Researchers at the ELKH Biological Research Centre (BRC), including Zsolt Merényi, László Nagy and their colleagues, reconstructed important details of the early evolution of fungi. The paper published in the Nature Ecology and Evolution journal on June 22 revealed the genetic milestones of fungal emergence through the comparison of 123 complete fungal genomes.
Based on the genes found in the genomes of present-day organisms, it is possible to infer the gene content of extinct ancestors that lived hundreds of millions of years ago. This allows for the reconstruction of the changes undergone by the ancestors of fungi at the dawn of the evolution of this diverse group of organisms. Using this approach known as molecular paleontology, the researchers found that contrary to expectations, the genomes of early fungal ancestors contained many gene families that are specifically characteristic of single-celled eukaryotes, some of which are still present in certain extant descendants. This result raises questions about the taxonomic definition of the fungal kingdom.
The aim of the research carried out within the globally acclaimed 1000 Fungal Genomes Project, which has engaged hundreds of researchers worldwide, was to sequence the complete genomes of two species from each currently known fungal family. From the over 1500 genomes sequenced to date within the project, this current study utilized only a portion of the sequenced data, specifically focusing on the early events. The manuscripts presenting the complete datasets are currently awaiting publication in the workshops of the participating research groups.
The recently published paper sheds light on several significant questions related to the evolution of fungi, opening up pathways to understanding evolutionary events spanning hundreds of millions of years.