Reference-free identification and pangenome analysis of accessory chromosomes in a major fungal plant pathogen

Abstract

Accessory chromosomes, found in some but not all individuals of a species, play an important role in pathogenicity and host specificity in fungal plant pathogens. However, their variability complicates reference-based analysis, especially when chromosomes are missing from reference genomes. Pangenome variation graphs offer a reference-free alternative for studying these chromosomes. Here, we constructed a pangenome variation graph for Fusarium oxysporum, a major fungal plant pathogen with a compartmentalized genome. To study accessory chromosomes, we constructed a chromosome similarity network and identified eleven conserved core chromosomes and many highly variable accessory chromosomes. Some of these are host-specific and are likely involved in determining host range, which we corroborate by analyzing nearly 600 F. oxysporum assemblies. By a reconstruction of pangenome variation graph per homologous chromosomes, we show that these evolve due to extensive structural variation as well as the exchange of genetic material between accessory chromosomes giving rise to these mosaic accessory chromosomes. Furthermore, we show that accessory chromosomes are horizontally transferred in natural populations. We demonstrate that pangenome variation graphs are a powerful approach to elucidate the evolutionary dynamics of accessory chromosomes in F. oxysporum and provides a computational framework for similar analyses in other species that encode accessory chromosomes.