Differential Retention and Loss of a Mycotoxin in Fungal Evolution
Lin Chen,
Ziying Yan,
Bolei Yang,
Bowen Tai,
Weizhao Li,
Erfeng Li,
Gang Wang,
Fuguo Xing
Affiliations
Lin Chen
Comprehensive Utilization of Edible and Medicinal Plant Resources Engineering Technology Research Center, Zhengzhou Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology of Natural Products, Huanghe Science and Technology College, Zhengzhou 450006, China
Ziying Yan
Key Laboratory of Agro-Products Quality and Safety Control in Storage and Transport Process, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Bolei Yang
Key Laboratory of Agro-Products Quality and Safety Control in Storage and Transport Process, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Bowen Tai
Key Laboratory of Agro-Products Quality and Safety Control in Storage and Transport Process, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Weizhao Li
Key Laboratory of Agro-Products Quality and Safety Control in Storage and Transport Process, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Erfeng Li
Horticulture and Landscape College, Tianjin Agricultural University, Tianjin 300392, China
Gang Wang
Key Laboratory of Agro-Products Quality and Safety Control in Storage and Transport Process, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Fuguo Xing
Key Laboratory of Agro-Products Quality and Safety Control in Storage and Transport Process, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Ochratoxin A (OTA) is designated as a mycotoxin and is regulated worldwide due to its harmful effects on humans and animals, but the evolutionary history and ecological significance of OTA in fungi remain poorly understood. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that Aspergillus and Metarhizium obtained an ancient OT cluster, which evolved independently, followed by horizontal OT transfer from Aspergillus to Penicillium. The varying presence of functional, absent and pseudogenized OT genes across Aspergillus species revealed that this cluster is undergoing a degeneration process in this genus. Furthermore, the cyclase OtaY in the OTA cluster is likely derived from bacteria, which was revealed by phylogenetic analysis. This is the first attempt to investigate the ecological significance of OTA in fungi, suggesting that it may be nonfunctional in Aspergillus spp. and has undergone multiple forms of loss during evolution.
