A new promising phylogenetic marker to study the diversity of fungal communities: The Glycoside Hydrolase 63 gene

In molecular ecology, the development of efficient molecular markers for fungi remains an important research domain. Nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was proposed as universal DNA barcode marker for fungi, but this marker was criticized for Indel‐induced alignment problems and its potential lack of phylogenetic resolution. Our main aim was to develop a new phylogenetic gene and a putative functional marker, from single‐copy gene, to describe fungal diversity. Thus, we developed a series of primers to amplify a polymorphic region of the Glycoside Hydrolase GH63 gene, encoding exo‐acting α‐glucosidases, in basidiomycetes. These primers were validated on 125 different fungal genomic DNAs, and GH63 amplification yield was compared with that of already published functional markers targeting genes coding for laccases, N‐acetylhexosaminidases, cellobiohydrolases and class II peroxidases. Specific amplicons were recovered for 95% of the fungal species tested, and GH63 amplification success was strikingly higher than rates obtained with other functional genes. We downloaded the GH63 sequences from 483 fungal genomes publicly available at the JGI mycocosm database. GH63 was present in 461 fungal genomes belonging to all phyla, except Microsporidia and Neocallimastigomycota divisions. Moreover, the phylogenetic trees built with both GH63 and Rpb1 protein sequences revealed that GH63 is also a promising phylogenetic marker. Finally, a very high proportion of GH63 proteins was predicted to be secreted. This molecular tool could be a new phylogenetic marker of fungal species as well as potential indicator of functional diversity of basidiomycetes fungal communities in term of secretory capacities.     

GH62 arabinofuranosidases: Structure,function and applications

Motivated by industrial demands and ongoing scientific discoveries continuous efforts are made to identify and create improved biocatalysts dedicated to plant biomass conversion. α-1,2 and α-1,3 arabinofuranosyl specific α-l-arabinofuranosidases (EC 3.2.1.55) are debranching enzymes catalyzing hydrolytic release of α-l-arabinofuranosyl residues, which decorate xylan or arabinan backbones in lignocellulosic and pectin constituents of plant cell walls. The CAZy database classifies α-l-arabinofuranosidases in Glycoside Hydrolase (GH) families GH2, GH3, GH43, GH51, GH54 and GH62. Only GH62 contains exclusively α-l-arabinofuranosidases and these are of fungal and bacterial origin. Twenty-two GH62 enzymes out of 223 entries in the CAZy database have been characterized and very recently new knowledge was acquired with regard to crystal structures, substrate specificities, and phylogenetics, which overall provides novel insights into structure/function relationships of GH62. Overall GH62 α-l-arabinofuranosidases are believed to play important roles in nature by acting in synergy with several cell wall degrading enzymes and members of GH62 represent promising candidates for biotechnological improvements of biofuel production and in various biorefinery applications.     

Enhancement of Synthetic Trichoderma-Based Enzyme Mixtures for Biomass Conversion with an Alternative Family 5 Glycosyl Hydrolase from Sporotrichum thermophile

Enzymatic conversion of lignocellulosic materials to fermentable sugars is a limiting step in the production of biofuels from biomass. We show here that combining enzymes from different microbial sources is one way to identify superior enzymes. Extracts of the thermophilic fungus Sporotrichum thermophile (synonym Myceliophthora thermophila) gave synergistic release of glucose (Glc) and xylose (Xyl) from pretreated corn stover when combined with an 8-component synthetic cocktail of enzymes from Trichoderma reesei. The S. thermophile extracts were fractionated and an enhancing factor identified as endo-β1,4- glucanase (StCel5A or EG2) of subfamily 5 of Glycosyl Hydrolase family 5 (GH5_5). In multi-component optimization experiments using a standard set of enzymes and either StCel5A or the ortholog from T. reesei (TrCel5A), reactions containing StCel5A yielded more Glc and Xyl. In a five-component optimization experiment (i.e., varying four core enzymes and the source of Cel5A), the optimal proportions for TrCel5A vs. StCel5A were similar for Glc yields, but markedly different for Xyl yields. Both enzymes were active on lichenan, glucomannan, and oat β-glucan; however, StCel5A but not TrCel5A was also active on β1,4-mannan, two types of galactomannan, and β1,4-xylan. Phylogenetically, fungal enzymes in GH5_5 sorted into two clades, with StCel5A and TrCel5A belonging to different clades. Structural differences with the potential to account for the differences in performance were deduced based on the known structure of TrCel5A and a homology-based model of StCel5A, including a loop near the active site of TrCel5A and the presence of four additional Trp residues in the active cleft of StCel5A. The results indicate that superior biomass-degrading enzymes can be identified by exploring taxonomic diversity combined with assays in the context of realistic enzyme combinations and realistic substrates. Substrate range may be a key factor contributing to superior performance within GH5_5.     

Solution Hybrid Selection Capture for the Recovery of Functional Full-Length Eukaryotic cDNAs From Complex Environmental Samples

Eukaryotic microbial communities play key functional roles in soil biology and potentially represent a rich source of natural products including biocatalysts. Culture-independent molecular methods are powerful tools to isolate functional genes from uncultured microorganisms. However, none of the methods used in environmental genomics allow for a rapid isolation of numerous functional genes from eukaryotic microbial communities. We developed an original adaptation of the solution hybrid selection (SHS) for an efficient recovery of functional complementary DNAs (cDNAs) synthesized from soil-extracted polyadenylated mRNAs. This protocol was tested on the Glycoside Hydrolase 11 gene family encoding endo-xylanases for which we designed 35 explorative 31-mers capture probes. SHS was implemented on four soil eukaryotic cDNA pools. After two successive rounds of capture, >90% of the resulting cDNAs were GH11 sequences, of which 70% (38 among 53 sequenced genes) were full length. Between 1.5 and 25% of the cloned captured sequences were expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Sequencing of polymerase chain reaction-amplified GH11 gene fragments from the captured sequences highlighted hundreds of phylogenetically diverse sequences that were not yet described, in public databases. This protocol offers the possibility of performing exhaustive exploration of eukaryotic gene families within microbial communities thriving in any type of environment.     

Phylogenomic Relationships between Amylolytic Enzymes from 85 Strains of Fungi

Fungal amylolytic enzymes, including α-amylase, gluocoamylase and α-glucosidase, have been extensively exploited in diverse industrial applications such as high fructose syrup production, paper making, food processing and ethanol production. In this paper, amylolytic genes of 85 strains of fungi from the phyla Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Chytridiomycota and Zygomycota were annotated on the genomic scale according to the classification of glycoside hydrolase (GH) from the Carbohydrate-Active enZymes (CAZy) Database. Comparisons of gene abundance in the fungi suggested that the repertoire of amylolytic genes adapted to their respective lifestyles. Amylolytic enzymes in family GH13 were divided into four distinct clades identified as heterologous α- amylases, eukaryotic α-amylases, bacterial and fungal α-amylases and GH13 α-glucosidases. Family GH15 had two branches, one for gluocoamylases, and the other with currently unknown function. GH31 α-glucosidases showed diverse branches consisting of neutral α-glucosidases, lysosomal acid α-glucosidases and a new clade phylogenetically related to the bacterial counterparts. Distribution of starch-binding domains in above fungal amylolytic enzymes was related to the enzyme source and phylogeny. Finally, likely scenarios for the evolution of amylolytic enzymes in fungi based on phylogenetic analyses were proposed. Our results provide new insights into evolutionary relationships among subgroups of fungal amylolytic enzymes and fungal evolutionary adaptation to ecological conditions.     

Biomining active cellulases from a mining bioremediation system

Functional metagenomics has emerged as a powerful method for gene model validation and enzyme discovery from natural and human engineered ecosystems. Here we report development of a high-throughput functional metagenomic screen incorporating bioinformatic and biochemical analyses features. A fosmid library containing 6144 clones sourced from a mining bioremediation system was screened for cellulase activity using 2,4-dinitrophenyl β-cellobioside, a previously proven cellulose model substrate. Fifteen active clones were recovered and fully sequenced revealing 9 unique clones with the ability to hydrolyse 1,4-β-d-glucosidic linkages. Transposon mutagenesis identified genes belonging to glycoside hydrolase (GH) 1, 3, or 5 as necessary for mediating this activity. Reference trees for GH 1, 3, and 5 families were generated from sequences in the CAZy database for automated phylogenetic analysis of fosmid end and active clone sequences revealing known and novel cellulase encoding genes. Active cellulase genes recovered in functional screens were subcloned into inducible high copy plasmids, expressed and purified to determine enzymatic properties including thermostability, pH optima, and substrate specificity. The workflow described here provides a general paradigm for recovery and characterization of microbially derived genes and gene products based on genetic logic and contemporary screening technologies developed for model organismal systems.     

千渭之会国家湿地公园典型植物底泥真菌群落结构及功能研究

通过研究陕西省宝鸡市千渭之会国家湿地公园不同植被类型的底泥中真菌群落结构、多样性及功能差异,为千渭之会国家湿地公园水生植物的优化选择提供依据。以芦苇、香蒲、白茅、水葱、荷花等典型湿地植物底泥样本为研究对象,采用高通量测序技术对底泥样本DNA的ITS1片段进行基因测序,获取底泥中真菌群落结构组成并预测其功能信息,测定样本理化性质及酶活性。结果表明,测序共获得11 778个OTUs(Operational Taxonomic Units),划分为34个门、58个纲、134个目、244个科、599个属;真菌群落以子囊菌门(Ascomycota)和担子菌门(Basidiomycota)为主;芦苇底泥样品的真菌多样性最低;子囊菌门的相对丰度与蔗糖酶、磷酸酶活性呈显著正相关(P<0.05),担子菌门的相对丰度与总碳、总有机碳含量以及蔗糖酶活性呈显著正相关(P<0.05);底泥真菌群落主要包括3类营养型和6类互有交叉营养型功能菌群。探讨了湿地中不同植物群落的底泥中真菌群落结构、多样性以及潜在功能的差异,分析相关理化性质的影响,以期为筛选人工湿地植物、有效利用湿地资源和生态修复提供参考。     

Glycoside hydrolase from the GH76 family indicates that marine Salegentibacter sp. Hel_I_6 consumes alpha-mannan from fungi

Microbial glycan degradation is essential to global carbon cycling. The marine bacterium Salegentibacter sp. Hel_I_6 (Bacteroidota) isolated from seawater off Helgoland island (North Sea) contains an α-mannan inducible gene cluster with a GH76 family endo-α-1,6-mannanase (ShGH76). This cluster is related to genetic loci employed by human gut bacteria to digest fungal α-mannan. Metagenomes from the Hel_I_6 isolation site revealed increasing GH76 gene frequencies in free-living bacteria during microalgae blooms, suggesting degradation of α-1,6-mannans from fungi. Recombinant ShGH76 protein activity assays with yeast α-mannan and synthetic oligomannans showed endo-α-1,6-mannanase activity. Resolved structures of apo-ShGH76 (2.0 Å) and of mutants co-crystalized with fungal mannan-mimicking α-1,6-mannotetrose (1.90 Å) and α-1,6-mannotriose (1.47 Å) retained the canonical (α/α)₆ fold, despite low identities with sequences of known GH76 structures (GH76s from gut bacteria: <27%). The apo-form active site differed from those known from gut bacteria, and co-crystallizations revealed a kinked oligomannan conformation. Co-crystallizations also revealed precise molecular-scale interactions of ShGH76 with fungal mannan-mimicking oligomannans, indicating adaptation to this particular type of substrate. Our data hence suggest presence of yet unknown fungal α-1,6-mannans in marine ecosystems, in particular during microalgal blooms.Subject terms: Metagenomics, Microbial ecology, Structural biology, Fungal ecology, Molecular ecology     

Endo-α-1,4-polygalactosaminidases and their homologs: Structure and evolution

Endo-α-1,4-polygalactosaminidase is a rare enzyme. Its catalytic domain belongs to the GH114 family of glycoside hydrolases. It is shown by phylogenetic analysis that the evolution of the corresponding genes involved duplications, elimination, and horizontal transfer. The domain and secondary structures of endo-α-1,4-polygalactosaminidases are discussed. A hypothesis is put forward as to the structure of the active center of the enzyme. Iterative screening of a protein database reveals evolutionary relationships of the GH114 family with the GH13, GH18, GH20, GH27, GH29, GH31, GH35, GH36, and GH66 families of glycoside hydrolases and with the COG1306, COG1649, COG2342, GHL3, and GHL4 families of proteins with unknown enzymatic functions. Unclassified homologs are grouped into 13 new families of hypothetical glycoside hydrolases: GHL5-GHL15, GH36J, and GH36K.     

不同种植年限薰衣草根际土壤真菌群落结构的演变

土壤真菌群落结构和多样性对植物生长起着重要作用,了解种植年限对薰衣草根际土壤真菌群落结构的影响对薰衣草病害防治和增产的研究具有重要意义。探究不同种植年限薰衣草根际土壤真菌群落结构和多样性特征,及其随种植年限的演变规律。采集新疆伊犁霍城县种植年限1、3、5 a,以及未种植薰衣草土壤,对ITS序列进行Illumina高通量测序。对测序结果进行分析,比较各样品组真菌多样性和群落分布规律及与种植年限的关联。结果表明,Alpha多样性分析显示随着种植年限的增加Shannon指数逐渐降低,而Chao1指数先降低后增高。在种植薰衣草土壤中共检测到12个门,28个纲,72个目,146个科,236个属。在门水平上,子囊菌门(Ascomycota)、担子菌门(Basidiomycota)、球囊菌门(Glomeromycota)为优势菌门。随着种植年限的增加,子囊菌门相对丰度逐渐降低,担子菌门逐渐增高,而球囊菌门先增加后降低。在属水平上优势菌属为Xylodon、锐孔菌属(Oxyporus)、镰刀菌属(Fusarium)、枝孢属(Cladosporium),均属于植物致病菌。随着种植年限的增加,Xylodon...     

The Largest Subunit of RNA Polymerase II as a New Marker Gene to Study Assemblages of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in the Field

Due to the potential of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF, Glomeromycota) to improve plant growth and soil quality, the influence of agricultural practice on their diversity continues to be an important research question. Up to now studies of community diversity in AMF have exclusively been based on nuclear ribosomal gene regions, which in AMF show high intra-organism polymorphism, seriously complicating interpretation of these data. We designed specific PCR primers for 454 sequencing of a region of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II gene, and established a new reference dataset comprising all major AMF lineages. This gene is known to be monomorphic within fungal isolates but shows an excellent barcode gap between species. We designed a primer set to amplify all known lineages of AMF and demonstrated its applicability in combination with high-throughput sequencing in a long-term tillage experiment. The PCR primers showed a specificity of 99.94% for glomeromycotan sequences. We found evidence of significant shifts of the AMF communities caused by soil management and showed that tillage effects on different AMF taxa are clearly more complex than previously thought. The high resolving power of high-throughput sequencing highlights the need for quantitative measurements to efficiently detect these effects.     

河南浓香型酒醅的真菌微生物菌群多样性及共变性

通过高通量测序研究河南三个不同酒厂的浓香型酒醅的真菌微生物菌群,逐次在门、纲、目、科和属5个水平上分析入窖酒醅和出窖酒醅的菌群多样性,探究酒醅发酵后菌群的共性变化规律.结果表明:出窖酒醅的真菌微生物多样性高于入窖酒醅的真菌微生物多样性,出窖酒醅的真菌主要有镰刀菌属Fusarium(相对丰度17％ ～32％),Plect...     

基于高通量测序的禁牧对土壤微生物群落结构的影响

麋鹿的采食、躺卧和践踏行为均会对栖息地土壤环境造成影响,进而影响土壤微生物群落结构。利用高通量测序技术,分析江苏大丰麋鹿国家级自然保护区禁牧点和补饲点土壤细菌和真菌群落结构差异,并结合土壤理化性质探究禁牧对土壤微生物群落结构的影响。结果表明细菌群落的优势菌门为变形菌门,真菌群落的优势菌门为子囊菌门。禁牧改变了土壤微生物群落结构,在门水平上提高了变形菌门、放线菌门和担子菌门的相对丰度,降低了绿弯菌门、厚壁菌门和子囊菌门的相对丰度,禁牧点与补饲点土壤微生物群落多样性的相似性较低。冗余分析中,细菌受土壤环境因子的影响大于真菌,其中土壤pH是影响细菌和真菌群落最大的土壤环境因子。研究揭示了禁牧对土壤微生物群落结构的影响,为保护区制定麋鹿生境恢复方案提供参考。     

不同扩增引物对高通量测序分析盐角草内生真菌多样性的影响

【背景】高通量测序分析作为深入了解环境微生物群落组成的重要方法,已成为植物内生真菌多样性研究的有效手段,然而由于引物的扩增差异,采用不同引物可对实验结果分析造成影响。同时,盐角草作为世界上最耐盐的植物之一,存在着多种功能性的内生真菌,而较为全面介绍其内生真菌组成和多样性的报道鲜见。【目的】为了揭示盐角草内生真菌的多样性,解析不同扩增引物对内生菌多样性分析的影响。【方法】分别采用真菌高通量测序常用引物对ITS1-5F、ITS1-1F、ITS2对采自乌鲁木齐达坂城盐湖的盐角草内生真菌进行扩增,开展其内生真菌OTU的分析。【结果】通过不同引物对扩增并测序共获得102个盐角草内生真菌OTU,涉及真菌界8个门和未分类菌群,其中子囊菌门(Ascomycota)占绝对优势,其次为担子菌门(Basidiomycota);在属层次上,盐角草内生真菌共涉及64个属及20个未分类属,其中Alternaria、Cladosporium、Podospora等3个属为盐角草内生真菌优势菌群。对不同引物对扩增测序结果分析表明,不同引物对扩增对分析内生真菌OTU数量和种类具有明显的影响,在全部所得的102个OTU中,...     

广西喀斯特地区毛唇芋兰根内与根际土壤真菌群落组成分析

为探索兰科(Orchidaceae)植物毛唇芋兰(Nervilia fordii)根内和根际土壤真菌群落多样性，该研究采用Illumina MiSeq高通量测序技术，分析了大新(DX)和龙州(LZ)两个样地(简称两地)毛唇芋兰根内和根际土壤的真菌组成。结果表明：(1)两地的毛唇芋兰根内和根际土壤真菌多样性很丰富，根际土壤真菌多样性均高于根内，主根的真菌多样性高于走茎。(2)通过测序共获得有效序列118 040条，207个可操作分类单元(OTUs)涉及8门19纲42目86科123属。(3)担子菌门(Basidiomycota)真菌是两地毛唇芋兰根内真菌的共同优势菌群，涉及胶膜菌科(Tulasnellaceae)、Trimorphomycetaceae、角担菌科(Ceratobasidiaceae)、马拉色菌科(Malasseziaceae)和小皮伞科(Marasmiaceae)等，其中优势科和优势属分别是胶膜菌科(75%)和瘤菌根菌属(Epulorhiza)(56%),而土壤中的优势菌属则是镰刀菌属(Fusarium)。综上认为，毛唇芋兰根内与根际土壤中的优势菌群既差异显著也存在一些共同...     

半干旱区锦鸡儿属植物根际土壤真菌群落多样性及驱动因素

为探究半干旱区锦鸡儿属植物根际土壤真菌群落多样性及其与生态因子的互作机制,本研究以不同生境下的中间锦鸡儿和小叶锦鸡儿为对象,采用高通量测序技术分析了2种锦鸡儿根际土壤真菌多样性和群落结构组成及其驱动因素。结果表明: 2种锦鸡儿根际土壤真菌隶属于7门20纲43目66科78属。优势真菌门为子囊菌(37.7%)、担子菌(13.7%)和接合菌(4.3%)。在属水平上,青霉菌、地丝霉菌和被孢霉菌为优势属,且土壤中存在根内球囊霉菌和球囊霉菌。小叶锦鸡儿根际土壤真菌群落的Chao1、ACE和Simpson多样性指数显著高于中间锦鸡儿,且2种植物的根际土壤真菌群落结构差异显著。冗余分析结果表明,土壤有机碳、全氮、电导率、速效钾、海拔、全磷和干旱指数是影响土壤真菌多样性的主要生态因子。研究结果丰富了锦鸡儿属植物根际土壤微生物群落多样与生态因子的关系,可为深入理解半干旱区荒漠植物的生态适应机制提供参考。     

不同树叶凋落物对人参土壤理化性质及微生物群落结构的影响

树种选择是林下山参护育成败的关键,研究树叶凋落物对人参土壤养分、微生物群落结构组成的影响,旨在为林下山参护育选择适宜林地及农田栽参土壤改良提供科学依据和理论指导。通过盆栽试验,研究添加5.0 g色木槭Acer mono.Maxim.var.mono(A)、赤松Pinus densiflora Sieb.et Zucc.(B)、胡桃楸Juglans mandshurica Maxim.(C)、紫椴Tilia amurensis Rupr.(D)、蒙古栎Quercus mongolica Fisch.ex Ledeb.(E)树叶凋落物到土壤中,种植人参(Panax ginseng C.A.meyer)后研究土壤理化性质以及微生物群落结构的变化。结果表明:添加不同树叶处理后人参土壤性质发生改变,土壤p H值显著高于对照土壤5.91(P0.05),土壤全氮、速效氮磷、微生物碳氮在所有树叶处理中显著增加(P0.05),而土壤容重、速效钾和C/N在添加树叶处理中降低。18个土壤样品基因组,经16S和ITS1测序分别得到6064和1900个OUTs。其中细菌涵盖了42门、117纲、170目、213科、225属,真菌涵盖了24门、98纲、196目、330科、435属。不同树叶处理人参土壤细菌和真菌地位发生改变,细菌Proteobacteria是树叶分解的关键微生物,添加树叶后其多样性显著高于对照(P0.05)。而细菌Bacteroidetes和真菌Basidiomycota可能是区别阔叶林和针叶林树种的关键微生物,针叶林中含量显著低于阔叶林(P0.05),而真菌Ascomycota是针叶林分解的关键微生物。进一步从不同分类水平上得到特定树叶凋落物的特异细菌和真菌。典型相关分析(CDA)表明细菌Bacteroidetes、Chloroflexi、Actinobacteria及真菌Basidiomycota、Zygomycota、Chytridiomycota及Ascomycota的位置及多样性的改变均与土壤因子SMBN、TN、AP、SOC、AK、C/N、p H有关。综上所述,添加不同树叶后不仅提高土壤微生物量碳氮、改善土壤理化性质,同时改变微生物群落结构组成,不同树叶处理土壤理化性质不同导致人参土壤微生物组成的差异,本结果对于林下参选地和农田栽参土壤微生物改良具有理论指导作用。     

黄山典型植被类型土壤真菌群落特征及其影响因素

黄山地势高差明显,植被类型多样,生态系统保存完整,是研究森林生态系统土壤真菌群落的天然实验室。本研究采集黄山典型植被下土壤样本,利用Illumina NovaSeq高通量测序技术分析土壤真菌群落结构,结合土壤理化性质探讨不同植被类型影响真菌群落组成的潜在因素。结果共检测到13个真菌门,优势真菌门依次为：担子菌门Basidiomycota,获得38目,202属,相对丰度介于7.30%-90.71%,在常绿落叶阔叶混交林、山地矮林及落叶阔叶林中出现高值,局部呈现先增后减的单峰变化格局;子囊菌门Ascomycota有56目,393属,相对丰度介于4.69%-53.07%,随着典型植被类型变化无明显变化规律;被孢霉门Mortierellomycota获得1目和2属,相对丰度介于2.88%-29.92%,随着典型植被类型变化呈现U型变化模式;5种植被类型土壤中共检测到34个不同分类单元的真菌指示类群,落叶阔叶林土壤真菌指示类群最为丰富,占67%;pH显著影响土壤真菌α多样性（Pearson,P<0.001）,是黄山土壤真菌群落变异的主控因子（Monte Corlo 检验,P<0.01）。     

Forest Age and Plant Species Composition Determine the Soil Fungal Community Composition in a Chinese Subtropical Forest

Fungal diversity and community composition are mainly related to soil and vegetation factors. However, the relative contribution of the different drivers remains largely unexplored, especially in subtropical forest ecosystems. We studied the fungal diversity and community composition of soils sampled from 12 comparative study plots representing three forest age classes (Young: 10–40 yrs; Medium: 40–80 yrs; Old: ≥80 yrs) in Gutianshan National Nature Reserve in South-eastern China. Soil fungal communities were assessed employing ITS rDNA pyrotag sequencing. Members of Basidiomycota and Ascomycota dominated the fungal community, with 22 putative ectomycorrhizal fungal families, where Russulaceae and Thelephoraceae were the most abundant taxa. Analysis of similarity showed that the fungal community composition significantly differed among the three forest age classes. Forest age class, elevation of the study plots, and soil organic carbon (SOC) were the most important factors shaping the fungal community composition. We found a significant correlation between plant and fungal communities at different taxonomic and functional group levels, including a strong relationship between ectomycorrhizal fungal and non-ectomycorrhizal plant communities. Our results suggest that in subtropical forests, plant species community composition is the main driver of the soil fungal diversity and community composition.     

Broad-specificity GH131 β-glucanases are a hallmark of fungi and oomycetes that colonize plants

Plant-tissue-colonizing fungi fine-tune the deconstruction of plant-cell walls (PCW) using different sets of enzymes according to their lifestyle. However, some of these enzymes are conserved among fungi with dissimilar lifestyles. We identified genes from Glycoside Hydrolase family GH131 as commonly expressed during plant-tissue colonization by saprobic, pathogenic and symbiotic fungi. By searching all the publicly available genomes, we found that GH131-coding genes were widely distributed in the Dikarya subkingdom, except in Taphrinomycotina and Saccharomycotina, and in phytopathogenic Oomycetes, but neither other eukaryotes nor prokaryotes. The presence of GH131 in a species was correlated with its association with plants as symbiont, pathogen or saprobe. We propose that GH131-family expansions and horizontal-gene transfers contributed to this adaptation. We analysed the biochemical activities of GH131 enzymes whose genes were upregulated during plant-tissue colonization in a saprobe (Pycnoporus sanguineus), a plant symbiont (Laccaria bicolor) and three hemibiotrophic-plant pathogens (Colletotrichum higginsianum, C. graminicola, Zymoseptoria tritici). These enzymes were all active on substrates with β-1,4, β-1,3 and mixed β-1,4/1,3 glucosidic linkages. Combined with a cellobiohydrolase, GH131 enzymes enhanced cellulose degradation. We propose that secreted GH131 enzymes unlock the PCW barrier and allow further deconstruction by other enzymes during plant tissue colonization by symbionts, pathogens and saprobes.