Lichen fungi do not depend on the alga for ATP production: A comment on Pogoda et al. (2018). Issue 17 (7th July 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tagirdzhanova, Gulnara; McCutcheon, John P.; Spribille, Toby
• Is Part Of: Molecular ecology. Volume 30:Issue 17(2021)
• Page Start: 4155
• Page End: 4159
• Publication Date: 2021-07-07
• Subjects: ATP synthase -- ATP9 -- gene loss -- mitochondrial genome -- symbiosis; Molecular ecology -- Periodicals; Molecular population biology -- Periodicals; 576
• DOI: 10.1111/mec.16010
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0962-1083

Abstract

Abstract: Lichen fungi live in a symbiotic association with unicellular phototrophs and most have no known aposymbiotic stage. A recent study in Molecular Ecology postulated that some of them have lost mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and rely on their algal partners for ATP. This claim originated from an apparent lack of ATP9, a gene encoding one subunit of ATP synthase, from a few mitochondrial genomes. Here, we show that while these fungi indeed have lost the mitochondrial ATP9, each retain a nuclear copy of this gene. Our analysis reaffirms that lichen fungi produce their own ATP.