Comparisons of the insect-related fungal organisms using genomic information

What is it about?

The symbiotic commensals are equally important with the pathogens to the ecosystem. This study provide nine whole genome sequences of insect commensal fungi and addresses scientific questions regarding what is the genetic tools utilized by microbial fungi to initialize and maintain the symbiotic relationship with their insect hosts, no matter the fungus is a pathogen or commensal. In addition, it provides novel genomic perspectives to differentiate the preference between insect pathogenic fungi and commensals when utilizing the toolbox. Unexpectedly, this study uncovered a unique study system to investigate the whole genome duplications of the zygomycetes fungi within the gut of insects.

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Why is it important?

1) This work presents the first comparative genomic and phylogenomic analyses of the cryptic group of fungal commensals (Harpellales) living in guts of disease-bearing insects (black flies, midges, and mosquitoes); 2) By comparing the genomic content of these insect commensal fungi with other well studied fungal pathogens, it helps identify the Fungus-Insect Symbiotic Core Genes (FISCoG) toolbox, which exhibits disparate enrichment patterns between commensals and pathogens and highlights different host-invasion strategies of the two either through exoskeleton or digestive systems. 3) The phylogenomic tree and the integer-multiple pattern of their genome sizes both suggest that whole genome duplications may have occurred within these insect gut fungal taxa. This work provides a unique resource and invite further investigations into eukaryotic genome interactions and evolution within the extreme (gut) environment.

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