Affiliation:
1. Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
2. Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, Seattle, Washington
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Sexual reproduction in fungi is governed by a specialized genomic region, the mating type (
MAT
) locus, whose gene identity, organization, and complexity are diverse. We identified the
MAT
locus of five dermatophyte fungal pathogens (
Microsporum gypseum
,
Microsporum canis
,
Trichophyton equinum
,
Trichophyton rubrum
, and
Trichophyton tonsurans
) and a dimorphic fungus,
Paracoccidioides brasiliensis
, and performed phylogenetic analyses. The identified
MAT
locus idiomorphs of
M. gypseum
control cell type identity in mating assays, and recombinant progeny were produced. Virulence tests in
Galleria mellonella
larvae suggest the two mating types of
M. gypseum
may have equivalent virulence. Synteny analysis revealed common features of the
MAT
locus shared among these five dermatophytes: namely, a small size (∼3 kb) and a novel gene arrangement. The
SLA2
,
COX13
, and
APN2
genes, which flank the
MAT
locus in other
Ascomycota
are instead linked on one side of the dermatophyte
MAT
locus. In addition, the transcriptional orientations of the
APN2
and
COX13
genes are reversed compared to the dimorphic fungi
Histoplasma capsulatum
,
Coccidioides immitis
, and
Coccidioides posadasii
. A putative transposable element,
pogo
, was found to have inserted in the
MAT1-2
idiomorph of one
P. brasiliensis
strain but not others. In conclusion, the evolution of the
MAT
locus of the dermatophytes and dimorphic fungi from the last common ancestor has been punctuated by both gene acquisition and expansion, and asymmetric gene loss. These studies further support a foundation to develop molecular and genetic tools for dermatophyte and dimorphic human fungal pathogens.
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Subject
Molecular Biology,General Medicine,Microbiology
Cited by
67 articles.
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