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De novo genome sequencing and comparative analyses of the clinically relevant species Mucor ardhlaengiktus, Mucor circinelloides, Mucor griseocyanus, and Mucor janssenii

Summary

Scientists have sequenced and analyzed the complete genomes of four species of Mucor fungus that cause serious infections in humans. Using advanced long-read sequencing technology, they created high-quality genetic blueprints for these organisms, which will help doctors better identify which Mucor species is causing infections and enable faster diagnosis and treatment of these dangerous fungal infections.

Background

Mucormycosis is a serious fungal infection predominantly caused by members of the genera Lichtheima, Mucor, and Rhizopus. Mucor is the most relevant genus with 13 species causing human infections, but high-quality genome assemblies for clinically relevant species have been lacking.

Objective

To generate chromosome-level or near-chromosome-level genome assemblies for four clinically relevant Mucor species to enable molecular analyses and provide reference genomes for outbreak-related studies such as variant calling.

Results

Genome sizes ranged from 36.6 to 51.5 Mbp, with M. ardhlaengiktus being significantly larger. BUSCO completeness scores exceeded 99.2% for three species but M. ardhlaengiktus showed 9.36% duplicated BUSCOs suggesting aneuploidy. Gene predictions ranged from 12,734 to 22,373 genes, with ANI values indicating distinct species separation.

Conclusion

High-quality genome assemblies with improved contiguity were successfully generated for four clinically relevant Mucor species using long-read nanopore sequencing. These reference genomes will enable enhanced molecular diagnostics, outbreak investigation, and comparative genomic analyses for mucormycosis research.
  • Published in:Medical Mycology,
  • Study Type:Genomic Study,
  • Source: PMID: 40911289, DOI: 10.1093/mmy/myaf081
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