Large-scale identification of transcripts expressed in a symbiotic fungus (Termitomyces) during plant biomass degradation.
Fungus-growing termites have a symbiotic relationship with the basidiomycetes of the genus Termitomyces. This symbiotic system is able to degrade dead plant material efficiently. We conducted expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis of a symbiotic Termitomyces fungus degrading plant material in a field nest of the termite Macrotermes gilvus. A subtractive cDNA library was also investigated to facilitate the discovery of genes expressed specifically under the symbiotic conditions. A total of 2,613 ESTs were collected and resulted in 1,582 nonredundant tentative consensus sequences, of which approximately 59% showed significant similarity to known protein sequences. A number of homologous sequences to genes involved in plant cell wall degradation were identified and a majority of them encoded putative pectinolytic enzymes. Real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analyses confirmed significant upregulation of putative stress response genes under symbiotic conditions. The present ESTs database provides a valuable resource for molecular biological study of plant material degradation in the symbiosis between termites and fungi.
Johjima
Toru
T
International Cooperative Research Project, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST-ICORP), Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan.
Taprab
Yaovapa
Y
Noparatnaraporn
Napavarn
N
Kudo
Toshiaki
T
Ohkuma
Moriya
M
D000363:Agaricales / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018533:Biomass; D002482:Cellulose / Q000378:metabolism*; D004798:Enzymes / Q000235:genetics; D020224:Expressed Sequence Tags; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D015723:Gene Library; D008031:Lignin / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012331:RNA, Fungal / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
D004798:Enzymes; D012331:RNA, Fungal; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C036909:lignocellulose; D002482:Cellulose; D008031:Lignin