title: The Identification of Phytohormone Receptor Homologs in Early Diverging Fungi Suggests a Role for Plant Sensing in Land Colonization by Fungi.
abstract: Histidine kinases (HKs) are among the most prominent sensing proteins studied in the kingdom Fungi. Their distribution and biological functions in early diverging fungi (EDF), however, remain elusive. We have taken advantage of recent genomic resources to elucidate whether relationships between the occurrence of specific HKs in some EDF and their respective habitat/lifestyle could be established. This led to the unexpected discovery of fungal HKs that share a high degree of similarity with receptors for plant hormones (ethylene and cytokinin). Importantly, these phytohormone receptor homologs are found not only in EDF that behave as plant root symbionts or endophytes but also in EDF species that colonize decaying plant material. We hypothesize that these particular sensing proteins promoted the interaction of EDF with plants, leading to the conquest of land by these ancestral fungi.
authors.affiliation: Université d'Angers, Groupe d'Etude des Interactions Hôte-Pathogène, Angers, France.
authors.forename: Anaïs
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hérivaux
authors.affiliation: Université François-Rabelais de Tours, EA 2106, Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, Tours, France.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dugé de Bernonville
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Recherche en Sciences Végétales, Université de Toulouse, UPS, Castanet-Tolosan, France.
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Roux
authors.affiliation: Université François-Rabelais de Tours, EA 2106, Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, Tours, France.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Clastre
authors.affiliation: Université François-Rabelais de Tours, EA 2106, Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, Tours, France.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Courdavault
authors.affiliation: Université d'Angers, Groupe d'Etude des Interactions Hôte-Pathogène, Angers, France.
authors.forename: Amandine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gastebois
authors.affiliation: Université d'Angers, Groupe d'Etude des Interactions Hôte-Pathogène, Angers, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Philippe
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Bouchara
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Timothy Y
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: James
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur de Paris, Unité des Aspergillus, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Latgé
authors.affiliation: Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Université de Lorraine, UMR 1136 Interactions Arbres/Microorganismes, Laboratoire d'Excellence ARBRE, Nancy, France.
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Université d'Angers, Groupe d'Etude des Interactions Hôte-Pathogène, Angers, France nicolas.papon@univ-angers.fr.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Papon
mesh_terms: D019295:Computational Biology; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005658:Fungi / Q000235:genetics*; D000071677:Histidine Kinase / Q000235:genetics*; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000378:metabolism*; D010944:Plants / Q000737:chemistry*; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D000071677:Histidine Kinase