Notes, outline and divergence times of Basidiomycota

Basidiomycota (basidiomycetes) make up 32% of the described fungi and include most wood-decaying species, as well as pathogens and mutualistic symbionts. Wood-decaying basidiomycetes have typically been classified as either white rot or brown rot, based on the ability (in white rot only) to degrade lignin along with cellulose and hemicellulose. Prior genomic comparisons suggested that the two decay modes can be distinguished based on the presence or absence of ligninolytic class II peroxidases (PODs), as well as the abundance of enzymes acting directly on crystalline cellulose (reduced in brown rot). To assess the generality of the white-rot/brown-rot classification paradigm, we compared the genomes of 33 basidiomycetes, including four newly sequenced wood decayers, and performed phylogenetically informed principal-components analysis (PCA) of a broad range of gene families encoding plant biomass-degrading enzymes. The newly sequenced Botryobasidium botryosum and Jaapia argillacea genomes lack PODs but possess diverse enzymes acting on crystalline cellulose, and they group close to the model white-rot species Phanerochaete chrysosporium in the PCA. Furthermore, laboratory assays showed that both B. botryosum and J. argillacea can degrade all polymeric components of woody plant cell walls, a characteristic of white rot. We also found expansions in reducing polyketide synthase genes specific to the brown-rot fungi. Our results suggest a continuum rather than a dichotomy between the white-rot and brown-rot modes of wood decay. A more nuanced categorization of rot types is needed, based on an improved understanding of the genomics and biochemistry of wood decay.

White rot fungi efficiently degrade lignin, a complex aromatic polymer in wood that is among the most abundant natural materials on earth. These fungi use extracellular oxidative enzymes that are also able to transform related aromatic compounds found in explosive contaminants, pesticides and toxic waste. We have sequenced the 30-million base-pair genome of Phanerochaete chrysosporium strain RP78 using a whole genome shotgun approach. The P. chrysosporium genome reveals an impressive array of genes encoding secreted oxidases, peroxidases and hydrolytic enzymes that cooperate in wood decay. Analysis of the genome data will enhance our understanding of lignocellulose degradation, a pivotal process in the global carbon cycle, and provide a framework for further development of bioprocesses for biomass utilization, organopollutant degradation and fiber bleaching. This genome provides a high quality draft sequence of a basidiomycete, a major fungal phylum that includes important plant and animal pathogens.

Approximately 3000 bp across 84 taxa have been analyzed for variable regions of RPB1, RPB2, and nLSU-rDNA to infer phylogenetic relationships in the large ectomycorrhizal mushroom genus Inocybe (Agaricales; Basidiomycota). This study represents the first effort to combine variable regions of RPB1 and RPB2 with nLSU-rDNA for low-level phylogenetic studies in mushroom-forming fungi. Combination of the three loci increases non-parametric bootstrap support, Bayesian posterior probabilities, and resolution for numerous clades compared to separate gene analyses. These data suggest the evolution of at least five major lineages in Inocybe-the Inocybe clade, the Mallocybe clade, the Auritella clade, the Inosperma clade, and the Pseudosperma clade. Additionally, many clades nested within each major lineage are strongly supported. These results also suggest the family Crepiodataceae sensu stricto is sister to Inocybe. Recognition of Inocybe at the family level, the Inocybaceae, is recommended.