Home • Truncatella angustata MPI-SDFR-AT-0073 v1.0
Image Credit: Stephane Hacquard
Truncatella angustata growing in the lab.
Image Credit: Stephane Hacquard

This genome was sequenced as part of the 1000 Fungal Genomes Project - Deep Sequencing of Ecologically-relevant Dikarya, and more specifically as part of the Endophyte Genome Sequencing project, which seeks to sequence members of diverse lineages of endophytic species found in Arabidopsis, Populus and other plants to examine the functional diversity of fungi with a shared evolutionary history.

Truncatella angustata (Ascomycota phylum, Sordariomycetes class, Xylariales order) is a coelomycetous fungus that has been recognized as both an endophyte and a pathogen of plants. It has a broad host range and typically colonizes vascular plants in tropical and temperate regions. Recently, a first probable case of subcutaneous infection by Truncatella angustata has been reported in an immunocompetent patient, suggesting that the fungus may represent a potentially new fungal pathogen of humans. Notably, a Truncatella angustata endophyte isolated from Populus sp. leaves has been shown to quantitatively reduce rust disease severity under laboratory conditions, pointing to the potential role of the endophyte for disease supression in wild trees. The sequenced Truncatella angustata isolate MPI-SDFR-AT-0073 has been isolated from healthy Arabidopsis thaliana plants grown in natural soil after surface sterilization of plant roots. The sequencing of this fungal isolate is part of a larger project aiming at sequencing the genomes of numerous phylogenetically diverse root-associated fungi from Arabidopsis, Populus, and other plant hosts for further comparative genome analysis. Unravelling the genomic signatures reflecting the adaptation of these microbes to the host cell environment represent a promising way to better understand how the endophytic lifestyle evolved in phylogenetically unrelated fungal species. Comparative genome analysis between different plant hosts, and between saprotrophic, mycorrhizal, and pathogenic fungi will provide new insights into the specific adaptations but also the conserved signatures associated with these different lifestyles.

Researchers who wish to publish analyses using data from unpublished CSP genomes are respectfully required to contact the PI and JGI to avoid potential conflicts on data use and coordinate other publications with the CSP master paper(s).

 

Genome Reference(s)