Genomic and phenotypic insights into the expanding phylogenetic landscape of the <i>Cryptococcus</i> genus.

ABSTRACT: The fungal genus Cryptococcus includes several life-threatening human pathogens as well as diverse saprobic species whose genome architecture, ecology, and evolutionary history remain less well characterized. Understanding how some lineages evolved into major pathogens remains a central challenge and may be advanced by comparisons with their nonpathogenic counterparts. Integrative approaches have become essential for delimiting species and reconstructing evolutionary relationships, particularly in lineages with cryptic diversity or extensive chromosomal rearrangements. Here, we formally characterize six Cryptococcus species representing distinct evolutionary lineages, comprising both newly discovered and previously recognized but unnamed taxa, through a combination of phyloge

SUBMITTER: Coelho MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12262581 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature