The genome of Umbelopsis sp. nov. AD052 was sequenced by JGI in the framework of the ZygoLife project and Community Sequencing Project 1978 – “Genomics of the early diverging lineages of fungi and their transition to terrestrial, plant-based ecologies” (http://zygolife.org/home/). Zygomycetes are an ancient and diverse group of fungi, whose evolutionary history and ecological associations remain poorly resolved. The Zygo Life project aims to: 1) reconstruct the genealogical relationships of this early diverging branch in the fungal tree of life; 2) resolve the origins of symbiotic relationships between plants and zygomycetes; 3) reveal how complex body plans evolved in the group; 4) elucidate mechanisms of mating genetics between organisms with complex and differing life cycles, and; 5) develop genomic barcodes to facilitate identification of unknown fungi. Towards these goals we are sequencing genomes of diverse representative zygomycete taxa.
Fungi in the genus Umbelopsis belong within the subphylum Mucoromycotina (phylum Mucoromycota). These fungi are important industrially given their unique lipid and fatty acid metabolism, and they are common and abundant inhabitants of soil and plant roots. However, their biology and ecology is still not well understood.
Umbelopsis sp. nov. AD052 is a novel fungal species that was isolated from conifer roots in Michigan, USA. Similar to other members of the Mucoromycota, Umbelopsis sp. nov. AD052 associates with bacteria. Indeed, a novel taxon of γ-Proteobacteria, phylogenetically related to Dyella, has been identified in this fungal strain.
Genome Reference(s)
Chang Y, Wang Y, Mondo S, Ahrendt S, Andreopoulos W, Barry K, Beard J, Benny GL, Blankenship S, Bonito G, Cuomo C, Desiro A, Gervers KA, Hundley H, Kuo A, LaButti K, Lang BF, Lipzen A, O'Donnell K, Pangilinan J, Reynolds N, Sandor L, Smith ME, Tsang A, Grigoriev IV, Stajich JE, Spatafora JW
Evolution of zygomycete secretomes and the origins of terrestrial fungal ecologies.
iScience. 2022 Aug 19;25(8):104840. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104840