Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: The polyphyletic group of black fungi within the Ascomycota (Arthoniomycetes, Dothideomycetes, and Eurotiomycetes) is ubiquitous in natural and anthropogenic habitats. Partly because of their dark, melanin-based pigmentation, black fungi are resistant to stresses including UV- and ionizing-radiation, heat and desiccation, toxic metals, and organic pollutants. Consequently, they are amongst the most stunning extremophiles and poly-extreme-tolerant organisms on Earth. Even though ca. 60 black fungal genomes have been sequenced to date, [mostly in the family Herpotrichiellaceae (Eurotiomycetes)], the class Dothideomycetes that hosts the largest majority of extremophiles has only been sparsely sampled. By sequencing up to 92 species that will become reference genomes, the "Shed light in The daRk lineagES of the fungal tree of life" (STRES) project will cover a broad collection of black fungal diversity spread throughout the Fungal Tree of Life. Interestingly, the STRES project will focus on mostly unsampled genera that display different ecologies and life-styles (e.g., ant- and lichen-associated fungi, rock-inhabiting fungi, etc.). With a resequencing strategy of 10- to 15-fold depth coverage of up to ~550 strains, numerous new reference genomes will be established. To identify metabolites and functional processes, these new genomic resources will be enriched with metabolomics analyses coupled with transcriptomics experiments on selected species under various stress conditions (salinity, dryness, UV radiation, oligotrophy). The data acquired will serve as a reference and foundation for establishing an encyclopedic database for fungal metagenomics as well as the biology, evolution, and ecology of the fungi in extreme environments.
Source: Life
DOI: 10.3390/life10120362
Authors: Laura Selbmann, Zsigmond Benkő, Claudia Coleine, Sybren de Hoog, Claudio Donati, Irina Druzhinina, Tamás Emri, Cassie Ettinger, Amy Gladfelter, Anna Gorbushina, Igor Grigoriev, Martin Grube, Nina Gunde-Cimerman, Zsolt Karányi, Beatrix Kocsis, Tania Kurbessoian, Ida Miklós, Márton Miskei, Lucia Muggia, Trent Northen, Monika Novak-Babič, Christa Pennacchio, Walter Pfliegler, Istvàn Pòcsi, Valeria Prigione, Meritxell Riquelme, Nicola Segata, Julia Schumacher, Ekaterina Shelest, Katja Sterflinger, Donatella Tesei, Jana U’Ren, Giovanna Varese, Xabier Vázquez-Campos, Vania Vicente, Emanuel Souza, Polona Zalar, Allison Walker, Jason Stajich
Institutions: Università degli Studi della Tuscia, University of Debrecen, Radboud University Nijmegen, Radboud University Medical Center, Canisius-Wilhelmina Ziekenhuis, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Nanjing Agricultural University, University of California, Riverside, University of California, Davis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Federal Institute For Materials Research and Testing, Freie Universität Berlin, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Joint Genome Institute, University of California, Berkeley, University of Graz, University of Ljubljana, University of Trieste, University of Turin, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada, University of Trento, University of Portsmouth, Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien, BOKU University, University of Arizona, BIO5 Institute, UNSW Sydney, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Acadia University
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,479
OpenAlex ID: W3118132858