Abstract Detail

Mycological Section

Hutchinson, Miriam [1], Powell, Amy J. [2], Tsang, Adrian [3], Berka, Randy [4], O'Toole, Nicholas [3], Grigoriev, Igor [5], Barry, Kerrie [6], Robinson, Aaron J. [7], Natvig, Donald O. [1].

Analysis of mating gene architecture of the thermophile Myceliophthora heterothallica and other members of the Chaetomiaceae.

Members of the Chaetomiaceae are among the most reported species in studies of biomass degradation. This family also contains many of the best-known thermophilic fungi, which are of industrial interest for their abilities to produce thermostable carbohydrate active enzymes. Since there has been no genetically tractable model for the Chaetomiaceae, we have characterized sexual reproduction in the thermophile Myceliophthora heterothallica with the goal of establishing this organism as a model for the group. Genome sequences from M. heterothallica as well as other members of the Chaetomiaceae show that protein-coding genes in the mating regions of heterothallic species are conserved relative to other outcrossing Sordariales, with an important exception: mating-type a strains from heterothallic species of Chaetomiaceae possess a partial mat A-1 gene. The mat A-1 in mating-type a strains is truncated for the alpha box region required for fertility in other Sordariales, although it has a conserved intact downstream reading frame. Among species of Chaetomiaceae with teleomorphic states, heterothallism is rarely reported while homothallism is common. Analysis of genomes of homothallic species demonstrates that they possess a true mat a-1 gene, but it is not linked to the mat A-1 region. Among filamentous Ascomycota, this represents one recurring evolutionary pathway for derived homothallism, which requires mat A and mat a regions in a single haploid genome.

1 - University of New Mexico, Biology, Castetter Hall, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA
2 - Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, 87185, United States
3 - Concordia University , Centre for Structural and Functional Genomics, Montreal, QC, H4B 1R6, CA
4 - Novozymes Inc., Davis, CA, 95618, USA
5 - Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA, 94598, USA
6 - Kerrie Barry, Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA, 94598, USA
7 - University of New Mexico, Department of Biology, Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, United States

Keywords:
Thermophile
Mating-type idiomorph
Chaetomiaceae
Mycelophthora heterothallica
heterothallic
homothallic.

Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Sections
Session: P
Location: Hall D/The Shaw Conference Centre
Date: Monday, July 27th, 2015
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PMY031
Abstract ID:924
Candidate for Awards:MSA Best Poster Presentation Award by a Graduate Student