The lichen symbiosis re-viewed through the genomes of Cladonia grayi and its algal partner Asterochloris glomerata.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Lichens, encompassing 20,000 known species, are symbioses between specialized fungi (mycobionts), mostly ascomycetes, and unicellular green algae or cyanobacteria (photobionts). Here we describe the first parallel genomic analysis of the mycobiont Cladonia grayi and of its green algal photobiont Asterochloris glomerata. We focus on genes/predicted proteins of potential symbiotic significance, sought by surveying proteins differentially activated during early stages of mycobiont and photobiont interaction in coculture, expanded or contracted protein families, and proteins with differential rates of evolution.

Results

A) In coculture, the fungus upregulated small secreted proteins, membrane transport proteins, signal transduction components, extracellular hydrolases

SUBMITTER: Armaleo D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6652019 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature