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Genome, Genetic Evolution, and Environmental Adaptation Mechanisms of Schizophyllum commune in Deep Subseafloor Coal-bearing Sediments

Summary

This research explores how fungi can survive in extreme deep-sea environments by studying the genetic makeup of a fungus found 2 kilometers below the seafloor. The study reveals how these organisms adapted to survive in harsh conditions for millions of years through genetic changes and specialized survival mechanisms. Impacts on everyday life: • Provides insights into how organisms can adapt to extreme environments, which could help in developing stress-resistant crops • Advances our understanding of life in extreme conditions, potentially informing astrobiology and the search for life on other planets • Contributes to knowledge about deep-sea ecosystems and their role in Earth’s carbon cycle • Could lead to discoveries of new enzymes or compounds useful in industrial applications • Helps understand long-term microbial survival strategies, potentially useful for biotechnology and preservation techniques

Background

Subseafloor sediment is one of the largest and taxonomically diverse microbial habitats and organic carbon pools on Earth. While prokaryotes have been well-studied, fungi are also an important component of the subseafloor biosphere, with distribution down to ~2.5 km depth. Previous studies showed subseafloor fungi may be metabolically active under extremely energy-limited conditions, but how they evolved and adapted to persist over millions of years remains largely unknown.

Objective

To understand the genomic evolution and adaptation strategies of fungi to subseafloor sedimentary environments by analyzing the genome of Schizophyllum commune strain 20R-7-F01 isolated from ~2.0 km-deep, ~20-million-year-old coal-bearing sediments.

Results

The study revealed a differentiation time of 28-73 million years between the subseafloor strain and terrestrial type-strain H4-8. Comparative analyses showed significant expansion of FunK1 protein kinase, NmrA family, and transposons in the subseafloor strain. Subseafloor strains demonstrated much lower nucleotide diversity, substitution rate, and homologous recombination rate compared to terrestrial strains, indicating extremely slow growth or reproduction in the subseafloor environment.

Conclusion

The research provides new insights into the adaptation and long-term survival mechanisms of fungi in the subseafloor sedimentary biosphere. The findings suggest that DNA repair mechanisms, transposons, and specific gene families help fungi adapt to extreme subseafloor conditions, while reduced genetic diversity and recombination rates reflect their extremely slow growth in these environments.
  • Published in:iScience,
  • Study Type:Genomic Analysis,
  • Source: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104417
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