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Biodiversity

Aspergillus genomic diversity

de Vries RP, Riley R, Wiebenga A, et al. · Genome biology · 2017

Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC

Comparative genomics shows Aspergillus species share genome size but harbor large lineage-specific gene sets.

Study at a glance

Design
Computational / modelling — Comparative genomics of Aspergillus genomes in MycoCosm
N
Multi-genome Aspergillus comparison (≈29–36 Mb; 9,113–13,553 genes) — genome count not a single primary N in stored summary
Population
Aspergillus / Aspergillaceae genomes
Outcome
Genome size, gene content, and clade-specific gene expansions

Structured fields used in claim comparison tables when every cited study has a complete layer.

Key findings

Genomes ~29–36 Mb with 9,113–13,553 genes; ~20% Aspergillaceae-specific; section Nigri averages ~1,800 unique genes.

Methodology

Compared Aspergillus genomes in MycoCosm for size, GC, gene content, repeats, and clade-specific genes.

Limitations

Does not experimentally validate every lineage-specific gene’s phenotype.

How this study connects

Role on claims

Each row is a claim on a concept or method page where this paper supports, challenges, or qualifies the statement. Roles are hand-checked — not a model guess.

  • SupportsPhylogenetic Analysismethod

    Aspergillus clade genomics and a Listeria pan-genome reassessment use trees and gene-content matrices together. Aspergillus genomes were ~29–36 Mb with 9,113–13,553 genes, about 20% Aspergillaceae-specific, and section Nigri averaged ~1,800 unique genes. Extending L. monocytogenes by 11 strains covering all serotypes showed a highly stable but not closed pan-genome, with accessory genes in hypervariable hotspots and mobile elements as major accessory components.

    Evidence for the claim as stated.

  • SupportsPhylogenetic Analysismethod

    What 'accessory' or 'lineage-specific' genes imply is itself unsettled. Listeria accessory genes concentrate in hotspots with mobile elements and aid diagnostics, but presence/absence does not prove each virulence phenotype. Aspergillus section Nigri's ~1,800 unique genes are not experimentally validated one by one. Immune-gene sharing of selection between birds and mammals can be convergence or ancient pressure.

    Evidence for the claim as stated.

  • Three papers are false-positive lexicon hits for proteomics. Naegleria fowleri work assembled an ~30 Mb AT-rich genome and listed candidate pathogenicity genes; Aspergillus comparative genomics reported ~29–36 Mb genomes with 9,113–13,553 genes (~20% Aspergillaceae-specific; section Nigri ~1,800 unique genes); Plasmodium falciparum IDC transcriptome was hourly expression across a ~48-hour blood-stage cycle. Those are DNA or RNA catalogues, not peptide spectra.

    Evidence for the claim as stated.

  • Naegleria and Aspergillus genomes and the Plasmodium IDC transcriptome should not be cited as mass-spectrometry evidence at all. Candidate pathogenicity gene lists and periodic RNA profiles are sequence resources that still need protein-level or infection-model tests.

    Evidence for the claim as stated.

Open questions

Tensions this paper is part of

From concept pages' “where studies disagree.” Disagreement means the same question; scope means different assays, populations, or outcomes.

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Same topic cluster — not a recommendation engine.