Mushroom multicellularity illuminated by gene expression analysis
/Transcriptomic atlas of mushroom development reveals conserved genes behind complex multicellularity in fungi
Krisztina Krizsán, Éva Almási, Zsolt Merényi, Neha Sahu, Máté Virágh, Tamás Kószó, Stephen Mondo, Brigitta Kiss, Balázs Bálint, Ursula Kües, Kerrie Barry, Judit Cseklye, Botond Hegedüs, Bernard Henrissat, Jenifer Johnson, Anna Lipzen, Robin A. Ohm, István Nagy, Jasmyn Pangilinan, Juying Yan, Yi Xiong, Igor V. Grigoriev, David S. Hibbett, and László G. Nagy
PNAS (Research Article)
Complex multicellularity is a major evolutionary innovation in the history of life. Mushroom-forming fungi (Agaricomycetes) represent one of the most diverse complex multicellular clades, yet the genetic bases and evolutionary origins of their multicellular development are hardly known. We used readouts of gene expression in six species to find genes with a dynamic expression during the development of fruiting bodies. Comparisons across species and to 200 fungal genomes identified the gene families with a conserved expression dynamics in multicellular fruiting bodies and their ancient evolutionary origins. These data outline the major multicellularity-related and developmental processes of mushrooms, including the role of transcriptional reprogramming, gene coexpression networks, and alternative splicing, and reveal significant convergence with other complex multicellular lineages.
