The Friedmanniomyces endolithicus CCFEE 5311 genome sequence and gene models were not determined by the Joint Genome Institute (JGI), but were downloaded from NCBI on Apr 17, 2021. Please note that this copy of the genome is not maintained by NCBI and is therefore not automatically updated. In order to allow comparative analyses with other fungal genomes sequenced by the JGI, a copy of this genome is incorporated into MycoCosm. The JGI Annotation Pipeline was used to add functional annotation to this genome.
Friedmanniomyces endolithicus is a highly melanized fungus endemic to the Antarctic, occurring exclusively in endolithic communities of the ice-free areas of the Victoria Land, including the McMurdo Dry Valleys, the coldest and most hyper-arid desert on Earth and accounted as the Martian analog on our planet. F. endolithicus is highly successful in these inhospitable environments, representing the most widespread and commonly isolated species from these peculiar niches, indicating a high degree of adaptation. The genome of F. endolithicus MNA-CCFEE 5311 was sequenced to explore gene content and genomic patterns that could be attributed to its specialization. Some peculiar traits for stress tolerance such as meristematic growth and cold tolerance, which may be triggered by the exposure to Antarctic prohibitive conditions, were found enriched.
The fungus was provided by the Culture Collection of Fungi from Extreme Environments of the Mycological Section of the Italian Antarctic National Museum (MNA-CCFEE).
Genome Reference(s)
Coleine C, Masonjones S, Sterflinger K, Onofri S, Selbmann L, Stajich JE
Peculiar genomic traits in the stress-adapted cryptoendolithic Antarctic fungus Friedmanniomyces endolithicus.
Fungal Biol. 2020 May;124(5):458-467. doi: 10.1016/j.funbio.2020.01.005
Selbmann, L., De Hoog, G. S., Mazzaglia, A., Friedmann, E. I., & Onofri, S. (2005). Fungi at the edge of life: cryptoendolithic black fungi from Antarctic desert. Stud Mycol, 51(1), 1-32.