Degeneration of the Nonrecombining Regions in the Mating-type Chromosomes of the Anther-smut Fungi

Overview

Journal Mol Biol Evol

Publisher Oxford University Press

Specialty Biology

Date 2014 Dec 24

PMID 25534033

Citations 32

Authors

Eric Fontanillas

Michael E Hood

Helene Badouin

Elsa Petit

Valerie Barbe

Jerome Gouzy

Damien M de Vienne

Gabriela Aguileta

Julie Poulain

Patrick Wincker

Zehua Chen

Su San Toh

Christina A Cuomo

Michael H Perlin

Pierre Gladieux

Tatiana Giraud

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Dimorphic mating-type chromosomes in fungi are excellent models for understanding the genomic consequences of recombination suppression. Their suppressed recombination and reduced effective population size are expected to limit the efficacy of natural selection, leading to genomic degeneration. Our aim was to identify the sequences of the mating-type chromosomes (a1 and a2) of the anther-smut fungi and to investigate degeneration in their nonrecombining regions. We used the haploid a1 Microbotryum lychnidis-dioicae reference genome sequence. The a1 and a2 mating-type chromosomes were both isolated electrophoretically and sequenced. Integration with restriction-digest optical maps identified regions of recombination and nonrecombination in the mating-type chromosomes. Genome sequence data were also obtained for 12 other Microbotryum species. We found strong evidence of degeneration across the genus in the nonrecombining regions of the mating-type chromosomes, with significantly higher rates of nonsynonymous substitution (dN/dS) than in nonmating-type chromosomes or in recombining regions of the mating-type chromosomes. The nonrecombining regions of the mating-type chromosomes also showed high transposable element content, weak gene expression, and gene losses. The levels of degeneration did not differ between the a1 and a2 mating-type chromosomes, consistent with the lack of homogametic/heterogametic asymmetry between them, and contrasting with X/Y or Z/W sex chromosomes.

Citing Articles

Genome biology and evolution of mating-type loci in four cereal rust fungi.

Luo Z, McTaggart A, Schwessinger B PLoS Genet. 2024; 20(3):e1011207.

PMID: 38498573 PMC: 10977897. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011207.

Dynamics of transposable element accumulation in the non-recombining regions of mating-type chromosomes in anther-smut fungi.

Duhamel M, Hood M, Rodriguez de la Vega R, Giraud T Nat Commun. 2023; 14(1):5692.

PMID: 37709766 PMC: 10502011. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41413-4.

Stepwise recombination suppression around the mating-type locus in an ascomycete fungus with self-fertile spores.

Vittorelli N, Rodriguez de la Vega R, Snirc A, Levert E, Gautier V, Lalanne C PLoS Genet. 2023; 19(2):e1010347.

PMID: 36763677 PMC: 9949647. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010347.

Genomic Variations and Mutational Events Associated with Plant-Pathogen Interactions.

Dolatabadian A, Fernando W Biology (Basel). 2022; 11(3).

PMID: 35336795 PMC: 8945218. DOI: 10.3390/biology11030421.

Tempo of Degeneration Across Independently Evolved Nonrecombining Regions.

Carpentier F, Rodriguez de la Vega R, Jay P, Duhamel M, Shykoff J, Perlin M Mol Biol Evol. 2022; 39(4).

PMID: 35325190 PMC: 9004411. DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac060.

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