title: The mitochondrial genome of the ethanol-metabolizing, wine cellar mold Zasmidium cellare is the smallest for a filamentous ascomycete.
abstract: Fungi in the class Dothideomycetes often live in extreme environments or have unusual physiology. One of these, the wine cellar mold Zasmidium cellare, produces thick curtains of mycelia in cellars with high humidity, and its ability to metabolize volatile organic compounds is thought to improve air quality. Whether these abilities have affected its mitochondrial genome is not known. To fill this gap, the circular-mapping mitochondrial genome of Z. cellare was sequenced and, at only 23 743 bp, is the smallest reported for a filamentous fungus. Genes were encoded on both strands with a single change of direction, different from most other fungi but consistent with the Dothideomycetes. Other than its small size, the only unusual feature of the Z. cellare mitochondrial genome was two copies of a 110-bp sequence that were duplicated, inverted and separated by approximately 1 kb. This inverted-repeat sequence confused the assembly program but appears to have no functional significance. The small size of the Z. cellare mitochondrial genome was due to slightly smaller genes, lack of introns and non-essential genes, reduced intergenic spacers and very few ORFs relative to other fungi rather than a loss of essential genes. Whether this reduction facilitates its unusual biology remains unknown.
authors: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Crop Production and Pest Control Research Unit, 915 West State Street, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054, USA. Electronic address: sgoodwin@purdue.edu.
authors: Stephen B
authors: SB
authors: Goodwin
authors: Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054, USA.
authors: Cassandra B
authors: CB
authors: McCorison
authors: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Crop Production and Pest Control Research Unit, 915 West State Street, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054, USA.
authors: Jessica R
authors: JR
authors: Cavaletto
authors: Chemical and Biological Process Development Group, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard, P.O. Box 999, MSIN P8-60, Richland, WA 99352, USA.
authors: David E
authors: DE
authors: Culley
authors: U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, 2800 Mitchell Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94598, USA.
authors: Kurt
authors: K
authors: LaButti
authors: Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 3335 Innovation Blvd, Richland, WA 99354, USA.
authors: Scott E
authors: SE
authors: Baker
authors: U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, 2800 Mitchell Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94598, USA.
authors: Igor V
authors: IV
authors: Grigoriev
mesh_terms: D001203:Ascomycota / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000378:metabolism*; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D050259:Genes, Mitochondrial; D016681:Genome, Fungal; D054629:Genome, Mitochondrial; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D000431:Ethanol
keywords: Filamentous; Fungus; Mitochondrial genome; Smallest; Synteny; Zasmidium cellare