Approaches for Comparative Genomics in Aspergillus and Penicillium

The number of available genomes in the closely related fungal genera Aspergillus and Penicillium is rapidly increasing. At the time of writing, the genomes of 62 species are available, and an even higher number is being prepared. Fungal comparative genomics is thus becoming steadily more powerful and applicable for many types of studies.

In this chapter, we provide an overview of the state-of-the-art of comparative genomics in these fungi, along with recommended methods. The chapter describes databases for fungal comparative genomics. Based on experience, we suggest strategies for multiple types of comparative genomics, ranging from analysis of single genes, over gene clusters and CaZymes to genome-scale comparative genomics.

Furthermore, we have examined published comparative genomics papers to summarize the preferred bioinformatic methods and parameters for a given type of analysis, highly useful for new fungal geneticists. Moreover, the chapter contains a detailed overview of comparative genomics studies of key fungal traits such as primary metabolism, secondary metabolism, and secretome analysis.

Finally, we gaze into a possible future of the field by comparing the current state of fungal comparative genomics to the development in bacterial genomics, where the comparison of hundreds of genomes has been performed for a while.