Abstract
ABSTRACTMarine fungi remain poorly covered in global genome sequencing campaigns; the 1000 fungal genomes (1KFG) project attempts to shed light on the diversity, ecology and potential industrial use of overlooked and poorly resolved fungal taxa. This study characterizes the genomes of three marine fungi: Emericellopsis sp. TS7, wood-associated Amylocarpus encephaloides and algae-associated Calycina marina. These species were genome sequenced to study their genomic features, biosynthetic potential and phylogenetic placement using multilocus data. Amylocarpus encephaloides and C. marina were placed in the Helotiaceae and Pezizellaceae (Helotiales), respectively, based on a 15-gene phylogenetic analysis. These two genomes had fewer biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) and carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) than Emericellopsis sp. TS7 isolate. Emericellopsis sp. TS7 (Hypocreales, Ascomycota) was isolated from the sponge Stelletta normani. A six-gene phylogenetic analysis placed the isolate in the marine Emericellopsis clade and morphological examination confirmed that the isolate represents a new species, which is described here as E. atlantica. Analysis of its CAZyme repertoire and a culturing experiment on three marine and one terrestrial substrates indicated that E. atlantica is a psychrotrophic generalist fungus that is able to degrade several types of marine biomass. FungiSMASH analysis revealed the presence of 35 BGCs including, eight non-ribosomal peptide synthases (NRPSs), six NRPS-like, six polyketide synthases, nine terpenes and six hybrid, mixed or other clusters. Of these BGCs, only five were homologous with characterized BGCs. The presence of unknown BGCs sets and large CAZyme repertoire set stage for further investigations of E. atlantica. The Pezizellaceae genome and the genome of the monotypic Amylocarpus genus represent the first published genomes of filamentous fungi that are restricted in their occurrence to the marine habitat and form thus a valuable resource for the community that can be used in studying ecological adaptions of fungi using comparative genomics.
Highlights
The first genome of a fungus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, was sequenced in 1996 (Goffeau et al 1996)
The genome characteristics of A. encephaloides and C. marina are presented at the end of the results section
Despite the high gene count, A. encephaloides had fewer carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) than E. atlantica, but a higher the number of secreted CAZymes containing CBM1 and CBM87 compared to the other genomes
Summary
The first genome of a fungus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, was sequenced in 1996 (Goffeau et al 1996). Despite the effort so far, one issue in comparative genomics is the lack of available genomic data and proper taxonomic representation of the known taxa (Naranjo-Ortiz and Gabaldón 2019; Lücking et al 2020) This is especially noticeable among marine fungi, where few genomes are available compared to terrestrial fungi. The 1000 fungal genomes (1KFG) project wants to address these issues and answer questions regarding ecologically and taxonomically overlooked fungi like marine fungi in poorly resolved taxa, such as Helotiales (Leotiomycetes). By making their genomes publicly available, 1KFG contributes to better elucidate the general features of marine fungi (Grigoriev et al 2011; Grigoriev et al 2014)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
