Abstract
Nematophagous fungi employ three distinct predatory strategies: nematode trapping, parasitism of females and eggs, and endoparasitism. While endoparasites play key roles in controlling nematode populations in nature, their application for integrated pest management is hindered by the limited understanding of their biology. We present a comparative analysis of a high quality finished genome assembly of Drechmeria coniospora, a model endoparasitic nematophagous fungus, integrated with a transcriptomic study. Adaptation of D. coniospora to its almost completely obligate endoparasitic lifestyle led to the simplification of many orthologous gene families involved in the saprophytic trophic mode, while maintaining orthologs of most known fungal pathogen-host interaction proteins, stress response circuits and putative effectors of the small secreted protein type. The need to adhere to and penetrate the host cuticle led to a selective radiation of surface proteins and hydrolytic enzymes. Although the endoparasite has a simplified secondary metabolome, it produces a novel peptaibiotic family that shows antibacterial, antifungal and nematicidal activities. Our analyses emphasize the basic malleability of the D. coniospora genome: loss of genes advantageous for the saprophytic lifestyle; modulation of elements that its cohort species utilize for entomopathogenesis; and expansion of protein families necessary for the nematode endoparasitic lifestyle.
Highlights
Nematophagous fungi comprise over 200 species from all major fungal taxa[5]
Chromosome III includes a > 500 kb region consisting of tandem repeats of rDNA gene clusters (6-7 kb each), detected by optical mapping (Fig. 2)
The D. coniospora genome complements our understanding of fungal nematophagy by revealing genomic adaptations to endoparasitism, the third major nematode parasitic strategy in fungi in addition to female and egg parasitism (P. chlamydosporia18) and nematode trapping (A. oligospora19)
Summary
Nematophagous fungi comprise over 200 species from all major fungal taxa[5] Most of these fungi are facultative parasites[4], with the nematode prey serving as a supplementary nitrogen and lipid source for a basically saprophytic lifestyle[5]. The majority of the endoparasites has a low saprotrophic capacity[6] and develops more intimate relationships with their hosts, approaching obligate parasitism. These fungi may play key roles in controlling the populations of certain nematodes in nature, most research efforts have concentrated on the nematode-trapping fungi and the female and egg parasites. Endoparasitic lifestyle of D. coniospora, and highlight dynamic adaptations of the transcriptome to different developmental stages in the fungal life cycle
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