Latent homology and convergent regulatory evolution underlies the repeated emergence of yeasts

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 5; no. 1; p. 4471
• Main Authors: Nagy, László G., Ohm, Robin A., Kovács, Gábor M., Floudas, Dimitrios, Riley, Robert, Gácser, Attila, Sipiczki, Mátyás, Davis, John M., Doty, Sharon L., de Hoog, G Sybren, Lang, B. Franz, Spatafora, Joseph W., Martin, Francis M., Grigoriev, Igor V., Hibbett, David S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 18.07.2014; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/181/2474; 631/181/757; 631/326/193/2540; Biological Evolution; Evolution; Evolution, Molecular; Fungal Proteins - genetics; Fungi; Gene Duplication; Genes; Genome, Fungal; Genomes; Humanities and Social Sciences; Life Sciences; Microbiology and Parasitology; multidisciplinary; Mycology; Other; Phylogeny; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Transcription Factors - genetics; Yeast; Yeasts; Yeasts - physiology; Oregon; Hungary; United States > US; models; CPS1; saccharomyces-cerevisiae; protein; cell-separation; gene-expression; schizosaccharomyces; fungal pathogens; microsporidia; phylogenetic analyses
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5471

Convergent evolution is common throughout the tree of life, but the molecular mechanisms causing similar phenotypes to appear repeatedly are obscure. Yeasts have arisen in multiple fungal clades, but the genetic causes and consequences of their evolutionary origins are unknown. Here we show that the potential to develop yeast forms arose early in fungal evolution and became dominant independently in multiple clades, most likely via parallel diversification of Zn-cluster transcription factors, a fungal-specific family involved in regulating yeast–filamentous switches. Our results imply that convergent evolution can happen by the repeated deployment of a conserved genetic toolkit for the same function in distinct clades via regulatory evolution. We suggest that this mechanism might be a common source of evolutionary convergence even at large time scales. Convergent evolution is common; yet the molecular mechanisms causing similar phenotypes to appear repeatedly are unclear. Here, the authors show that transitions to yeast-like lifestyle happened repeatedly via changes in the regulatory mechanism of the genetic toolkit for yeast growth.