Genomic and physiological signatures of adaptation in pathogenic fungi

Abstract Emerging fungal pathogens have detrimental impacts on crops, animals, and humans. Despite the mounting threat of these emerging fungal pathogens, little is known about their transition from saprotrophic to pathogenic lifestyles. To gain insights into fungal lifestyle transitions, we studied the Trichosporonales order, which includes both saprotrophic species and opportunistic human pathogens, as a system to reveal evolutionary adaptations leading to virulence in fungi. Here we used comparative genome analyses and experimental assays to demonstrate that the transition from saprotroph to opportunistic human pathogen is facilitated by adaptive translation. Codon optimization of metabolic genes grant these fungi the ability to quickly adapt to new environments. Our findings link genomic data with fungal physiology and ecology, highlighting the role of adaptive translation in colonizing different environments and suggesting that gene translation optimization plays a critical role in fungal lifestyle evolution.