Genome compartmentalization in a host-specific fungal insect pathogen reveals a putative mating type locus on an accessory chromosome

Abstract

The genomic diversity of many fungal pathogens is driven by rapidly evolving regions harbouring significant amounts of transposable elements. Such genomic regions often contain genes important for pathogenicity and may be sequestered from the core genome on accessory chromosomes, which are variably present in isolates of a species. In this study, we present a pangenomic analysis of a fungal insect pathogen, Metarhizium acridum, using seven chromosome-scale genomes from four different continents. We show that approximately 25% of the M. acridum pangenome is comprised of genes only present in one isolate (singletons) or more than one but not all isolates (accessory). These genes are enriched for functions in secondary metabolite production, nutrient transport, and chromosome organization. We also find evidence of functional compartmentalization of the genome, as the core genome of M. acridum is enriched in carbohydrate-active enzymes, while the accessory components are enriched in effectors that are located in gene-sparse regions of the genome. Furthermore, we identified the first naturally recovered accessory chromosome in M. acridum, which does not harbor effector or secondary metabolite proteins related to host-insect interactions but is enriched in functions related to sexual reproduction. Within the genus Metarhizium, M. acridum is one of few species considered to regularly reproduce sexually. We show that the accessory chromosome contains genes from both the MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 idiomorphs, in addition to the MAT locus found on the core chromosomes. Our findings suggest that the presence of this accessory chromosome may facilitate sexual reproduction, possibly even primary homothallism, in the otherwise heterothallic M. acridum. Overall, our study presents a putative novel mechanism whereby this fungal pathogen may acquire gene recombination and ensure maintenance of the accessory chromosome.