Abstract: Our lab has been researching mechanisms of fungal endosymbiont interactions and the resulting evolutionary patterns. Intrahyphal endosymbiotic bacteria related to the Burkholderiales are frequently associated with Mucoromycota fungi. These and other fungal endosymbionts share genomic hallmarks of endosymbiosis such as genome contraction and metabolic dependence on their hosts. While comparative genomics of fungal physiology with and without endobacteria have enabled insights into host-endosymbiont interaction mechanisms, these studies have been undertaken in just a few model systems. Endosymbiont ubiquity and diversity are largely unknown, and the effects of fungal endosymbiont interactions on fungal population diversity remain undocumented. To fill these knowledge gaps, we are characterizing Mucoromycota isolates and their endosymbiotic using genome sequencing and comparative genomics. Further, we are re-analyzing hundreds of raw fungal genomic data sets using novel computational pipelines to clarify how frequent and diverse fungal endosymbiont symbioses are. We found that ~30% of Mucoromycota fungi screened harbor endosymbionts and that these bacteria share common features including shared evolutionary history and functional capacity. This talk will detail the molecular functioning, abundance, and diversity of Mucoromycota endosymbionts and provide insights into how these poly-microbial symbioses influence each other’s evolutionary trajectories.
 
Dr. Uehling will be presenting via Zoom - https://arizona.zoom.us/j/88431130345
Password: spls2021
Live broadcast is available in Marley 230 – refreshments will be provided