MatTypeEvol · Evolution of fungal mating-type chromosomes
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2016-03-01 → 2018-02-28
- EU contribution
- €173,076
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Evolution of fungal mating-type chromosomes
Sex chromosomes often show extensive areas of suppressed recombination and cytological differentiation, a well-documented phenomenon in animals and plants. Lack of recombination is expected to limit the efficacy of natural selection, leading to degeneration in gene content. Similarly, fungal mating-type chromosomes can display patterns of suppressed recombination, however the mechanisms responsible and the extent of genic degeneration are still unclear. The proposed research investigates the evolution of fungal mating-type chromosomes, more specifically the patterns and mechanisms underlying genomic regions with suppressed recombination linked to mating compatibility genes and how this phenomenon impacts fitness and the genome. I use comparative genomics and a model fungal system with dimorphic mating-type chromosomes of different degrees and ages for understanding the steps involved in the evolution of suppressed recombination and genomic degeneration. This project compiles results that yield unprecedented insights into the evolution of mating-type chromosomes, the dynamics of genome degradation in sexual eukaryotic species, and more generally contribute for a unified view of evolution in dimorphic chromosomes with suppressed recombination.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Sex chromosomes often show extensive areas of suppressed recombination and cytological differentiation, a well-documented phenomenon in animals and plants. Lack of recombination is expected to limit the efficacy of natural selection, leading to degeneration in gene content. Similarly, fungal mating-type chromosomes, which are responsible for controlling compatibility during mating, can display patterns of suppressed recombination encompassing up to 90% of the chromosome length. The mechanisms responsible for lack of recombination and consequent degeneration remain unclear.Here, I propose to use comparative genomics to investigate the patterns and underlying mechanisms involved in recombination suppression and genomic degeneration in Microbotryum, a model fungal system with a range of dimorphic mating-type chromosomes. I will complement the currently available high-quality genome assemblies for twenty species in the genus with three outgroups, which will allow to polarize all genomic data. I will then use the genomic dataset to: 1) test hypotheses on the origin of recombination suppression in fungal mating-type chromosomes; 2) study the evolution of non-recombining regions in fungal mating-type chromosomes, e.g., their size and age, and the existence of evolutionary strata; and 3) study the patterns and mechanisms of genomic degeneration in non-recombining regions, namely non-synonymous substitution accumulation, transposable elements, disrupted genes, and non-optimal codon usage.Results will not only shed light on the origins and consequences of suppressed recombination and genome degradation in fungal mating-type chromosomes, but will also yield unprecedented insights into the dynamics of sexual reproduction in eukaryotes and contribute for a unified view of the evolution of dimorphic chromosomes.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSITE PARIS-SACLAY · Gif-Sur-YvetteCoordinatorFrance
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union