Evolution of the chitin synthase gene family correlates with fungal morphogenesis and adaption to ecological niches.

ABSTRACT: The fungal kingdom potentially has the most complex chitin synthase (CHS) gene family, but evolution of the fungal CHS gene family and its diversification to fulfill multiple functions remain to be elucidated. Here, we identified the full complement of CHSs from 231 fungal species. Using the largest dataset to date, we characterized the evolution of the fungal CHS gene family using phylogenetic and domain structure analysis. Gene duplication, domain recombination and accretion are major mechanisms underlying the diversification of the fungal CHS gene family, producing at least 7 CHS classes. Contraction of the CHS gene family is morphology-specific, with significant loss in unicellular fungi, whereas family expansion is lineage-specific with obvious expansion in early-diverging fungi. Clas

SUBMITTER: Liu R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5353729 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature