Evidence for acquisition of virulence effectors in pathogenic chytrids

BMC Evolutionary Biology

Guiling Sun¹ 

[1] Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, USA

关键词: Serine Peptidase;    Horizontal Gene Transfer;    Horizontal Gene Transfer Event;    Amphibian Population;    Cyanidioschyzon Merolae;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2148-11-195

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: BioMed Central

【 摘 要 】

The decline in amphibian populations across the world is frequently linked to the infection of the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). This is particularly perplexing because Bd was only recently discovered in 1999 and no chytrid fungus had previously been identified as a vertebrate pathogen. In this study, we show that two large families of known virulence effector genes, crinkler (CRN) proteins and serine peptidases, were acquired by Bd from oomycete pathogens and bacteria, respectively. These two families have been duplicated after their acquisition by Bd. Additional selection analyses indicate that both families evolved under strong positive selection, suggesting that they are involved in the adaptation of Bd to its hosts. We propose that the acquisition of virulence effectors, in combination with habitat disruption and climate change, may have driven the Bd epidemics and the decline in amphibian populations. This finding provides a starting point for biochemical investigations of chytridiomycosis.

【 授权许可】

CC BY