Discovery of novel cellobiose lipid gene clusters from Basidiomycetes: How chemical variation is reflected in gene cluster architecture

• Published in: Yeast (Chichester, England) England), 2024-08, Vol.41 (8), p.477-485
• Main Authors: Sips, Lobke Maria, Lambrecht, Laurens, Van Bogaert, Inge Noëlle Adrienne
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acetylation; Basidiomycota; biochemical polymorphism; biosynthesis; Cellobiose; class; Congeners; Detergents; family; Fatty acids; flocculosin; Gene clusters; glycolipid biosynthesis; Hydroxylation; Lipids; multigene family; species; Trichosporonaceae; ustilagic acid; Ustilaginomycetes; Ustilago maydis; Variation; yeast; yeasts
• ISSN: 0749-503X; 1097-0061; 1097-0061
• DOI: 10.1002/yea.3969

Cellobiose lipids are surface‐active compounds or biological detergents produced by distinct Basidiomycetes yeasts, of which the most and best‐described ones belong to the Ustilaginomycetes class. The molecules display slight variation in congener type, which is linked to the hydroxylation position of the long fatty acid, acetylation profile of the cellobiose unit, and presence or absence of the short fatty acid. In general, this variation is strain specific. Although cellobiose lipid biosynthesis has been described for about 11 yeast species, hitherto only two types of biosynthetic gene clusters are identified, and this for only three species. This work adds six more biosynthetic gene clusters and describes for the first time a novel type of cellobiose lipid biosynthetic cluster with a simplified architecture related to specific cellobiose lipids synthesized by Trichosporonaceae family members. Hitherto, only two cellobiose lipid (CBL) biosynthetic clusters are identified. In this research, the known cluster genes are used in a database search using bioinformatic tools, resulting in the discovery of 6 new CBL biosynthetic clusters. One cluster is identified in a species not reported to produce CBL. Take‐away Six new cellobiose lipid biosynthetic gene clusters were discovered. A new cluster was found in Viola palustris, unreported yet to produce cellobiose lipids. A new type of gene cluster was discovered in the Trichosporonaceae family.