Are there conserved biosynthetic genes in lichens? Genome-wide assessment of terpene biosynthetic genes suggests ubiquitous distribution of the squalene synthase cluster.

ABSTRACT: Lichen-forming fungi (LFF) are prolific producers of functionally and structurally diverse secondary metabolites, most of which are taxonomically exclusive and play lineage-specific roles. To date, widely distributed, evolutionarily conserved biosynthetic pathways in LFF are not known. However, this idea stems from polyketide derivatives, since most biochemical research on lichens has concentrated on polyketide synthases (PKSs). Here, we present the first systematic identification and comparison of terpene biosynthetic genes of LFF using all the available Lecanoromycete reference genomes and 22 de novo sequenced ones (111 in total, representing 60 genera and 23 families). We implemented genome mining and gene networking approaches to identify and group the biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs)

SUBMITTER: Singh G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11457338 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature