Exidia glandulosa genome was sequenced as a part of the large-scale multi-genome JGI CSP Saprotrophic Agaricomycotina Project (SAP), which focuses on the diversity and evolution of decay mechanisms, organismal phylogenetic relationships, and developmental evolution. A large collaborative effort led by PI of this project, David Hibbett (Clark University) aims for master publication(s) of the SAP data analysis. Researchers who wish to publish analyses using data from unpublished SAP genomes are respectfully required to contact the PI and JGI to avoid potential conflicts on data use and coordinate other publications with the SAP master paper(s).
Exidia glandulosa is a wood-decaying jelly fungus in the Auriculariales (Agaricomycetes) that typically grows on dead branches of oaks and other hardwoods while they are still attached to the tree, high in the canopy. The fruiting bodies are often observed on recently fallen branches, indicating that this species is able to complete its life cycle under challenging conditions characterized by great fluctuations in temperature and humidity. Only one other member of the Auriculariales, Auricularia delicata, has been sequenced by the JGI. The genome of A. delicata is 75 Mbp and has 23,577 predicted genes, making it one of the largest genomes yet reported in the Agaricomycetes (Floudas et al., Science 336:1715-1719, 2012). Moreover, the A. delicata genome is rich in genes encoding carbohydrate-active enzymes and oxidoreductases involved in degradation of crystalline cellulose and lignin in white rot, including 19 fungal class II peroxidases and 11 dye decolorizing peroxidases. The genome sequence of E. glandulosa will help determine if large genomes with rich repertoires of decay-related genes are a general feature of Auriculariales, which could provide resources for industrial applications as well as clues to the nutritional modes of early Agaricomycetes. This species was sequenced as part of the Saprotrophic Agaricomycotina Project (SAP), which focuses on the evolution of decay capabilities in mushroom forming fungi (Agaricomycotina).
Genome Reference(s)
Nagy LG, Riley R, Tritt A, Adam C, Daum C, Floudas D, Sun H, Yadav JS, Pangilinan J, Larsson KH, Matsuura K, Barry K, Labutti K, Kuo R, Ohm RA, Bhattacharya SS, Shirouzu T, Yoshinaga Y, Martin FM, Grigoriev IV, Hibbett DS
Comparative Genomics of Early-Diverging Mushroom-Forming Fungi Provides Insights into the Origins of Lignocellulose Decay Capabilities.
Mol Biol Evol. 2016 Apr;33(4):959-70. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msv337