Whole-Genome Sequencing and Comparative Genomic Analysis of Three Clinical Bloodstream Infection Isolates of <i>Trichosporon austroamericanum</i>

Whole-Genome Sequencing and Comparative Genomic Analysis of Three Clinical Bloodstream Infection Isolates of <i>Trichosporon austroamericanum</i>

<i>Trichosporon austroamericanum</i> is a recently described yeast species related to <i>Trichosporon inkin</i> and exclusively isolated from clinical specimens. However, its genomic features and pathogenic potential remain poorly understood. In this study, we performed whole...

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Main Authors: Takanori Horiguchi, Takashi Umeyama, Hiroko Tomuro, Amato Otani, Takayuki Shinohara, Masahiro Abe, Shogo Takatsuka, Ken Miyazawa, Minoru Nagi, Yasunori Muraosa, Yasutaka Hoshino, Takashi Sakoh, Hideki Araoka, Naoyuki Uchida, Tomoyoshi Kaneko, Yuko Nagano, Hiroki Tsukada, Taiga Miyazaki, Yoshitsugu Miyazaki
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Journal of Fungi
Subjects:
<i>Trichosporon austroamericanum</i>
whole-genome sequencing
comparative genomics
bloodstream infections
zinc cluster transcription factor
pathogenicity
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/11/5/401
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Summary:<i>Trichosporon austroamericanum</i> is a recently described yeast species related to <i>Trichosporon inkin</i> and exclusively isolated from clinical specimens. However, its genomic features and pathogenic potential remain poorly understood. In this study, we performed whole-genome sequencing on three blood-derived isolates from patients with invasive fungal infections and comparative analyses with 13 related <i>Trichosporon</i> species. The three isolates yielded high-quality assemblies of 9–10 scaffolds (~21 Mb), facilitating reliable comparisons. While most species had comparable genome sizes, <i>Trichosporon ovoides</i>, <i>Trichosporon coremiiforme</i>, and <i>Cutaneotrichosporon mucoides</i> displayed large, fragmented genomes, suggestive of polyploidy. ANI analysis and phylogenetic trees based on ANI and single-copy orthologs supported the classification of <i>T. austroamericanum</i> as a distinct clade with moderate intraspecific divergence. Using the <i>Galleria mellonella</i>, a model for fungal pathogenicity, all <i>T. austroamericanum</i> strains reduced larval survival, and NIIDF 0077300 exhibited virulence comparable to <i>T. asahii</i> and greater than <i>T. inkin</i>. To explore the gene-level differences associated with pathogenicity, we performed ortholog analysis based on single-copy genes. This revealed a unique Zn(II)<sub>2</sub>Cys<sub>6</sub>-type transcription factor gene (OG0010545) present only in NIIDF 0077300 and <i>T. asahii</i>. These findings highlight the genomic diversity and infection-associated traits of <i>T. austroamericanum</i>, providing a framework for future functional studies.
ISSN:2309-608X

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