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The complete mitochondrial genome of the White-Nose Syndrome pathogen, Pseudogymnoascus destructans.

ABSTRACT: In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of the White-Nose Syndrome pathogen, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (=Geomyces destructans), is sequenced. The circular mitochondrial genome is 32,181?bp long and encodes 13 standard proteins, 2 ribosomal RNA subunits, and 27 tRNAs. The genome contains two introns located within the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (cox1) and the large ribosomal RNA subunit (rrnl), with each intron encoding one gene, orf110 and rps3, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of the concatenated mitochondrial protein-coding genes of P. destructans and close representatives in Leotiomycetes showed that P. destructans was closely related to Pseudogymnoascus pannorum, consistent with nuclear genes.

SUBMITTER: Forsythe A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7799954 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The complete mitochondrial genome of the White-Nose Syndrome pathogen, Pseudogymnoascus destructans.

Forsythe Adrian A Xu Jianping J

Mitochondrial DNA. Part B, Resources 20170202 1

In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of the White-Nose Syndrome pathogen, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (=Geomyces destructans), is sequenced. The circular mitochondrial genome is 32,181 bp long and encodes 13 standard proteins, 2 ribosomal RNA subunits, and 27 tRNAs. The genome contains two introns located within the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (cox1) and the large ribosomal RNA subunit (rrnl), with each intron encoding one gene, orf110 and ...[more]

PMID: 33473712

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Project description:Mitigation of emerging infectious diseases that threaten global biodiversity requires an understanding of critical host and pathogen responses to infection. For multihost pathogens where pathogen virulence or host susceptibility is variable, host-pathogen interactions in tolerant species may identify potential avenues for adaptive evolution in recently exposed, susceptible hosts. For example, the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans causes white-nose syndrome (WNS) in hibernating bats and is responsible for catastrophic declines in some species in North America, where it was recently introduced. Bats in Europe and Asia, where the pathogen is endemic, are only mildly affected. Different environmental conditions among Nearctic and Palearctic hibernacula have been proposed as an explanation for variable disease outcomes, but this hypothesis has not been experimentally tested. We report the first controlled, experimental investigation of response to P. destructans in a tolerant, European species of bat (the greater mouse-eared bat, Myotis myotis). We compared body condition, disease outcomes and gene expression in control (sham-exposed) and exposed M. myotis that hibernated under controlled environmental conditions following treatment. Tolerant M. myotis experienced extremely limited fungal growth and did not exhibit symptoms of WNS. However, we detected no differential expression of genes associated with immune response in exposed bats, indicating that immune response does not drive tolerance of P. destructans in late hibernation. Variable responses to P. destructans among bat species cannot be attributed solely to environmental or ecological factors. Instead, our results implicate coevolution with the pathogen, and highlight the dynamic nature of the "white-nose syndrome transcriptome." Interspecific variation in response to exposure by the host (and possibly pathogen) emphasizes the importance of context in studies of the bat-WNS system, and robust characterization of genetic responses to exposure in various hosts and the pathogen should precede any attempts to use particular bat species as generalizable "model hosts."

Project description:White-nose syndrome (WNS) is causing significant declines in populations of North American hibernating bats, and recent western and southern expansions of the disease have placed additional species at risk. Understanding differences in species susceptibility and identifying management actions to reduce mortality of bats from WNS are top research priorities. However, the use of wild-caught susceptible bats, such as Myotis lucifugus, as model species for WNS research is problematic and places additional pressure on remnant populations. We investigated the feasibility of using Tadarida brasiliensis, a highly abundant species of bat that tolerates captivity, as the basis for an experimental animal model for WNS. Using methods previously established to confirm the etiology of WNS in M. lucifugus, we experimentally infected 11 T. brasiliensis bats with Pseudogymnoascus destructans in the laboratory under conditions that induced hibernation. We detected P. destructans on all 11 experimentally infected bats, 7 of which exhibited localized proliferation of hyphae within the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue, similar to invasive cutaneous ascomycosis observed in M. lucifugus bats with WNS. However, the distribution of lesions across wing membranes of T. brasiliensis bats was limited, and only one discrete "cupping erosion," diagnostic for WNS, was identified. Thus, the rarity of lesions definitive for WNS suggests that T. brasiliensis does not likely represent an appropriate model for studying the pathophysiology of this disease. Nonetheless, the results of this study prompt questions concerning the potential for free-ranging, migratory T. brasiliensis bats to become infected with P. destructans and move the fungal pathogen between roost sites used by species susceptible to WNS.IMPORTANCE White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a fungal disease that is causing severe declines of bat populations in North America. Identifying ways to reduce the impacts of this disease is a priority but is inhibited by the lack of an experimental animal model that does not require the use of wild-caught bat species already impacted by WNS. We tested whether Tadarida brasiliensis, one of the most abundant species of bats in the Americas, could serve as a suitable animal model for WNS research. While T. brasiliensis bats were susceptible to experimental infection with the fungus under conditions that induced hibernation, the species exhibited limited pathology diagnostic for WNS. These results indicate that T. brasiliensis is not likely a suitable experimental model for WNS research. However, the recovery of viable WNS-causing fungus from experimentally infected bats indicates a potential for this species to contribute to the spread of the pathogen where it coexists with other species of bats affected by WNS.

Dataset Information

The complete mitochondrial genome of the White-Nose Syndrome pathogen, Pseudogymnoascus destructans.

Publications

The complete mitochondrial genome of the White-Nose Syndrome pathogen, <i>Pseudogymnoascus destructans</i>.

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