title: Small genome of the fungus Escovopsis weberi, a specialized disease agent of ant agriculture.
abstract: Many microorganisms with specialized lifestyles have reduced genomes. This is best understood in beneficial bacterial symbioses, where partner fidelity facilitates loss of genes necessary for living independently. Specialized microbial pathogens may also exhibit gene loss relative to generalists. Here, we demonstrate that Escovopsis weberi, a fungal parasite of the crops of fungus-growing ants, has a reduced genome in terms of both size and gene content relative to closely related but less specialized fungi. Although primary metabolism genes have been retained, the E. weberi genome is depleted in carbohydrate active enzymes, which is consistent with reliance on a host with these functions. E. weberi has also lost genes considered necessary for sexual reproduction. Contrasting these losses, the genome encodes unique secondary metabolite biosynthesis clusters, some of which include genes that exhibit up-regulated expression during host attack. Thus, the specialized nature of the interaction between Escovopsis and ant agriculture is reflected in the parasite's genome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322;
authors.forename: Tom J B
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: de Man
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521;
authors.forename: Jason E
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7591-0020
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Stajich
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chemical Engineering, Vienna University of Technology, 1060 Vienna, Austria;
authors.forename: Christian P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Kubicek
authors.affiliation: 454 Life Sciences, Roche Company, Branford, CT 06405;
authors.forename: Clotilde
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Teiling
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chemical Engineering, Vienna University of Technology, 1060 Vienna, Austria;
authors.forename: Komal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chenthamara
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chemical Engineering, Vienna University of Technology, 1060 Vienna, Austria;
authors.forename: Lea
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Atanasova
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chemical Engineering, Vienna University of Technology, 1060 Vienna, Austria;
authors.forename: Irina S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Druzhinina
authors.affiliation: 454 Life Sciences, Roche Company, Branford, CT 06405;
authors.forename: Natasha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Levenkova
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322;
authors.forename: Stephanie S L
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Birnbaum
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322; Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858;
authors.forename: Seth M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Barribeau
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322;
authors.forename: Brooke A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Bozick
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706.
authors.forename: Garret
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Suen
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706.
authors.forename: Cameron R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Currie
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322; nicole.gerardo@emory.edu.
authors.forename: Nicole M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Gerardo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000382:microbiology*; D049770:Genes, Mating Type, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D016681:Genome, Fungal; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D006999:Hypocreales / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D010802:Phylogeny; D013559:Symbiosis
keywords: Atta cephalotes; attine; genome reduction; mycoparasitism; repeat-induced point mutation