The genome of opportunistic fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum carries a unique set of lineage-specific chromosomes

Commun Biol. 2020 Jan 31;3(1):50. doi: 10.1038/s42003-020-0770-2.

Abstract

Fusarium oxysporum is a cross-kingdom fungal pathogen that infects plants and humans. Horizontally transferred lineage-specific (LS) chromosomes were reported to determine host-specific pathogenicity among phytopathogenic F. oxysporum. However, the existence and functional importance of LS chromosomes among human pathogenic isolates are unknown. Here we report four unique LS chromosomes in a human pathogenic strain NRRL 32931, isolated from a leukemia patient. These LS chromosomes were devoid of housekeeping genes, but were significantly enriched in genes encoding metal ion transporters and cation transporters. Homologs of NRRL 32931 LS genes, including a homolog of ceruloplasmin and the genes that contribute to the expansion of the alkaline pH-responsive transcription factor PacC/Rim1p, were also present in the genome of NRRL 47514, a strain associated with Fusarium keratitis outbreak. This study provides the first evidence, to our knowledge, for genomic compartmentalization in two human pathogenic fungal genomes and suggests an important role of LS chromosomes in niche adaptation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Chromosomes, Fungal*
  • Fungal Proteins / chemistry
  • Fungal Proteins / genetics
  • Fusariosis / microbiology*
  • Fusarium / genetics*
  • Fusarium / isolation & purification
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal
  • Genome, Fungal*
  • Humans
  • Models, Molecular
  • Opportunistic Infections / microbiology*
  • Phylogeny
  • Protein Conformation
  • Structure-Activity Relationship

Substances

  • Fungal Proteins

Supplementary concepts

  • Fusarium oxysporum