Kingdom-Wide Analysis of Fungal Protein-Coding and tRNA Genes Reveals Conserved Patterns of Adaptive Evolution.

Protein-coding genes evolved codon usage bias due to the combined but uneven effects of adaptive and nonadaptive influences. Studies in model fungi agree on codon usage bias as an adaptation for fine-tuning gene expression levels; however, such knowledge is lacking for most other fungi. Our comparative genomics analysis of over 450 species supports codon usage and transfer RNAs (tRNAs) as coadapted for translation speed and this is most likely a realization of convergent evolution.

Chromosome assembled and annotated genome sequence of Aspergillus flavus NRRL 3357.

Aspergillus flavus is an opportunistic pathogen of crops, including peanuts and maize, and is the second leading cause of aspergillosis in immunocompromised patients. A. flavus is also a major producer of the mycotoxin, aflatoxin, a potent carcinogen, which results in significant crop losses annually.

Heterospecific Neighbor Plants Impact Root Microbiome Diversity and Molecular Function of Root Fungi.

Within the forest community, competition and facilitation between adjacent-growing conspecific and heterospecific plants are mediated by interactions involving common mycorrhizal networks. The ability of plants to alter their neighbor's microbiome is well documented, but the molecular biology of plant-fungal interactions during competition and facilitation has not been previously examined. We used a common soil-plant bioassay experiment to study molecular plant-microbial interactions among rhizosphere communities associated with (native host) and (non-native host).

Draft genome sequences of strains CBS6241 and CBS6242 of the basidiomycetous yeast Filobasidium floriforme.

The Tremellomycetes are a species-rich group within the basidiomycete fungi; however, most analyses of this group to date have focused on pathogenic Cryptococcus species within the order Tremellales. Recent genome-assisted studies of other Tremellomycetes have identified interesting features with respect to biotechnological applications as well as the evolution of genes involved in mating and sexual development. Here, we report genome sequences of two strains of Filobasidium floriforme, a species from the order Filobasidiales, which branches basally to the Tremellales, Trichosporonales, and Holtermanniales.

The Population on in the Great Lakes Region Is Highly Diverse with a Contributory Influence of Clonality.

Shrub willows ( spp.) are emerging as a viable lignocellulosic, second-generation bioenergy crop with many growth characteristics favorable for marginal lands in New York State and surrounding areas. Willow rust, caused by members of the genus , is the most limiting disease of shrub willow in this region and remains extremely understudied.

The biogeographic differentiation of algal microbiomes in the upper ocean from pole to pole.

Eukaryotic phytoplankton are responsible for at least 20% of annual global carbon fixation. Their diversity and activity are shaped by interactions with prokaryotes as part of complex microbiomes. Although differences in their local species diversity have been estimated, we still have a limited understanding of environmental conditions responsible for compositional differences between local species communities on a large scale from pole to pole.

Aspects of the Neurospora crassa Sulfur Starvation Response Are Revealed by Transcriptional Profiling and DNA Affinity Purification Sequencing.

Accurate nutrient sensing is important for rapid fungal growth and exploitation of available resources. Sulfur is an important nutrient source found in a number of biological macromolecules, including proteins and lipids. The model filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa is capable of utilizing sulfur found in a variety of sources from amino acids to sulfate.

A plant host, Nicotiana benthamiana, enables the production and study of fungal lignin-degrading enzymes.

Lignin has significant potential as an abundant and renewable source for commodity chemicals yet remains vastly underutilized. Efforts towards engineering a biochemical route to the valorization of lignin are currently limited by the lack of a suitable heterologous host for the production of lignin-degrading enzymes. Here, we show that expression of fungal genes in Nicotiana benthamiana enables production of members from seven major classes of enzymes associated with lignin degradation (23 of 35 tested) in soluble form for direct use in lignin activity assays.

The Ancient Salicoid Genome Duplication Event: A Platform for Reconstruction of De Novo Gene Evolution in Populus trichocarpa.

Orphan genes are characteristic genomic features that have no detectable homology to genes in any other species and represent an important attribute of genome evolution as sources of novel genetic functions. Here, we identified 445 genes specific to Populus trichocarpa. Of these, we performed deeper reconstruction of 13 orphan genes to provide evidence of de novo gene evolution.

Exploration of the Types of Rarity in the Arctic Ocean from the Perspective of Multiple Methodologies.

The Arctic Ocean is facing rapid environmental changes with cascading effects on the entire Arctic marine ecosystem. However, we have a limited understanding of the consequences such changes have on bacteria and archaea (prokaryotes) at the base of the marine food web. In this study, we show how the prokaryotic rare biosphere behaves over a range of highly heterogeneous environmental conditions using 16S rRNA gene reads from amplicon and metagenome sequencing data from seawater samples collected during the Norwegian young sea ICE expedition between late winter and early summer.

Draft Genome Sequence of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Strain PE591, a Polyethylene-Degrading Bacterium Isolated from Savanna Soil.

We report the genome sequence of a polyethylene-degrading bacterial strain identified as Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strain PE591, which was isolated from plastic debris found in savanna soil. The genome was assembled in 16 scaffolds with a length of 4,751,236 bp, a GC content of 66.5%, and 4,432 predicted genes.

A Genomic Catalog of Stress Response Genes in Anaerobic Fungi for Applications in Bioproduction.

Anaerobic fungi are a potential biotechnology platform to produce biomass-degrading enzymes. Unlike model fungi such as yeasts, stress responses that are relevant during bioprocessing have not yet been established for anaerobic fungi. In this work, we characterize both the heat shock and unfolded protein responses of four strains of anaerobic fungi (, and ).

Diploid genomic architecture of Nitzschia inconspicua, an elite biomass production diatom.

A near-complete diploid nuclear genome and accompanying circular mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes have been assembled from the elite commercial diatom species Nitzschia inconspicua. The 50 Mbp haploid size of the nuclear genome is nearly double that of model diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, but 30% smaller than closer relative Fragilariopsis cylindrus. Diploid assembly, which was facilitated by low levels of allelic heterozygosity (2.

Metagenomic compendium of 189,680 DNA viruses from the human gut microbiome.

Bacteriophages have important roles in the ecology of the human gut microbiome but are under-represented in reference databases. To address this problem, we assembled the Metagenomic Gut Virus catalogue that comprises 189,680 viral genomes from 11,810 publicly available human stool metagenomes. Over 75% of genomes represent double-stranded DNA phages that infect members of the Bacteroidia and Clostridia classes.

High-Quality Draft Genome Sequence of the Siderophilic and Thermophilic Cyanobacterium JSC-12.

The siderophilic, thermophilic cyanobacterium JSC-12 was isolated from a microbial mat in an iron-depositing hot spring. Here, we report the high-quality draft genome sequence of JSC-12, which may help elucidate the mechanisms of resistance to extreme iron concentrations in siderophilic cyanobacteria and lead to new remediation biotechnologies.

Genome Analysis of a Verrucomicrobial Endosymbiont With a Tiny Genome Discovered in an Antarctic Lake.

Organic Lake in Antarctica is a marine-derived, cold (-13∘C), stratified (oxic-anoxic), hypersaline (>200 gl) system with unusual chemistry (very high levels of dimethylsulfide) that supports the growth of phylogenetically and metabolically diverse microorganisms. Symbionts are not well characterized in Antarctica. However, unicellular eukaryotes are often present in Antarctic lakes and theoretically could harbor endosymbionts.

Zymomonas diversity and potential for biofuel production.

Background: Zymomonas mobilis is an aerotolerant α-proteobacterium, which has been genetically engineered for industrial purposes for decades. However, a comprehensive comparison of existing strains on the genomic level in conjunction with phenotype analysis has yet to be carried out. We here performed whole-genome comparison of 17 strains including nine that were sequenced in this study.