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Molecular and genetic evidence for a tetrapolar mating system in the basidiomycetous yeast Kwoniella mangrovensis and two novel sibling species.

ABSTRACT: Kwoniella mangrovensis has been described as a sexual species with a bipolar mating system. Phylogenetic analysis of multiple genes places this species together with Kwoniella heveanensis in the Kwoniella clade, a sister clade to that containing two pathogenic species of global importance, Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii, within the Tremellales. Recent studies defining the mating type loci (MAT) of species in these clades showed that, with the exception of C. neoformans and C. gattii, which are bipolar with a single biallelic multigene MAT locus, several other species feature a tetrapolar mating system with two unlinked loci (homeodomain [HD] and pheromone/receptor [P/R] loci). We characterized several strains from the original study describing K. mangrovensis; two MAT regions were amplified and sequenced: the STE20 gene (P/R locus) and the divergently transcribed SXI1 and SXI2 genes (HD locus). We identified five different mating types with different STE20/SXI allele combinations that together with results of mating experiments demonstrate that K. mangrovensis is not bipolar but instead has a tetrapolar mating system. Sequence and gene analysis for a 43-kb segment of the K. mangrovensis type strain MAT locus revealed remarkable synteny with the homologous K. heveanensis MAT P/R region, providing new insights into slower evolution of MAT loci in the Kwoniella compared to the Cryptococcus clade of the Tremellales. The study of additional isolates from plant substrates in Europe and Botswana using a combination of multilocus sequencing with MAT gene analysis revealed two novel sibling species that we name Kwoniella europaea and Kwoniella botswanensis and which appear to also have tetrapolar mating systems.

SUBMITTER: Guerreiro MA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3647770 | biostudies-literature | 2013 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Molecular and genetic evidence for a tetrapolar mating system in the basidiomycetous yeast Kwoniella mangrovensis and two novel sibling species.

Guerreiro Marco A MA Springer Deborah J DJ Rodrigues Joana A JA Rusche Laura N LN Findley Keisha K Heitman Joseph J Fonseca Alvaro A

Eukaryotic cell 20130322 5

Kwoniella mangrovensis has been described as a sexual species with a bipolar mating system. Phylogenetic analysis of multiple genes places this species together with Kwoniella heveanensis in the Kwoniella clade, a sister clade to that containing two pathogenic species of global importance, Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii, within the Tremellales. Recent studies defining the mating type loci (MAT) of species in these clades showed that, with the exception of C. neoformans and C. ga ...[more]

PMID: 23524993

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Project description:Climate change is having profound impacts on animal populations, and shifts in geographic range are predicted in response. Shifts that result in range overlap between previously allopatric congeneric species may have consequences for biodiversity through interspecific competition, hybridization, and genetic introgression. Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) and spotted seals (Phoca largha) are parapatric sibling species and areas of co-occurrence at the edges of their range, such as Bristol Bay, Alaska, offer a unique opportunity to explore ecological separation and discuss potential consequences of increased range overlap resulting from retreating sea ice. Using telemetry and genetic data from 14 harbor seals and six spotted seals, we explored the ecological and genetic separation of the two species by comparing their utilization distributions, distance from haul-out, dive behavior (e.g., depth, duration, focus), and evidence of hybridization. Firstly, we show that harbor and spotted seals, which cannot be visually distinguished definitively in all cases, haul-out together side by side in Bristol Bay from late summer to early winter. Secondly, we observed subtle rather than pronounced differences in ranging patterns and dive behavior during this period. Thirdly, most spotted seals in this study remained close to shore in contrast to what is known of the species in more northern areas, and lastly, we did not find any evidence of hybridization. The lack of distinct ecological separation in this area of sympatry suggests that interspecific competition could play an important role in the persistence of these species, particularly if range overlap will increase as a result of climate-induced range shifts and loss of spotted seal pagophilic breeding habitat. Our results also highlight the added complexities in monitoring these species in areas of suspected overlap, as they cannot easily be distinguished without genetic analysis. Predicted climate-induced environmental change will likely influence the spatial and temporal extent of overlap in these two sibling species. Ultimately, this may alter the balance between current isolating mechanisms with consequences for species integrity and fitness.

Dataset Information

Molecular and genetic evidence for a tetrapolar mating system in the basidiomycetous yeast Kwoniella mangrovensis and two novel sibling species.

Publications

Molecular and genetic evidence for a tetrapolar mating system in the basidiomycetous yeast Kwoniella mangrovensis and two novel sibling species.

Similar Datasets

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