Members of the Chaetomiaceae are among the best studied and widely used fungi in industry and are among the most reported in studies of biomass degradation in natural settings and engineered compost. They are known for their abilities to produce carbohydrate-active enzymes and are therefore relevant to DoE missions in the biofuels industry and in understanding global carbon cycling. Thermophilic Chaetomiaceae are of particular interest because they produce thermally stable enzymes and grow under high temperatures that prevent contamination from other microorganisms. The genomes of two thermophilic species belonging to the Chaetomiaceae were reported recently as a result of JGI efforts (Berka et al. 2011). The genomes of several additional thermophilic and mesophilic members of the family are being acquired as part of an expanded whole-genome comparative project designed to identify genomic and regulatory changes underlying the evolutionary shift from mesophily to thermophily. Thermophilic and thermotolerant species being examined include Myceliophthora heterothallica, Thielavia arenaria and others. Mesophilic species include T. appendiculata, T. hyrcaniae and others.
Genome Reference(s)
Hensen N, Bonometti L, Westerberg I, Brännström IO, Guillou S, Cros-Aarteil S, Calhoun S, Haridas S, Kuo A, Mondo S, Pangilinan J, Riley R, LaButti K, Andreopoulos B, Lipzen A, Chen C, Yan M, Daum C, Ng V, Clum A, Steindorff A, Ohm RA, Martin F, Silar P, Natvig DO, Lalanne C, Gautier V, Ament-Velásquez SL, Kruys Å, Hutchinson MI, Powell AJ, Barry K, Miller AN, Grigoriev IV, Debuchy R, Gladieux P, Hiltunen Thorén M, Johannesson H
Genome-scale phylogeny and comparative genomics of the fungal order Sordariales.
Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2023 Oct 10;189():107938. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107938