title: Genome characterization of the oleaginous fungus Mortierella alpina.
abstract: Mortierella alpina is an oleaginous fungus which can produce lipids accounting for up to 50% of its dry weight in the form of triacylglycerols. It is used commercially for the production of arachidonic acid. Using a combination of high throughput sequencing and lipid profiling, we have assembled the M. alpina genome, mapped its lipogenesis pathway and determined its major lipid species. The 38.38 Mb M. alpina genome shows a high degree of gene duplications. Approximately 50% of its 12,796 gene models, and 60% of genes in the predicted lipogenesis pathway, belong to multigene families. Notably, M. alpina has 18 lipase genes, of which 11 contain the class 2 lipase domain and may share a similar function. M. alpina's fatty acid synthase is a single polypeptide containing all of the catalytic domains required for fatty acid synthesis from acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA, whereas in many fungi this enzyme is comprised of two polypeptides. Major lipids were profiled to confirm the products predicted in the lipogenesis pathway. M. alpina produces a complex mixture of glycerolipids, glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids. In contrast, only two major sterol lipids, desmosterol and 24(28)-methylene-cholesterol, were detected. Phylogenetic analysis based on genes involved in lipid metabolism suggests that oleaginous fungi may have acquired their lipogenic capacity during evolution after the divergence of Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Chytridiomycota and Mucoromycota. Our study provides the first draft genome and comprehensive lipid profile for M. alpina, and lays the foundation for possible genetic engineering of M. alpina to produce higher levels and diverse contents of dietary lipids.
authors.affiliation: TEDA School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Zhennan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Haiqin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hongchao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Baixi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Isabelle M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Berquin
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jiansheng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Huanxin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yuanda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: James S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Norris
authors.forename: Suriguga
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Junguo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yanlin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ratledge
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yong Q
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D016681:Genome, Fungal / Q000235:genetics*; D054629:Genome, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D008055:Lipids / Q000235:genetics*; D050155:Lipogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D020094:Mortierella / Q000235:genetics*; D005810:Multigene Family / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012100:Reproduction, Asexual / Q000235:genetics; D013194:Staining and Labeling
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D008055:Lipids