Agradecimentos: We would like to thank Dr. Aline C. Intorne, Dr. Carlos P. Pirovani, Dr. F. Murilo Zerbini and Dr. Luiz E. V. Del-Bem for their suggestions to this work. We would also like to thank all the members of the research groups of Eric Aguiar, Aristoteles Góes-Neto, and Gonçalo Pereira for their support in the execution of this research, and the Funding Agencies for the possibility of this research. This work was supported by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brazil (CAPES) [grant number 88887.373979/2019-00]; Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) [grant number 5.18/2022, quote 439]; Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) [Nexus Project: Integration Caatinga-Sisal n. 441625/2017-7] Ver menos

Abstract: Aspergillus welwitschiae causes bole rot disease in sisal (Agave sisalana and related species) which affects the production of natural fibers in Brazil, the main worldwide producer of sisal fibers. This fungus is a saprotroph with a broad host range. Previous research established A. welwitschiae as the only causative agent of bole rot in the field, but little is known about the evolution of this species and its strains. In this work, we performed a comparative genomics analysis of 40 Aspergillus strains. We show the conflicting molecular identity of this species, with one sisal-infecting strain sharing its last common ancestor with Aspergillus niger, having diverged only 833 thousand years ago. Furthermore, our analysis of positive selection reveals sites under selection in genes coding for siderophore transporters, Sodium-calcium exchangers, and Phosphatidylethanolamine-binding proteins (PEBPs). Herein, we discuss the possible impacts of these gene functions on the pathogenicity in sisal Ver menos