Comparative genomic analysis of thermophilic fungi reveals convergent evolutionary adaptations and gene losses.

ABSTRACT: Thermophily is a trait scattered across the fungal tree of life, with its highest prevalence within three fungal families (Chaetomiaceae, Thermoascaceae, and Trichocomaceae), as well as some members of the phylum Mucoromycota. We examined 37 thermophilic and thermotolerant species and 42 mesophilic species for this study and identified thermophily as the ancestral state of all three prominent families of thermophilic fungi. Thermophilic fungal genomes were found to encode various thermostable enzymes, including carbohydrate-active enzymes such as endoxylanases, which are useful for many industrial applications. At the same time, the overall gene counts, especially in gene families responsible for microbial defense such as secondary metabolism, are reduced in thermophiles compared to mesoph

SUBMITTER: Steindorff AS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11393059 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature