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Innovation and constraint leading to complex multicellularity in the Ascomycota

Author

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  • Tu Anh Nguyen

    (The National University of Singapore)

  • Ousmane H. Cissé

    (Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California-Riverside
    Present address: Critical Care Medicine Department, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA)

  • Jie Yun Wong

    (The National University of Singapore)

  • Peng Zheng

    (The National University of Singapore)

  • David Hewitt

    (Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia)

  • Minou Nowrousian

    (Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum)

  • Jason E. Stajich

    (Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California-Riverside)

  • Gregory Jedd

    (The National University of Singapore)

Abstract

The advent of complex multicellularity (CM) was a pivotal event in the evolution of animals, plants and fungi. In the fungal Ascomycota, CM is based on hyphal filaments and arose in the Pezizomycotina. The genus Neolecta defines an enigma: phylogenetically placed in a related group containing mostly yeasts, Neolecta nevertheless possesses Pezizomycotina-like CM. Here we sequence the Neolecta irregularis genome and identify CM-associated functions by searching for genes conserved in Neolecta and the Pezizomycotina, which are absent or divergent in budding or fission yeasts. This group of 1,050 genes is enriched for functions related to diverse endomembrane systems and their organization. Remarkably, most show evidence for divergence in both yeasts. Using functional genomics, we identify new genes involved in fungal complexification. Together, these data show that rudimentary multicellularity is deeply rooted in the Ascomycota. Extensive parallel gene divergence during simplification and constraint leading to CM suggest a deterministic process where shared modes of cellular organization select for similarly configured organelle- and transport-related machineries.

Suggested Citation

  • Tu Anh Nguyen & Ousmane H. Cissé & Jie Yun Wong & Peng Zheng & David Hewitt & Minou Nowrousian & Jason E. Stajich & Gregory Jedd, 2017. "Innovation and constraint leading to complex multicellularity in the Ascomycota," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-13, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms14444
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14444
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    Cited by:

    1. Md. Abdulla Al Mamun & Wei Cao & Shugo Nakamura & Jun-ichi Maruyama, 2023. "Large-scale identification of genes involved in septal pore plugging in multicellular fungi," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-17, December.

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