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Recent admixture between species of the fungal pathogen Histoplasma

Colin S Maxwell1, Victoria E Sepulveda2, David A Turissini1

  • 1Biology Department University of North Carolina Chapel Hill North Carolina 27599.

Evolution Letters
|October 5, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Hybridization in fungal pathogens like Histoplasma can accelerate virulence evolution. However, introgressed alleles are often deleterious, limiting their adaptive potential in new genomic contexts.

Area of Science:

  • Mycology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Hybridization between pathogen species can drive rapid evolution of virulence.
  • Fungal diseases cause significant morbidity, yet interspecies hybridization is understudied.
  • The functional impact of introgressed alleles in fungal pathogens remains largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the frequency and functional role of introgression between Histoplasma mississippiense and Histoplasma ohiense.
  • To determine if introgressed alleles contribute to or are deleterious for pathogen virulence.
  • To assess the impact of hybridization on fungal pathogen evolution.

Main Methods:

  • Genomic analysis of Histoplasma mississippiense and Histoplasma ohiense isolates to identify introgressed regions.
  • Quantification of admixture frequencies and analysis of sequence composition within introgressed tracts.
  • Comparison of allele frequencies in coding, regulatory, and intergenic regions.

Main Results:

  • Evidence of recent admixture was found in both Histoplasma species, but introgressed alleles were at low frequencies.
  • Coding and regulatory sequences were depleted in introgressed regions, while intergenic regions were enriched.
  • Substantial admixture was observed only in the reference strains (WU24 and G217B), suggesting deleterious effects of introgressed alleles.

Conclusions:

  • Recent admixture occurs in Histoplasma, but introgressed alleles are frequently deleterious.
  • Functional introgressed alleles appear detrimental in new genomic environments.
  • Studies using type strains may not represent the broader population dynamics of Histoplasma hybridization and evolution.
Keywords:
Gene exchangeHidden Markov Model (HMM)introgressionspeciation

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