| Abstract Detail
Secondary Metabolites Bushley, Kathryn E. [1], Spatafora, Joseph W. [2]. Secondary Metabolites in Fungi: Evolution of Genes and Clusters. Mycologists are only beginning to understand the myriad roles fungal secondary metabolites play in mediating ecological interactions of fungi with other organisms. Drawing on examples of secondary metabolites from the order Hypocreales, which includes fungi that interact with plants, insects/animals, and other fungi, we examine changes in secondary metabolic potential associated with evolutionary shifts between plant and insect/animal hosts. Using a combination of comparative genomics, phylogenomics, and transcriptomics, we address the evolution and functional roles of two classes of secondary metabolites: 1) nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs), multimodular enzymes which produce small bioactive peptides (NRPs) without the aid of ribosomes and 2) polyketide synthases. Focusing on secondary metabolite core genes and clusters that are either unique to insect pathogens or upregulated in media containing insect cuticle or hemolymph, we examine evolutionary forces contributing to diversification of NRPS and PKS genes and their corresponding chemical products and the extent to which expansions correlate with host. At the hierarchical level of secondary metabolite clusters, we examine specific mechanisms including transposition, horizontal transfer, gene recruitment, gene duplication and loss, and their relative importance in shaping the evolution of metabolite clusters.
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1 - University of Minnesota, Department of Plant Biology, 250 BioSci Bldg, 1445 Gortner Avenue, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, USA
2 - Oregon State University, Botany and Plant Pathology, 2082 Cordley Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331-2902, USA
Keywords:
secondary metabolite
Insect Pathogen
NRPS
PKS.
Presentation Type: Symposium or Colloquium Presentation
Session: SY3
Location: Room 104 AB/Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center
Date: Monday, June 9th, 2014
Time: 3:00 PM
Number: SY3001
Abstract ID:196
Candidate for Awards:None |
