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Title: Transposable Elements versus the Fungal Genome: Impact on Whole-Genome Architecture and Transcriptional Profiles

Journal Article · · PLoS Genetics
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [4]; ORCiD logo [1];  [1];  [2]; ORCiD logo [5];  [1];  [6]
  1. Public Univ. of Navarre, Navarre (Spain)
  2. USDOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI), Walnut Creek, CA (United States)
  3. USDOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI), Walnut Creek, CA (United States); St. Petersburg State Univ., St. Petersburg (Russia)
  4. USDOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI), Walnut Creek, CA (United States); Hudson Alpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL (United States)
  5. Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States)
  6. Univ. of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)

Transposable elements (TEs) are exceptional contributors to eukaryotic genome diversity. Their ubiquitous presence impacts the genomes of nearly all species and mediates genome evolution by causing mutations and chromosomal rearrangements and by modulating gene expression. We performed an exhaustive analysis of the TE content in 18 fungal genomes, including strains of the same species and species of the same genera. Our results depicted a scenario of exceptional variability, with species having 0.02 to 29.8% of their genome consisting of transposable elements. A detailed analysis performed on two strains of Pleurotus ostreatus uncovered a genome that is populated mainly by Class I elements, especially LTR-retrotransposons amplified in recent bursts from 0 to 2 million years (My) ago. The preferential accumulation of TEs in clusters led to the presence of genomic regions that lacked intra- and inter-specific conservation. In addition, we investigated the effect of TE insertions on the expression of their nearby upstream and downstream genes. Our results showed that an important number of genes under TE influence are significantly repressed, with stronger repression when genes are localized within transposon clusters. Our transcriptional analysis performed in four additional fungal models revealed that this TE-mediated silencing was present only in species with active cytosine methylation machinery. We hypothesize that this phenomenon is related to epigenetic defense mechanisms that are aimed to suppress TE expression and control their proliferation.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
AGL2014-55971-R; AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1378343
Journal Information:
PLoS Genetics, Vol. 12, Issue 6; ISSN 1553-7404
Publisher:
Public Library of ScienceCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 122 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Biology, dynamics, and applications of transposable elements in basidiomycete fungi journal January 2017
Botcinic acid biosynthesis in Botrytis cinerea relies on a subtelomeric gene cluster surrounded by relics of transposons and is regulated by the Zn2Cys6 transcription factor BcBoa13 journal March 2019
Biocontrol strain Aspergillus flavus WRRL 1519 has differences in chromosomal organization and an increased number of transposon-like elements compared to other strains journal August 2018
The evolution of genomic and epigenomic features in two Pleurotus fungi journal May 2018
Comparative analysis of genome-wide DNA methylation in Neurospora journal March 2020
Comparative study of genome-wide plant biomass-degrading CAZymes in white rot, brown rot and soft rot fungi journal December 2017
Transposon-associated epigenetic silencing during Pleurotus ostreatus life cycle journal June 2018
Environmental change and the evolution of genomes: Transposable elements as translators of phenotypic plasticity into genotypic variability journal December 2019
Large‐scale Trichoderma diversity was associated with ecosystem, climate and geographic location journal August 2019
At the nexus of three kingdoms: the genome of the mycorrhizal fungus Gigaspora margarita provides insights into plant, endobacterial and fungal interactions journal October 2019
Impact of polymorphic transposable elements on linkage disequilibrium along chromosomes journal March 2019
Apophysomyces variabilis: draft genome sequence and comparison of predictive virulence determinants with other medically important Mucorales journal September 2017
A genetic linkage map of Pleurotus tuoliensis integrated with physical mapping of the de novo sequenced genome and the mating type loci journal January 2018
Signatures of host specialization and a recent transposable element burst in the dynamic one-speed genome of the fungal barley powdery mildew pathogen journal May 2018
Comparative genomics applied to Mucor species with different lifestyles journal February 2020
Genome expansion by allopolyploidization in the fungal strain Coniochaeta 2T2.1 and its exceptional lignocellulolytic machinery journal September 2019
Molecular characterization and overexpression of mnp6 and vp3 from Pleurotus ostreatus revealed their involvement in biodegradation of cotton stalk lignin journal December 2018
The genome assembly of the fungal pathogen Pyrenochaeta lycopersici from Single-Molecule Real-Time sequencing sheds new light on its biological complexity journal July 2018
Comparative genome analysis indicates high evolutionary potential of pathogenicity genes in Colletotrichum tanaceti journal May 2019
Unusual genome expansion and transcription suppression in ectomycorrhizal Tricholoma matsutake by insertions of transposable elements journal January 2020
Using Population and Comparative Genomics to Understand the Genetic Basis of Effector-Driven Fungal Pathogen Evolution journal February 2017
Transcriptome Changes during Major Developmental Transitions Accompanied with Little Alteration of DNA Methylome in Two Pleurotus Species journal June 2019
Genome-Wide Characterization and Expression Analyses of Pleurotus ostreatus MYB Transcription Factors during Developmental Stages and under Heat Stress Based on de novo Sequenced Genome journal July 2018
Transposable Elements Adaptive Role in Genome Plasticity, Pathogenicity and Evolution in Fungal Phytopathogens journal July 2019
Systematic Analysis of the Pleurotus ostreatus Laccase Gene (PoLac) Family and Functional Characterization of PoLac2 Involved in the Degradation of Cotton-Straw Lignin journal April 2018
A plant pathology perspective of fungal genome sequencing journal February 2017
Transposable elements contribute to fungal genes and impact fungal lifestyle journal March 2019
Genomic Plasticity Mediated by Transposable Elements in the Plant Pathogenic Fungus Colletotrichum higginsianum journal April 2019
Comparative genomics of Coniophora olivacea reveals different patterns of genome expansion in Boletales journal November 2017
Using Population and Comparative Genomics to Understand the Genetic Basis of Effector-Driven Fungal Pathogen Evolution text January 2017
Asexual reproduction reduces transposable element load in experimental yeast populations journal September 2019
Filamentous ascomycete genomes provide insights into Copia retrotransposon diversity in fungi journal May 2017
Assembly, annotation, and comparison of Macrophomina phaseolina isolates from strawberry and other hosts journal November 2019
Protesta en Patzicía. Los pueblos de indios y la vacatio regis en el reino de Guatemala journal April 2018
Comparative study of genome-wide plant biomass-degrading CAZymes in white rot, brown rot and soft rot fungi text January 2018
Impact of polymorphic transposable elements on linkage disequilibrium along chromosomes text January 2019
Somatic transposition and meiotically driven elimination of an active helitron family inPleurotus ostreatus journal January 2017
Genome Anatomy of Pyrenochaeta unguis-hominis UM 256, a Multidrug Resistant Strain Isolated from Skin Scraping journal September 2016
New lipases by mining of Pleurotus ostreatus genome journal September 2017
Comparative Genomics of Smut Pathogens: Insights From Orphans and Positively Selected Genes Into Host Specialization journal April 2018
Horizontal Gene Transfer From Bacteria and Plants to the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus Rhizophagus irregularis journal May 2018
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