Menezes, Thaís Almeida deAburjaile, Flávia FigueiraPeixoto, Gabriel QuintanilhaTomé, Luiz Marcelo RibeiroFonseca, Paula Luize CamargosPereira, Thairine MendesAraújo, Daniel SilvaMelo, Tarcisio SilvaKato, Rodrigo BentesDelabie, Jacques Hubert CharlesRibeiro, Sérvio PontesBrenig, BertramAzevedo, Vasco Ariston de CarvalhoSantos, Elisandro Ricardo DrechslerAndrade, Bruno SilvaGóes Neto, Aristóteles2023-08-162023-08-162023MENEZES, T. A. de et al. Unraveling the secrets of a double-life fungus by genomics: ophiocordyceps australis CCMB661 displays molecular machinery for both parasitic and endophytic lifestyles. Journal of Fungi, v. 9, n. 1, artigo 110, jan. 2023. Disponível em: <https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/9/1/110>. Acesso em: 15 mar. 2023.2309-608Xhttp://www.repositorio.ufop.br/jspui/handle/123456789/17212Ophiocordyceps australis (Ascomycota, Hypocreales, Ophiocordycipitaceae) is a classic entomopathogenic fungus that parasitizes ants (Hymenoptera, Ponerinae, Ponerini). Nonetheless, according to our results, this fungal species also exhibits a complete set of genes coding for plant cell wall degrading Carbohydrate-Active enZymes (CAZymes), enabling a full endophytic stage and, consequently, its dual ability to both parasitize insects and live inside plant tissue. The main objective of our study was the sequencing and full characterization of the genome of the fungal strain of O. australis (CCMB661) and its predicted secretome. The assembled genome had a total length of 30.31 Mb, N50 of 92.624 bp, GC content of 46.36%, and 8,043 protein-coding genes, 175 of which encoded CAZymes. In addition, the primary genes encoding proteins and critical enzymes during the infection process and those responsible for the host–pathogen interaction have been identified, including proteases (Pr1, Pr4), aminopeptidases, chitinases (Cht2), adhesins, lectins, lipases, and behavioral manipulators, such as enterotoxins, Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases (PTPs), and Glycoside Hydrolases (GHs). Our findings indicate that the presence of genes coding for Mad2 and GHs in O. australis may facilitate the infection process in plants, suggesting interkingdom colonization. Furthermore, our study elucidated the pathogenicity mechanisms for this Ophiocordyceps species, which still is scarcely studied.en-USabertoOphiocordycipitaceaeEntomopathogenicityFungal genomicsInsect-fungus symbiosisZombie-ant fungusArtigo publicado em periodicoThis article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). Fonte: PDF do artigo.https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9010110