The Mitochondrial Genome of a Plant Fungal Pathogen Pseudocercospora fijiensis (Mycosphaerellaceae), Comparative Analysis and Diversification Times of the Sigatoka Disease Complex Using Fossil Calibrated Phylogenies

Mycosphaerellaceae is a highly diverse fungal family containing variety of pathogens affecting many economically important crops. Mitochondria play crucial role in metabolism and the study evolution. This aims to: (i) describe mitochondrial genome Pseudocercospora fijiensis, (ii) compare it with closely related species (Sphaerulina musiva, S. populicola, P. musae eumusae) available online, paying particular attention to Sigatoka disease’s complex causal agents. The fijiensis circular molecule 74,089 bp typical genes coding for 14 proteins oxidative phosphorylation, 2 rRNA set 38 tRNAs. mitogenome has two truncated cox1 copies, bicistronic transcription nad2-nad3 atp6-atp8 confirmed experimentally. Comparative analysis revealed high variability size gene order among selected mitogenomes likely be due rearrangements caused by mobile intron invasion. Using fossil calibrated Bayesian phylogenies, we found later diversification times (66.6 MYA) disease agents, compared previous strict molecular clock studies. An early divergent split from sister + eumusae 13.31 MYA while their group, musae, shared common ancestor late Miocene 8.22 MYA. newly dated phylogeny suggests that belonging originated after wild relatives domesticated bananas (section Eumusae; 27.9 MYA). During this time frame, genomes expanded significantly, possibly invasions introns into different electron transport chain genes.