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Altered patterns of gene duplication and differential gene gain and loss in fungal pathogens

Journal Article · · BMC Genomics
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [3]
  1. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Dept. of Computational Systems Biology; DOE/OSTI
  2. Univ. of Dublin (Ireland). Trinity College. Smurfit Inst. of Genetics
  3. North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States). Center for Integrated Fungal Research. Dept. of Plant Pathology

Background: Duplication, followed by fixation or random loss of novel genes, contributes to genome evolution. Particular outcomes of duplication events are possibly associated with pathogenic life histories in fungi. To date, differential gene gain and loss have not been studied at genomic scales in fungal pathogens, despite this phenomenon's known importance in virulence in bacteria and viruses. Results: To determine if patterns of gene duplication differed between pathogens and nonpathogens, we identified gene families across nine euascomycete and two basidiomycete species. Gene family size distributions were fit to power laws to compare gene duplication trends in pathogens versus non-pathogens. Fungal phytopathogens showed globally altered patterns of gene duplication, as indicated by differences in gene family size distribution. We also identified sixteen examples of gene family expansion and five instances of gene family contraction in pathogenic lineages. Expanded gene families included those predicted to be important in melanin biosynthesis, host cell wall degradation and transport functions. Contracted families included those encoding genes involved in toxin production, genes with oxidoreductase activity, as well as subunits of the vacuolar ATPase complex. Surveys of the functional distribution of gene duplicates indicated that pathogens show enrichment for gene duplicates associated with receptor and hydrolase activities, while euascomycete pathogens appeared to have not only these differences, but also significantly more duplicates associated with regulatory and carbohydrate binding functions. Conclusion: Differences in the overall levels of gene duplication in phytopathogenic species versus non-pathogenic relatives implicate gene inventory flux as an important virulence-associated process in fungi. We hypothesize that the observed patterns of gene duplicate enrichment, gene family expansion and contraction reflect adaptation within pathogenic life histories. These adaptations were likely shaped by ancient, as well as contemporary, intimate associations with monocot hosts.

Research Organization:
Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER). Biological Systems Science Division
Grant/Contract Number:
NA0003525
OSTI ID:
1626461
Journal Information:
BMC Genomics, Journal Name: BMC Genomics Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 9; ISSN 1471-2164
Publisher:
SpringerCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Selection for Higher Gene Copy Number after Different Types of Plant Gene Duplications journal January 2011
Species-Specific Chitin-Binding Module 18 Expansion in the Amphibian Pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis journal June 2012
The Potential for pathogenicity was present in the ancestor of the Ascomycete subphylum Pezizomycotina journal October 2010
The Evolution of Fungal Metabolic Pathways journal December 2014
The Power of an Evolutionary Perspective in Studies of Endocrinology book November 2011
GT-Miner: a graph-theoretic data miner, viewer, and model processor journal December 2008
Safety of the fungal workhorses of industrial biotechnology: update on the mycotoxin and secondary metabolite potential of Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus oryzae, and Trichoderma reesei journal October 2018
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Extensive Intra-Kingdom Horizontal Gene Transfer Converging on a Fungal Fructose Transporter Gene journal June 2013
Induction of antibacterial proteins and peptides in the coprophilous mushroom Coprinopsis cinerea in response to bacteria text January 2018
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