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- Title
Molecular evolution and functional divergence of tubulin superfamily in the fungal tree of life.
- Authors
Zhongtao Zhao; Huiquan Liu; Yongping Luo; Shanyue Zhou; Lin An; Chenfang Wang; Qiaojun Jin; Mingguo Zhou; Jin-Rong Xu
- Abstract
Microtubules are essential for various cellular activities and β-tubulins are the target of benzimidazole fungicides. However, the evolution and molecular mechanisms driving functional diversification in fungal tubulins are not clear. In this study, we systematically identified tubulin genes from 59 representative fungi across the fungal kingdom. Phylogenetic analysis showed that α-/β-tubulin genes underwent multiple independent duplications and losses in different fungal lineages and formed distinct paralogous/ orthologous clades. The last common ancestor of basidiomycetes and ascomycetes likely possessed two paralogs of a-tubulin (a1/a2) and β-tubulin (β1/β2) genes but α2-tubulin genes were lost in basidiomycetes and β2-tubulin genes were lost in most ascomycetes. Molecular evolutionary analysis indicated that α1, α2, and β2-tubulins have been under strong divergent selection and adaptive positive selection. Many positively selected sites are at or adjacent to important functional sites and likely contribute to functional diversification. We further experimentally confirmed functional divergence of two β-tubulins in Fusarium and identified type II variations in FgTub2 responsible for function shifts. In this study, we also identified δ-/ϵ-/η-tubulins in Chytridiomycetes. Overall, our results illustrated that different evolutionary mechanisms drive functional diversification of α-/β-tubulin genes in different fungal lineages, and residues under positive selection could provide targets for further experimental study.
- Subjects
TUBULINS; PLANT microtubules; BENZIMIDAZOLES; FUNGICIDES; PHYTOPATHOGENIC fungi; PLANT phylogeny
- Publication
Scientific Reports, 2014, p1
- ISSN
2045-2322
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/srep06746