Dataset Information

Analysis of the codon usage pattern of the RdRP gene of mycovirus infecting Aspergillus spp.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Mycoviruses that infect fungi generally do not have a significant effect on the host and, instead, reduce the toxicity of the fungi. However, recent studies have shown that polymycovirus-1, a mycovirus that infects Aspergillus species known to cause disease in humans, is related to increased virulence of the fungus.

Methods

Comparative analysis was performed of RdRP gene codon usage patterns of Aspergillus fumigatus polymycovirus-1 (AfuPmV-1) and other mycoviruses known to infect Aspergillus spp. to examine the genetic characteristics of AfuPmV-1. In addition, codon usage analysis was performed to determine whether the nucleotide composition and codon usage characteristics of AfuPmV-1 were also present in other polymycoviruses and hypervirulence-related mycoviruses. Phylogenetic analysis was also performed to investigate their evolutionary relationship.

Results

Analysis of nucleotide composition indicated that AfuPmV-1 had the highest GC content among analyzed mycoviruses and relative synonymous codon usage analysis indicated that all of the codons preferred by AfuPmV-1 ended with C or G, while codons ending with A or U were not observed. Moreover, the effective number of codons, the codon adaptation index, and correspondence analysis showed that AfuPmV-1 had greater codon preference compared with other mycoviruses and that AfuPmV-1 had relatively high adaptability to humans and fungi. These results were generally similar among polymycoviruses.

Conclusions

The codon usage pattern of AfuPmV-1 differs from other mycoviruses that infect Aspergillus spp. This difference may be related to the hypervirulence effect of AfuPmV-1. Analysis of AfuPmV-1 codon usage patterns could contribute to the identification and prediction of virulence effects of mycoviruses with similar genetic characteristics.

SUBMITTER: Je M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6335760 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundCodon usage bias is an important evolutionary feature in a genome and has been widely documented in many genomes. Analysis of codon usage bias has significance for mRNA translation, design of transgenes, new gene discovery, and studies of molecular biology and evolution, etc. However, the information about synonymous codon usage pattern of T. saginata genome remains unclear. T. saginata is a food-borne zoonotic cestode which infects approximataely 50 million humans worldwide, and causes significant health problems to the host and considerable socio-economic losses as a consequence. In this study, synonymous codon usage in T. saginata were examined.MethodsTotal RNA was isolated from T. saginata cysticerci and 91,487 unigenes were generated using Illumina sequencing technology. After filtering, the final sequence collection containing 11,399 CDSs was used for our analysis.ResultsNeutrality analysis showed that the T. saginata had a wide GC3 distribution and a significant correlation was observed between GC12 and GC3. NC-plot showed most of genes on or close to the expected curve, but only a few points with low-ENC values were below it, suggesting that mutational bias plays a major role in shaping codon usage. The Parity Rule 2 plot (PR2) analysis showed that GC and AT were not used proportionally. We also identified twenty-three optimal codons in the T. saginata genome, all of which were ended with a G or C residue. These results suggest that mutational and selection forces are probably driving factors of codon usage bias in T. saginata genome. Meanwhile, other factors such as protein length, gene expression, GC content of genes, the hydropathicity of each protein also influence codon usage.ConclusionsHere, we systematically analyzed the codon usage pattern and identified factors shaping in codon usage bias in T. saginata. Currently, no complete nuclear genome is available for codon usage analysis at the genome level in T. saginata. This is the first report to investigate codon biology in T. sagninata. Such information does not only bring about a new perspective for understanding the mechanisms of biased usage of synonymous codons but also provide useful clues for molecular genetic engineering and evolutionary studies.