Assembly and analysis of the whole genome of Arthroderma uncinatum strain T10, compared with Microsporum canis and Trichophyton rubrum.

BACKGROUND

Arthroderma uncinatum is a geophilic dermatophyte that occasionally causes superficial infections in humans leading to skin diseases.

OBJECTIVES

To better understand the ecology and potential pathogenicity of A uncinatum, we analysed its whole genome. We compared A uncinatum with the genome of the zoophilic dermatophyte Microsporum canis and with the anthropophilic species Trichophyton rubrum. The compared species differ significantly in the frequency of human infection.

METHODS

We reported the genome sequence of strain T10 of A uncinatum based on SMRT (single-molecule real-time) technology (PacBio).

RESULTS

We obtained a near-complete 23.56 Mb genome, with 7153 predicted gene models and ~20% repetitive sequences. We subsequently determined the specific genetic differences between A uncinatum, M canis and T rubrum. The functional enrichment analysis suggests that A uncinatum is particularly enriched in specific virulence genes. This suggests that the ancestral condition in dermatophytes is with high virulence, which has decreased in the course of evolution to enhance coexistence with animal or human hosts.