Quintanilha-Peixoto Gabriel, Marone Marina Püpke, Raya Fábio Trigo, José Juliana, Oliveira Adriele, Fonseca Paula Luize Camargos, Tomé Luiz Marcelo Ribeiro, Bortolini Dener Eduardo, Kato Rodrigo Bentes, Araújo Daniel S, De-Paula Ruth B, Cuesta-Astroz Yesid, Duarte Elizabeth A A, Badotti Fernanda, de Carvalho Azevedo Vasco Ariston, Brenig Bertram, Soares Ana Cristina Fermino, Carazzolle Marcelo Falsarella, Pereira Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães, Aguiar Eric Roberto Guimarães Rocha, Góes-Neto Aristóteles
Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Department of Genetics, Evolution, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
Genomics. 2022 Nov;114(6):110517. doi: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2022.110517. Epub 2022 Oct 25.
Aspergillus welwitschiae causes bole rot disease in sisal (Agave sisalana and related species) which affects the production of natural fibers in Brazil, the main worldwide producer of sisal fibers. This fungus is a saprotroph with a broad host range. Previous research established A. welwitschiae as the only causative agent of bole rot in the field, but little is known about the evolution of this species and its strains. In this work, we performed a comparative genomics analysis of 40 Aspergillus strains. We show the conflicting molecular identity of this species, with one sisal-infecting strain sharing its last common ancestor with Aspergillus niger, having diverged only 833 thousand years ago. Furthermore, our analysis of positive selection reveals sites under selection in genes coding for siderophore transporters, Sodium‑calcium exchangers, and Phosphatidylethanolamine-binding proteins (PEBPs). Herein, we discuss the possible impacts of these gene functions on the pathogenicity in sisal.
韦氏曲霉会引发剑麻（龙舌兰麻及其相关物种）的树干腐烂病，这影响了巴西天然纤维的生产，巴西是全球主要的剑麻纤维生产国。这种真菌是一种具有广泛宿主范围的腐生菌。先前的研究确定韦氏曲霉是田间树干腐烂病的唯一病原体，但对该物种及其菌株的进化了解甚少。在这项工作中，我们对40株曲霉菌株进行了比较基因组学分析。我们展示了该物种相互矛盾的分子身份，其中一株感染剑麻的菌株与黑曲霉共享其最近的共同祖先，仅在83万年前分化。此外，我们对正选择的分析揭示了在编码铁载体转运蛋白、钠钙交换蛋白和磷脂酰乙醇胺结合蛋白（PEBP）的基因中处于选择状态的位点。在此，我们讨论了这些基因功能对剑麻致病性的可能影响。
