A-B.06: Whole-genome sequencing and comparative biosynthetic analysis of Pleurotus albidus: uncovering secondary metabolite and Beta-glucan biosynthetic potential in a Neotropical edible mushroom

Authors

Alexandre Rafael Lenz

Bahia State University

Antônio Pedro Costa Grave

Departamento de Ciências Exatas e da Terra, Universidade do Estado da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia

Ernesto Souza Menezes Neto Jr.

Departamento de Ciências Exatas e da Terra, Universidade do Estado da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia

João Arthur Valente Lima

Departamento de Ciências Exatas e da Terra, Universidade do Estado da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia

Timothy Young James

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Mariana de Paula Drewinski

Departamento de Ciências Naturais e Matemática, Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de São Paulo

Douglas Moraes Mendel Soares

Departamento de Engenharia de Bioprocessos e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Araraquara, São Paulo

Nelson Menolli Jr.

Departamento de Ciências Naturais e Matemática, Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de São Paulo

Keywords

Pleurotus albidus; Oyster Mushroom; Beta-Glucan; Biosynthetic Gene Cluster

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Pleurotus albidus is a Neotropical edible mushroom occurring from Mexico to Argentina, including Brazil's Atlantic Forest and Amazon biomes. Its bioactive Beta-glucans exhibit immunomodulatory, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties, making it a promising candidate for nutraceutical and biotechnological applications. No genomic data were previously available for this species. We report the first whole-genome sequencing and annotation of P. albidus isolate MPD161 (Oxford Nanopore MinION; ~23.6x— coverage; Flye + Medaka; Galaxy Europe). The 40.54 Mb assembly (685 scaffolds; N50: 251,678 bp; GC: 49.61%) reached 98.4% BUSCO completeness (agaricales_odb12). Gene prediction with BRAKER3 and Funannotate yielded 14,015 genes, including 514 CAZymes and 1,823 secreted proteins. antiSMASH identified 42 BGCs across six types: 1 T1PKS, 2 NRPS, 10 NRPS-like, 29 terpene, 2 terpene-precursor, and 1 NI-siderophore, counting hybrids. Gene cluster family (GCF) analysis across nine Pleurotus genomes revealed pronounced lineage-specific biosynthetic diversification, with 10 BGCs found exclusively in P. albidus - 2 NRPS-like and 8 terpene clusters. Genomic analysis of Beta-glucan biosynthesis identified 27 genes. Two FKS1 paralogs (GT48) form the catalytic core of the Beta-1,3-glucan synthase complex, activated by GTP-bound RHO1; four RHO1 paralogs and the guanine nucleotide exchange factor ROM2 govern this switch, alongside RHO2, a Beta-1,3-glucanosyltransferase (PHR2), and the stress regulator SMI1. Six GH16 proteins with the SKN1/KRE6/SBG1 signature and eight KRE9/KNH1 expand the Beta-1,6-glucan remodeling repertoire. These findings provide a high-quality genomic reference for P. albidus and advance understanding of biosynthetic diversity and cell wall glucan biology in Basidiomycota.