Trichocoma paradoxa CBS 103.73 is a member of the Trichocomaceae family from the order Eurotiales, and was sequenced as part of the 1000 Fungal Genomes Project. The 1000 Fungal Genomes Project aims to fill in gaps in the Fungal Tree of Life by sequencing at least two reference genomes from the more than 500 recognized families of Fungi. This project additionally aims to inform research on plant-microbe interactions, microbial emission and capture of greenhouse gasses, and environmental metagenomic sequencing.
Fungi in Eurotiales (e.g. Penicillium, Aspergillus) are ubiquitous and typified by their prolific production of microscopic, asexual fruiting structures. However, two genera produce large, complex fruiting bodies. These are Trichocoma (the "shaving brush fungus") and Elaphomyces (the "Deer truffle"). Trichocoma paradoxa is the only species in the genus and is found fruiting on decaying wood in the Pacific rim of Asia and Oceania, although its distribution is poorly studied. Elaphomyces are ectomycorrhizal symbionts of trees and have been found on every continent except Antarctica. Recent work indicates that Elaphomyces and Trichocoma may be closely related to one another, but few phylogenetic studies of Eurotiales have included both taxa. This project seeks to generate a draft genome sequence of Trichocoma paradoxa to definitively place it within a phylogenomic context within Eurotiales and to determine if there have been independent origins of macroscopic, complex fruiting structures in this order.