020; 113:108-133. [PMID: 33232202 DOI: 10.1080/00275514.2020.1816761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
In an era of rapid climate change and expansion of desertification, the extremely harsh conditions of drylands are a true challenge for microbial life. Under drought conditions, where most life forms cannot survive, rocks represent the main refuge for life. Indeed, the endolithic habitat provides thermal buffering, physical stability, and protection against incident ultraviolet (UV) radiation and solar radiation and, to some extent, ensures water retention to microorganisms. The study of these highly specialized extreme-tolerant and extremophiles may provide tools for understanding microbial interactions and processes that allow them to keep their metabolic machinery active under conditions of dryness and oligotrophy that are typically incompatible with active life, up to the dry limits for life. Despite lithobiontic communities being studied all over the world, a comprehensive understanding of their ecology, evolution, and adaptation is still nascent. Herein, we survey the fungal component of these microbial ecosystems. We first provide an overview of the main defined groups (i.e., lichen-forming fungi, black fungi, and yeasts) of the most known and studied Antarctic endolithic communities that are almost the only life forms ensuring ecosystem functionality in the ice-free areas of the continent. For each group, we discuss their main traits and their diversity. Then, we focus on the fungal taxonomy and ecology of other worldwide endolithic communities. Finally, we highlight the utmost importance of a global rock survey in order to have a comprehensive view of the diversity, distribution, and functionality of these fungi in drylands, to obtain tools in desert area management, and as early alarm systems to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Coleine
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia , Largo dell'Università snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Jason E Stajich
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California, 900 University Ave , Riverside, California 92521
| | - Asunción de Los Ríos
- Department of Biogeochemistry and Microbial Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Spanish National Resource Council, Madrid, Spain
| | - Laura Selbmann
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia , Largo dell'Università snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy.,Italian National Antarctic Museum, Mycological Section, Genoa, Italy
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13
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Romeo O, Marchetta A, Giosa D, Giuffrè L, Urzì C, De Leo F. Whole Genome Sequencing and Comparative Genome Analysis of the Halotolerant Deep Sea Black Yeast Hortaea werneckii. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:E229. [PMID: 33023088 PMCID: PMC7601665 DOI: 10.3390/life10100229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Revised: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hortaea werneckii, an extreme halotolerant black yeast in the order of Capnodiales, was recently isolated from different stations and depths in the Mediterranean Sea, where it was shown to be the dominant fungal species. In order to explore the genome characteristics of these Mediterranean isolates, we carried out a de-novo sequencing of the genome of one strain isolated at a depth of 3400 m (MC873) and a re-sequencing of one strain taken from a depth of 2500 m (MC848), whose genome was previously sequenced but was highly fragmented. A comparative phylogenomic analysis with other published H. werneckii genomes was also carried out to investigate the evolution of the strains from the deep sea in this environment. A high level of genome completeness was obtained for both genomes, for which genome duplication and an extensive level of heterozygosity (~4.6%) were observed, supporting the recent hypothesis that a genome duplication caused by intraspecific hybridization occurred in most H. werneckii strains. Phylogenetic analyses showed environmental and/or geographical specificity, suggesting a possible evolutionary adaptation of marine H. werneckii strains to the deep sea environment. We release high-quality genome assemblies from marine H. werneckii strains, which provides additional data for further genomics analysis, including niche adaptation, fitness and evolution studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orazio Romeo
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98166 Messina, Italy; (O.R.); (A.M.); (L.G.); (C.U.)
| | - Alessia Marchetta
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98166 Messina, Italy; (O.R.); (A.M.); (L.G.); (C.U.)
| | - Domenico Giosa
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University Hospital of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy;
| | - Letterio Giuffrè
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98166 Messina, Italy; (O.R.); (A.M.); (L.G.); (C.U.)
| | - Clara Urzì
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98166 Messina, Italy; (O.R.); (A.M.); (L.G.); (C.U.)
| | - Filomena De Leo
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98166 Messina, Italy; (O.R.); (A.M.); (L.G.); (C.U.)
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14
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Naranjo‐Ortiz MA, Gabaldón T. Fungal evolution: cellular, genomic and metabolic complexity. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 95:1198-1232. [PMID: 32301582 PMCID: PMC7539958 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Revised: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The question of how phenotypic and genomic complexity are inter-related and how they are shaped through evolution is a central question in biology that historically has been approached from the perspective of animals and plants. In recent years, however, fungi have emerged as a promising alternative system to address such questions. Key to their ecological success, fungi present a broad and diverse range of phenotypic traits. Fungal cells can adopt many different shapes, often within a single species, providing them with great adaptive potential. Fungal cellular organizations span from unicellular forms to complex, macroscopic multicellularity, with multiple transitions to higher or lower levels of cellular complexity occurring throughout the evolutionary history of fungi. Similarly, fungal genomes are very diverse in their architecture. Deep changes in genome organization can occur very quickly, and these phenomena are known to mediate rapid adaptations to environmental changes. Finally, the biochemical complexity of fungi is huge, particularly with regard to their secondary metabolites, chemical products that mediate many aspects of fungal biology, including ecological interactions. Herein, we explore how the interplay of these cellular, genomic and metabolic traits mediates the emergence of complex phenotypes, and how this complexity is shaped throughout the evolutionary history of Fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A. Naranjo‐Ortiz
- Bioinformatics and Genomics Programme, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG)The Barcelona Institute of Science and TechnologyDr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona08003Spain
| | - Toni Gabaldón
- Bioinformatics and Genomics Programme, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG)The Barcelona Institute of Science and TechnologyDr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona08003Spain
- Department of Experimental Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF)Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003BarcelonaSpain
- ICREAPg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010BarcelonaSpain
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15
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Muggia L, Zalar P, Azua-Bustos A, González-Silva C, Grube M, Gunde-Cimerman N. The beauty and the yeast: can the microalgae Dunaliella form a borderline lichen with Hortaea werneckii? Symbiosis 2020; 82:123-131. [PMID: 33536700 PMCID: PMC7116670 DOI: 10.1007/s13199-020-00697-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Lichenized fungi usually develop complex, stratified morphologies through an intricately balanced living together with their algal partners, but several species are known to form only more or less loose associations with algae. These borderline lichens are still little explored although they could inform us about early stages of lichen evolution. We studied the association of the extremely halotolerant fungus Hortaea werneckii with the alga Dunaliella atacamensis, discovered in a cave in the Atacama Desert (Chile), and with D. salina, common inhabitant of saltern brines. D. atacamensis forms small colonies, in which cells of H. werneckii can be frequently observed, while such interaction has not been observed with D. salina. As symbiotic interactions between Dunaliella and Hortaea have not been reported, we performed a series of co-cultivation experiments to inspect whether these species could interact and develop more distinct lichen-like symbiotic structures. We set up co-cultures between axenic strains of Hortaea werneckii (isolated both from Mediterranean salterns and from the Atacama cave) and isolates of D. atacamensis (from the Atacama cave) and D. salina (isolated from Mediterranean salterns). Although we used different growth media and cultivation approaches, bright field and SEM microscopy analyses did not indicate any mutual effects in these experiments. We discuss the implications for fungal algal interactions along the transition from algal exploiters to lichen symbioses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Muggia
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, via Giorgieri 10, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Polona Zalar
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večnapot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Armando Azua-Bustos
- Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), 28850 Madrid, Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain.,Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, 8910060 Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Martin Grube
- University of Graz, Institute of Biology, Holteigasse 6, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Nina Gunde-Cimerman
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večnapot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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16
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Gilbert KB, Holcomb EE, Allscheid RL, Carrington JC. Hiding in plain sight: New virus genomes discovered via a systematic analysis of fungal public transcriptomes. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0219207. [PMID: 31339899 PMCID: PMC6655640 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The distribution and diversity of RNA viruses in fungi is incompletely understood due to the often cryptic nature of mycoviral infections and the focused study of primarily pathogenic and/or economically important fungi. As most viruses that are known to infect fungi possess either single-stranded or double-stranded RNA genomes, transcriptomic data provides the opportunity to query for viruses in diverse fungal samples without any a priori knowledge of virus infection. Here we describe a systematic survey of all transcriptomic datasets from fungi belonging to the subphylum Pezizomycotina. Using a simple but effective computational pipeline that uses reads discarded during normal RNA-seq analyses, followed by identification of a viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) motif in de novo assembled contigs, 59 viruses from 44 different fungi were identified. Among the viruses identified, 88% were determined to be new species and 68% are, to our knowledge, the first virus described from the fungal species. Comprehensive analyses of both nucleotide and inferred protein sequences characterize the phylogenetic relationships between these viruses and the known set of mycoviral sequences and support the classification of up to four new families and two new genera. Thus the results provide a deeper understanding of the scope of mycoviral diversity while also increasing the distribution of fungal hosts. Further, this study demonstrates the suitability of analyzing RNA-seq data to facilitate rapid discovery of new viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerrigan B. Gilbert
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Emily E. Holcomb
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Robyn L. Allscheid
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - James C. Carrington
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
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17
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Zalar P, Zupančič J, Gostinčar C, Zajc J, de Hoog GS, De Leo F, Azua-Bustos A, Gunde-Cimerman N. The extremely halotolerant black yeast Hortaea werneckii - a model for intraspecific hybridization in clonal fungi. IMA Fungus 2019; 10:10. [PMID: 32647617 PMCID: PMC7325687 DOI: 10.1186/s43008-019-0007-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The polymorphic black yeast Hortaea werneckii (Capnodiales, Ascomycota) is extremely halotolerant (growth from 0 to 30% [w/v] NaCl) and has been extensively studied as a model for halotolerance in Eukaryotes for over two decades. Its most frequent sources are hypersaline environments and adjacent sea-water habitats in temperate, subtropical and tropical climates. Although typically saprobic, H. werneckii can also act as a commensal coloniser on human skin, causing tinea nigra on hands and soles. Here, we report that addition of NaCl to culture media expands the growth range of H. werneckii to 37 °C, which explains its colonisation of human skin, with its increased salinity. The morphological and physiological plasticity/ versatility of H. werneckii indicate that a species complex might be involved. This was investigated in this polyphasic taxonomic analysis based on the global diversity of H. werneckii strains collected from hypersaline environments, and from humans and animals. Analysis of D1/D2domains of 28S and internal transcribed spacer rDNA revealed 10 and 17 genotypes, respectively, that were not always compliant. The genotypes have global distributions. Human and environmental strains with the same genotypes are intermingled. Due to the limited number of phylogenetically informative characters in the ribosomal DNA dataset, the partial genes encoding for β-tubulin (BTB) and mini-chromosome maintenance protein (MCM7) were also sequenced. The use of these genes was hampered by ambiguous sequences obtained by Sanger sequencing, as a consequence of the diploid and highly heterozygous genome of many H. werneckii strains. Analysis of the BTB and MCM7 genes showed that in some cases two copies of the gene from the same genome are positioned in distant phylogenetic clusters of the intraspecific gene tree. Analysis of whole-genome sequences of selected H. werneckii strains generally confirmed the phylogenetic distances estimated on the basis of ribosomal genes, but also showed substantial reticulation within the phylogenetic history of the strains. This is in line with the hypothesis that the diploid genomes of H. werneckii were formed by hybridizations, which have sometimes occurred between relatively divergent strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Polona Zalar
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Jerneja Zupančič
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Cene Gostinčar
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Lars Bolund Institute of Regenerative Medicine, BGI-Qingdao, Qingdao, 266555 China
| | - Janja Zajc
- Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - G. Sybren de Hoog
- Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, P.O. Box 85167, Utrecht, 3508 AD The Netherlands
- Centre of Expertise in Mycology of RadboudUMC, Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Filomena De Leo
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences (ChiBioFarAm), University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno d’Alcontres, 31 98166 Messina, Italy
| | - Armando Azua-Bustos
- Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, 8910060 Santiago, Chile
| | - Nina Gunde-Cimerman
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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18
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Gonzalo A, Lucas MO, Charpentier C, Sandmann G, Lloyd A, Jenczewski E. Reducing MSH4 copy number prevents meiotic crossovers between non-homologous chromosomes in Brassica napus. Nat Commun 2019; 10:2354. [PMID: 31142748 PMCID: PMC6541637 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10010-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In allopolyploids, correct chromosome segregation requires suppression of non-homologous crossovers while levels of homologous crossovers are ensured. To date, no mechanism able to specifically inhibit non-homologous crossovers has been described in allopolyploids other than in bread wheat. Here, we show that reducing the number of functional copies of MSH4, an essential gene for the main crossover pathway, prevents non-homologous crossovers in allotetraploid Brassica napus. We show that non-homologous crossovers originate almost exclusively from the MSH4-dependent recombination pathway and that their numbers decrease when MSH4 returns to single copy in B. napus; by contrast, homologous crossovers remain unaffected by MSH4 duplicate loss. We also demonstrate that MSH4 systematically returns to single copy following numerous independent polyploidy events, a pattern that is probably not by chance. These results suggest that stabilization of allopolyploid meiosis can be enhanced by loss of a key meiotic recombination gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrián Gonzalo
- Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, INRA, AgroParisTech, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 78000, Versailles, France.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Marie-Odile Lucas
- INRA UMR1349 Institut de Génétique, Environnement et Protection des Plantes, Le Rheu, 35653, France
| | - Catherine Charpentier
- Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, INRA, AgroParisTech, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 78000, Versailles, France
| | - Greta Sandmann
- Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, INRA, AgroParisTech, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 78000, Versailles, France
| | - Andrew Lloyd
- Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, INRA, AgroParisTech, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 78000, Versailles, France.,Institute of Biological, Environmental, and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, SY23 3EB, UK
| | - Eric Jenczewski
- Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, INRA, AgroParisTech, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 78000, Versailles, France.
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19
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Wongsa B, Raethong N, Chumnanpuen P, Wong-Ekkabut J, Laoteng K, Vongsangnak W. Alternative metabolic routes in channeling xylose to cordycepin production of Cordyceps militaris identified by comparative transcriptome analysis. Genomics 2019; 112:629-636. [PMID: 31022437 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2019.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Revised: 04/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The responsive mechanism of C. militaris TBRC7358 on xylose utilization was investigated by comparative analysis of transcriptomes, growth kinetics and cordycepin productions. The result showed that the culture grown on xylose exhibited high production yield of cordycepin on dry biomass. Comparing xylose to other carbon sources, a set of significantly up-regulated genes in xylose were enriched in pentose and glucuronate interconversion, and cordycepin biosynthesis. After validating up-regulated genes using quantitative real-time PCR, interestingly, putative alternative 3'-AMP-associated metabolic route on cordycepin biosynthesis was identified. Through reporter metabolites analysis of C. militaris, significant metabolites (e.g., AMP, glycine and L-glutamate) were identified guiding involvement of growth and cordycepin production. These findings suggested that there was a cooperative mechanism in transcriptional control of the supplying precursors pool directed towards the cordycepin biosynthesis through main and putative alternative metabolic routes for leverage of cell growth and cordycepin production on xylose of C. militaris strain TBRC7358.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boontariga Wongsa
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
| | - Nachon Raethong
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Bioscience, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
| | - Pramote Chumnanpuen
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand; Computational Biomodelling Laboratory for Agricultural Science and Technology (CBLAST), Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
| | - Jirasak Wong-Ekkabut
- Computational Biomodelling Laboratory for Agricultural Science and Technology (CBLAST), Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand; Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
| | - Kobkul Laoteng
- Functional Ingredients and Food Innovation Research Group, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand.
| | - Wanwipa Vongsangnak
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand; Omics Center for Agriculture, Bioresources, Food, and Health, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University (OmiKU), Bangkok 10900, Thailand.
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20
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21
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Marchetta A, Gerrits van den Ende B, Al-Hatmi AMS, Hagen F, Zalar P, Sudhadham M, Gunde-Cimerman N, Urzì C, de Hoog S, De Leo F. Global Molecular Diversity of the Halotolerant Fungus Hortaea werneckii. Life (Basel) 2018; 8:E31. [PMID: 30041476 PMCID: PMC6161025 DOI: 10.3390/life8030031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2018] [Revised: 07/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A global set of clinical and environmental strains of the halotolerant black yeast-like fungus Hortaea werneckii are analyzed by multilocus sequencing and AFLP, and physiological parameters are determined. Partial translation elongation factor 1-α proves to be suitable for typing because of the presence/absence of introns and also the presence of several SNPs. Local clonal expansion could be established by a combination of molecular methods, while the population from the Mediterranean Sea water also responds differently to combined temperature and salt stress. The species comprises molecular populations, which in part also differ physiologically allowing further diversification, but clinical strains did not deviate significantly from their environmental counterparts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Marchetta
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98122 Messina, Italy.
- Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | | | - Abdullah M S Al-Hatmi
- Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- Centre of Expertise in Mycology of RadboudUMC/Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
- Ministry of Health, Directorate General of Health Services, 133 Ibri, Oman.
| | - Ferry Hagen
- Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Polona Zalar
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Montarop Sudhadham
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, 10300 Bangkok, Thailand.
| | - Nina Gunde-Cimerman
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Clara Urzì
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98122 Messina, Italy.
| | - Sybren de Hoog
- Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- Centre of Expertise in Mycology of RadboudUMC/Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Filomena De Leo
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98122 Messina, Italy.
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22
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Conservation of mRNA quality control factor Ski7 and its diversification through changes in alternative splicing and gene duplication. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E6808-E6816. [PMID: 29967155 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1801997115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotes maintain fidelity of gene expression by preferential degradation of aberrant mRNAs that arise by errors in RNA processing reactions. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Ski7 plays an important role in this mRNA quality control by mediating mRNA degradation by the RNA exosome. Ski7 was initially thought to be restricted to Saccharomyces cerevisiae and close relatives because the SKI7 gene and its paralog HBS1 arose by whole genome duplication (WGD) in a recent ancestor. We have recently shown that the preduplication gene was alternatively spliced and that Ski7 function predates WGD. Here, we use transcriptome analysis of diverse eukaryotes to show that diverse eukaryotes use alternative splicing of SKI7/HBS1 to encode two proteins. Although alternative splicing affects the same intrinsically disordered region of the protein, the pattern of splice site usage varies. This alternative splicing event arose in an early eukaryote that is a common ancestor of plants, animals, and fungi. Remarkably, through changes in alternative splicing and gene duplication, the Ski7 protein has diversified such that different species express one of four distinct Ski7-like proteins. We also show experimentally that the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SKI7 gene has undergone multiple changes that are incompatible with the Hbs1 function and may also have undergone additional changes to optimize mRNA quality control. The combination of transcriptome analysis in diverse eukaryotes and genetic analysis in yeast clarifies the mechanism by which a Ski7-like protein is expressed across eukaryotes and provides a unique view of changes in alternative splicing patterns of one gene over long evolutionary time.
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Abstract
Modern genomics has shed light on many entomopathogenic fungi and expanded our knowledge widely; however, little is known about the genomic features of the insect-commensal fungi. Harpellales are obligate commensals living in the digestive tracts of disease-bearing insects (black flies, midges, and mosquitoes). In this study, we produced and annotated whole-genome sequences of nine Harpellales taxa and conducted the first comparative analyses to infer the genomic diversity within the members of the Harpellales. The genomes of the insect gut fungi feature low (26% to 37%) GC content and large genome size variations (25 to 102 Mb). Further comparisons with insect-pathogenic fungi (from both Ascomycota and Zoopagomycota), as well as with free-living relatives (as negative controls), helped to identify a gene toolbox that is essential to the fungus-insect symbiosis. The results not only narrow the genomic scope of fungus-insect interactions from several thousands to eight core players but also distinguish host invasion strategies employed by insect pathogens and commensals. The genomic content suggests that insect commensal fungi rely mostly on adhesion protein anchors that target digestive system, while entomopathogenic fungi have higher numbers of transmembrane helices, signal peptides, and pathogen-host interaction (PHI) genes across the whole genome and enrich genes as well as functional domains to inactivate the host inflammation system and suppress the host defense. Phylogenomic analyses have revealed that genome sizes of Harpellales fungi vary among lineages with an integer-multiple pattern, which implies that ancient genome duplications may have occurred within the gut of insects. Insect guts harbor various microbes that are important for host digestion, immune response, and disease dispersal in certain cases. Bacteria, which are among the primary endosymbionts, have been studied extensively. However, fungi, which are also frequently encountered, are poorly known with respect to their biology within the insect guts. To understand the genomic features and related biology, we produced the whole-genome sequences of nine gut commensal fungi from disease-bearing insects (black flies, midges, and mosquitoes). The results show that insect gut fungi tend to have low GC content across their genomes. By comparing these commensals with entomopathogenic and free-living fungi that have available genome sequences, we found a universal core gene toolbox that is unique and thus potentially important for the insect-fungus symbiosis. This comparative work also uncovered different host invasion strategies employed by insect pathogens and commensals, as well as a model system to study ancient fungal genome duplication within the gut of insects.
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Genomic evidence for intraspecific hybridization in a clonal and extremely halotolerant yeast. BMC Genomics 2018; 19:364. [PMID: 29764372 PMCID: PMC5952469 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-018-4751-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The black yeast Hortaea werneckii (Dothideomycetes, Ascomycota) is one of the most extremely halotolerant fungi, capable of growth at NaCl concentrations close to saturation. Although dothideomycetous fungi are typically haploid, the reference H. werneckii strain has a diploid genome consisting of two subgenomes with a high level of heterozygosity. Results In order to explain the origin of the H. werneckii diploid genome we here report the genome sequencing of eleven strains isolated from different habitats and geographic locations. Comparison of nine diploid and two haploid strains showed that the reference genome was likely formed by hybridization between two haploids and not by endoreduplication as suggested previously. Results also support additional hybridization events in the evolutionary history of investigated strains, however exchange of genetic material in the species otherwise appears to be rare. Possible links between such unusual reproduction and the extremotolerance of H. werneckii remain to be investigated. Conclusions H. werneckii appears to be able to form persistent haploid as well as diploid strains, is capable of occasional hybridization between relatively heterozygous haploids, but is otherwise limited to clonal reproduction. The reported data and the first identification of haploid H. werneckii strains establish this species as a good model for studying the effects of ploidy and hybridization in an extremotolerant system unperturbed by frequent genetic recombination. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-018-4751-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Gostinčar C, Gunde-Cimerman N. Overview of Oxidative Stress Response Genes in Selected Halophilic Fungi. Genes (Basel) 2018; 9:E143. [PMID: 29509668 PMCID: PMC5867864 DOI: 10.3390/genes9030143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Revised: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 02/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposure of microorganisms to stress, including to high concentrations of salt, can lead to increased production of reactive oxygen species in the cell. To limit the resulting damage, cells have evolved a variety of antioxidant defenses. The role of these defenses in halotolerance has been proposed before. Whole genome sequencing for some of the most halotolerant and halophilic fungal species has enabled us to investigate the possible links between oxidative and salt stress tolerance on the genomic level. We identified genes involved in oxidative stress response in the halophilic basidiomycete Wallemia ichthyophaga, and halotolerant ascomycetous black yeasts Hortaea werneckii and Aureobasidium pullulans, and compared them to genes from 16 other fungi, both asco- and basidiomycetes. According to our results, W. ichthyophaga can survive salinities detrimental to most other organisms with only a moderate number of oxidative stress response genes. In other investigated species, however, the maximum tolerated salinity correlated with the number of genes encoding three major enzymes of the cellular oxidative stress response: superoxide dismutases, catalases, and peroxiredoxins. This observation supports the hypothetical link between the antioxidant capacity of cells and their halotolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cene Gostinčar
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Nina Gunde-Cimerman
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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Gunde-Cimerman N, Plemenitaš A, Oren A. Strategies of adaptation of microorganisms of the three domains of life to high salt concentrations. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuy009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 193] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Nina Gunde-Cimerman
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ana Plemenitaš
- Institute of Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Vrazov trg 1, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Aharon Oren
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, The Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
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