Comparative genomics reveals high biological diversity and specific adaptations in the industrially and medically important fungal genus Aspergillus

RONALD P. DE VRIES; GUILLERMO AGUILAR-OSORIO; GREGOR ANDERLUH; KERRIE BARRY; TIZIANO BENOCCI; DAVID CÁNOVAS; WANPING CHEN; RENATO AUGUSTO CORRÊA DOS SANTOS; TAMÁS EMRI; SUSANNE FREYBERG; ROB HABGOOD; BERNARD HENRISSAT; ABEER HOSSAIN; ZSOLT KARÁNYI; HARALD KUSCH; ALLA LAPIDUS; ANNA LIPZEN; MIIA R. MÄKELÄ; VERA MEYER; ÁKOS P. MOLNÁR; MARGARITA OREJAS; KARIN M. OVERKAMP; FRANCOIS PIUMI; ANA RAMÓN; DIEGO MAURICIO RIAÑO-PACHÓN; ROBERTO RULLER; ROB A. SAMSON; AD WIEBENGA; TABEA SCHÜTZE; CRISTIANE AKEMI UCHIMA; VICKY SOPHIANOPOULOU; MARION ASKIN; ANTONIA SUSCA; ÖZGÜR BAYRAM; SHIELA E. UNKLES; CAMILA CALDANA; JULIANA VELASCO DE CASTRO OLIVEIRA; FUSHENG CHEN; ALICIA CLUM; GEORGE DIALLINAS; MICHEL FLIPPHI; CHRISTOS GOURNAS; MARÍA LAURA HARISPE; RYAN HOPE; LEVENTE KARAFFA; ALAN KUO; ELLEN L. LAGENDIJK; ERIKA LINDQUIST; ANDREW MACCABE; PETTER MELIN; MÁRTON MISKEI; CHEW YEE NGAN; JEAN PAUL OUEDRAOGO; GIANCARLO PERRONE; ARTHUR F. J. RAM; ERIC RECORD; JULIAN RÖHRIG; NADHIRA S. SALIH; MANUEL SANGUINETTI; ROBERT RILEY; EKATER

GENOME BIOLOGY

BIOMED CENTRAL LTD

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2017 vol. 18

1474-760X

Background: The fungal genus Aspergillus is of critical importance to humankind. Species include those with industrialapplications, important pathogens of humans, animals and crops, a source of potent carcinogenic contaminants offood, and an important genetic model. The genome sequences of eight aspergilli have already been explored toinvestigate aspects of fungal biology, raising questions about evolution and specialization within this genus.Results: We have generated genome sequences for ten novel, highly diverse Aspergillus species and compared thesein detail to sister and more distant genera. Comparative studies of key aspects of fungal biology, including primary andsecondary metabolism, stress response, biomass degradation, and signal transduction, revealed both conservation anddiversity among the species. Observed genomic differences were validated with experimental studies. This revealedseveral highlights, such as the potential for sex in asexual species, organic acid production genes being a key feature ofblack aspergilli, alternative approaches for degrading plant biomass, and indications for the genetic basis of stressresponse. A genome-wide phylogenetic analysis demonstrated in detail the relationship of the newly genomesequenced species with other aspergilli.Conclusions: Many aspects of biological differences between fungal species cannot be explained by current knowledgeobtained from genome sequences. The comparative genomics and experimental study, presented here, allows for the firsttime a genus-wide view of the biological diversity of the aspergilli and in many, but not all, cases linked genomedifferences to phenotype. Insights gained could be exploited for biotechnological and medical applications of fungi.