Comparative genomics reveals mobile pathogenicity chromosomes in Fusarium.

Nature
Authors
Keywords
Abstract

Fusarium species are among the most important phytopathogenic and toxigenic fungi. To understand the molecular underpinnings of pathogenicity in the genus Fusarium, we compared the genomes of three phenotypically diverse species: Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium verticillioides and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. Our analysis revealed lineage-specific (LS) genomic regions in F. oxysporum that include four entire chromosomes and account for more than one-quarter of the genome. LS regions are rich in transposons and genes with distinct evolutionary profiles but related to pathogenicity, indicative of horizontal acquisition. Experimentally, we demonstrate the transfer of two LS chromosomes between strains of F. oxysporum, converting a non-pathogenic strain into a pathogen. Transfer of LS chromosomes between otherwise genetically isolated strains explains the polyphyletic origin of host specificity and the emergence of new pathogenic lineages in F. oxysporum. These findings put the evolution of fungal pathogenicity into a new perspective.

Year of Publication
2010
Journal
Nature
Volume
464
Issue
7287
Pages
367-73
Date Published
2010 Mar 18
ISSN
1476-4687
URL
DOI
10.1038/nature08850
PubMed ID
20237561
PubMed Central ID
PMC3048781
Links
Grant list
R01 GM086565 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States
R01 GM086565-03 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States
BBS/E/C/00004973 / Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council / United Kingdom
DP1 OD003958 / OD / NIH HHS / United States
R01 HG000225 / HG / NHGRI NIH HHS / United States