Chytriomyces sp. nov. MP 71 is a saprotrophic chytrid
in the order Chytridiales, Chytridiomycota. It was isolated
on chitin added as bait to a water sample containing vegetative
debris from a crawfish pond in Wagarville (Washington County),
Alabama. This chytrid is maintained in axenic culture on
nutrient agar. Chytriomyces species reproduce with
posteriorly uniflagellate zoospores released from an operculate
sporangium. MP 71 thallus consists of a sporangium
exhibiting a range of shapes from spherical to obpyriform or lobed
and rhizoids that penetrate into the chitin substrate from a
sub-sporangial swelling. This is a vital chytrid to study
because of its ability to decay chitin in aquatic systems,
important in nutrient recycling and aquatic food webs. The
morphological plasticity of the sporangium makes this chytrid ideal
for investigating the evolution of gene control in thallus
morphogenesis. Genome sequencing of Chytriomyces sp.
nov. MP 71 is being conducted to understand better the enzymatic
diversity of chytrid fungi, the genes that regulate their
development and their phylogenetic relationships.
This undescribed species is currently in the process of formal
taxonomic description by Dr. Martha Powell of the University of
Alabama.
Genome Reference(s)
Amses KR, Simmons DR, Longcore JE, Mondo SJ, Seto K, Jerônimo GH, Bonds AE, Quandt CA, Davis WJ, Chang Y, Federici BA, Kuo A, LaButti K, Pangilinan J, Andreopoulos W, Tritt A, Riley R, Hundley H, Johnson J, Lipzen A, Barry K, Lang BF, Cuomo CA, Buchler NE, Grigoriev IV, Spatafora JW, Stajich JE, James TY
Diploid-dominant life cycles characterize the early evolution of Fungi.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Sep 6;119(36):e2116841119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2116841119
