Home • Achaetomium macrosporum CBS 532.94 v1.0
Photo of Achaetomium macrosporum CBS 532.94 v1.0
Credits: Astrid Mueller, Fungal Physiology, Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, The Netherlands.

Achaetomium macrosporum CBS 532.94 was sequenced as a part of the CSP2012 Project 692 “A Phylogenomic Framework to Investigate Fungal Thermophily”.

Achaetomium macrosporum is a soil-dwelling mesophilic member of the Chaetomiaceae, a fungal family with demonstrated biotechnology relevance, particularly in the domain of biomass-degrading thermostable enzymes. Studies suggest, thermophily has been gained/lost multiple times in this family, but the definitive determinants of this microeukaryote extreme physiology remain unknown. This species, one of a handful in this genus, was first described in 1964 by Rai et al. (1), and may be synonymous with Chaetomium vitellinum Carter. Achaetomium can be morphologically distinguished from Chaetomium by its smooth ascomata (fruiting body of Ascomycetes), but the few existing molecular-based studies have not yet resolved the two groups. Uncertain taxonomic status notwithstanding, we will use this taxon’s genome for phylogenetically-aware, structured comparisons with closely-related thermophile and mesophile strains to contrast genome architecture, enzyme repertoires, thermophily-associated novelty and to elucidate life histories and evolutionary relationships within the group, towards the goal of developing a foundational phylogenomic framework for understanding and engineering fungal thermophily.

Genome Reference(s)

References:

1. Rai, J. N., Tewari, J. P., & Mukerji, K. G. (1964). AGHAETOMIUM, A NEW GENUS OF ASCOMYCETES. Canadian Journal of Botany, 42(6), 693-697.