title: Photoreceptors in the dark: A functional white collar-like complex and other putative light-sensing components encoded by the genome of the subterranean fungus Tuber melanosporum.
abstract: Light is perceived and transduced by fungi, where it modulates processes as diverse as growth and morphogenesis, sexual development and secondary metabolism. A special case in point is that of fungi with a subterranean, light-shielded habitat such as Tuber spp. Using as reference the genome sequence of the black truffle Tuber melanosporum, we used bioinformatic prediction tools and expression data to gain insight on the photoreceptor systems of this hypogeous ectomycorrhizal fungus. These include a chromophore-less opsin, a putative red-light-sensing phytochrome not expressed at detectable levels in any of the examined lifecycle stages, and a nearly canonical two-component (WC-1/WC-2) photoreceptor system similar to the Neurospora white collar complex (WCC). Multiple evidence, including expression at relatively high levels in all lifecycle stages except for fruiting-bodies and the results of heterologous functional complementation experiments conducted in Neurospora, suggests that the Tuber WCC is likely functional and capable of responding to blue-light. The other putative T. melanosporum photoreceptor components, especially the chromophore-less opsin and the likely non-functional phytochrome, may instead represent signatures of adaptation to a hypogeous (light-shielded) lifestyle.
authors.affiliation: Pasteur Cenci Bolognetti Foundation c/o Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gerace
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Protein Engineering, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Unit, Department of Life Sciences, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Montanini
authors.affiliation: Pasteur Cenci Bolognetti Foundation c/o Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Proietto
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Protein Engineering, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Unit, Department of Life Sciences, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Levati
authors.affiliation: Pasteur Cenci Bolognetti Foundation c/o Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Luca
authors.affiliation: Pasteur Cenci Bolognetti Foundation c/o Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brenna
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biology and Molecular Pathology, CNR, 00185 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Filetici
authors.affiliation: UMR1136 INRA/Université de Lorraine "Interactions Arbres/Micro-organismes", Lab of Excellence ARBRE, Centre INRA de Nancy, 54280 Champenoux, France.
authors.forename: Annegret
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kohler
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Protein Engineering, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Unit, Department of Life Sciences, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy. Electronic address: simone.ottonello@unipr.it.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ottonello
authors.affiliation: Pasteur Cenci Bolognetti Foundation c/o Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy; Institute of Biology and Molecular Pathology, CNR, 00185 Roma, Italy. Electronic address: paola.ballario@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ballario
mesh_terms: D001203:Ascomycota / Q000235:genetics*; D019295:Computational Biology; D016681:Genome, Fungal; D020283:Photoreceptors, Microbial / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D020283:Photoreceptors, Microbial
keywords: Blue-light sensing; Hypogeous mycorrhizal fungi; LOV domain; Subterranean habitat; Truffles