Analysis of genomic regions of T. harzianum IOC-3844 related to biomass degradation

• Grant number: 15/03613-9
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants - Publications - Scientific article
• Start date: April 01, 2015
• End date: July 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Crop Science
• Principal Investigator: Anete Pereira de Souza
• Grantee: Anete Pereira de Souza
• Host Institution: Centro de Biologia Molecular e Engenharia Genética (CBMEG). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Trichoderma harzianum IOC-3844 secretes high levels of cellulolytic-active enzymes and is therefore a promising strain for biotechnological applications in second-generation bioethanol production. However, the T. harzianum biomass-degrading mechanism has not been well explored at the genetic level. The present work investigates six genomic regions (~150 kbp each) of this fungus that are enriched with genes related to biomass conversion. A BAC library consisting of 5,760 clones was constructed, with an average insert length of 90 kbp. The assembled BAC sequences revealed 232 predicted genes, of which 31.5% were related to catabolic pathways, including those involved in biomass degradation. An expression profile analysis obtained from RNA-Seq data demonstrated that putative regulatory elements, such as membrane-transport proteins and transcription factors, are located in the same genomic regions as genes related to carbohydrate metabolism and exhibit similar expression profiles. Thus, we demonstrate a rapid and efficient tool that focuses on specific genomic regions by combining a BAC library with transcriptomic data. This is the first BAC-based structural genomic study of the cellulolytic fungal T. harzianum. Moreover, this study provides new perspectives for the use of this species in biomass-degradation processes. (AU)