Genomewide mutation dynamic within a long-lived individual of Armillaria gallica
Happy New Year! Nothing brings in the New Year like mushrooms and mutations, so this week we celebrate the paper by former M.Sc. student Stefan Catano and Prof. Jim Anderson. Their paper “Genomewide mutation dynamic within a long-lived individual of Armillaria gallica” was published in Mycologia. Mutation is the ultimate source of all genetic variation in populations and yet the actual events remain unobservable and buried in the past. Long-lived individuals of Armillaria gallica, a common opportunistic fungal pathogen of tree roots, provide the context for examining the mutational dynamic. Whole-genome sequencing was used to identify the mutations and place them in space and time, reflecting growth of the individual from birth to present. Surprisingly few mutations were found; they hypothesize a means by which the fungus minimizes cell divisions in its germ line as shelter from mutation. As an added bonus, their paper was highlighted in Science in the “Perspectives” section. Congratulations and let’s raise our glasses in a toast to a productive 2015 by all of our students!!!