Genomic and Proteomic Analyses of the Fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora Provide Insights into Nematode-Trap Formation

PLoS Pathogens

Jianping Xu¹  Yanlu Luo²  Jinkui Yang²  Lianming Liang²  Yajun Liu²  Guohong Li²  Yu Liu²  Lu Feng²  Wei Zhou²  Haiyan Wang²  Min Qiao²  Juan Li²  Qili Mi²  Chenggang Zou²  Lei Li²  Xinglai Ji²  Kaifang Ji²  Zefen Yu²  Yan Ren³  Ke-Qin Zhang³  Lei Wang³  Xuemei Niu³  Xiaomin Li³  Yun Feng³  Shuqun Liu³  Xiaowei Huang³  Junli Wu⁴ 

[1] Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada;Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources, and Key Laboratory of Microbial Diversity in Southwest China, Ministry of Education, Yunnan University, Kunming, P. R. China;TEDA School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin, P. R. China;Yunnan Academy of Tobacco Science, Kunming, P. R. China

关键词: Fungal genomics;    Fungi;    Fungal genetics;    Fungal pathogens;    Phylogenetic analysis;    Comparative genomics;    Rice blast fungus;    Pathogenesis;   

DOI  :  10.1371/journal.ppat.1002179

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Public Library of Science

【 摘 要 】

Nematode-trapping fungi are “carnivorous” and attack their hosts using specialized trapping devices. The morphological development of these traps is the key indicator of their switch from saprophytic to predacious lifestyles. Here, the genome of the nematode-trapping fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora Fres. (ATCC24927) was reported. The genome contains 40.07 Mb assembled sequence with 11,479 predicted genes. Comparative analysis showed that A. oligospora shared many more genes with pathogenic fungi than with non-pathogenic fungi. Specifically, compared to several sequenced ascomycete fungi, the A. oligospora genome has a larger number of pathogenicity-related genes in the subtilisin, cellulase, cellobiohydrolase, and pectinesterase gene families. Searching against the pathogen-host interaction gene database identified 398 homologous genes involved in pathogenicity in other fungi. The analysis of repetitive sequences provided evidence for repeat-induced point mutations in A. oligospora. Proteomic and quantitative PCR (qPCR) analyses revealed that 90 genes were significantly up-regulated at the early stage of trap-formation by nematode extracts and most of these genes were involved in translation, amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, cell wall and membrane biogenesis. Based on the combined genomic, proteomic and qPCR data, a model for the formation of nematode trapping device in this fungus was proposed. In this model, multiple fungal signal transduction pathways are activated by its nematode prey to further regulate downstream genes associated with diverse cellular processes such as energy metabolism, biosynthesis of the cell wall and adhesive proteins, cell division, glycerol accumulation and peroxisome biogenesis. This study will facilitate the identification of pathogenicity-related genes and provide a broad foundation for understanding the molecular and evolutionary mechanisms underlying fungi-nematodes interactions.

【 授权许可】

CC BY