Clade-wide fungal proteome analysis reveals structure-function conservation in divergent Dicer proteins

Abstract

Dicers (Dcrs) are central proteins involved in the biogenesis of small RNAs (sRNAs) in eukaryotes. Most of the knowledge on Dcr structure, function and evolution comes from studies conducted in animal and plant species. Comparatively, much less is known in fungi, which are a genetically and ecologically diverse group with important roles in ecosystems, agriculture, medicine, and biotechnology. While canonical Dcrs in plants and animals contain a well-defined domain architecture, most fungal Dcrs with experimentally validated functions lack one or more identifiable canonical domains, raising questions about how RNA-binding and precise sRNA processing is retained. Here, we conducted the most extensive survey of fungal Dcr proteins, analyzing 1,593 proteomes across eight phyla. We found a diversity of Dcr domain architectures, with some of them lacking an identifiable PAZ, Helicase, and/or double-stranded RNA binding domains. Phylogenetic analyses showed that different Dcr classes are distributed across distinct clades that often align with fungal taxonomic groups. Despite the lack of canonical domain architectures, we found that fungal Dcrs fold into a characteristic L-shaped structure and show PAZ-like folds, even in proteins without detectable PAZ sequences. Molecular docking and electrostatic analyses further indicate that these divergent Dcrs maintain key RNA-binding surfaces for proper sRNA processing. Our results indicate a remarkable evolutionary plasticity of Dcr in fungi, showing that essential sRNA processing functions can be retained through structural conservation, and highlighting fungi as models to study the modular evolution of the RNAi machinery in eukaryotes. Significance statementDicer (Dcr) proteins are central to RNA interference (RNAi), a gene regulatory mechanism conserved across eukaryotes. However, current models of Dcr structure, function, and evolution are largely based on studies in animals and plants. Here, we present the most comprehensive analysis to date of Dcr proteins in fungi, a diverse eukaryotic group including many societally important pathogens and symbiotes which are reliant on RNAi. Our findings reveal that despite widespread divergence from canonical Dcr architecture, fungal Dcrs conserve critical folds and RNA-binding features, further suggesting that core RNAi functions are maintained. This work establishes fungi as key models for studying the evolution and functional robustness of the RNAi machinery, offering broader insight into the diversity and plasticity of sRNA biogenesis pathways across eukaryotes.