Distribution and diversity of cytochrome p450 monooxygenases in the fungal class tremellomycetes

Tremellomycetes, a fungal class in the subphylum Agaricomycotina, contain well-known opportunistic and emerging human pathogens. The azole drug fluconazole, used in the treatment of diseases caused by some species of Tremellomycetes, inhibits cytochrome P450 monooxygenase CYP51, an enzyme that converts lanosterol into an essential component of the fungal cell membrane ergosterol. Studies indicate that mutations and over-expression of CYP51 in species of Tremellomycetes are one of the reasons for fluconazole resistance. Moreover, the novel drug, VT-1129, that is in the pipeline is reported to exert its effect by binding and inhibiting CYP51. Despite the importance of CYPs, the CYP repertoire in species of Tremellomycetes has not been reported to date. This study intends to address this research gap. Comprehensive genome-wide CYP analysis revealed the presence of 203 CYPs (excluding 16 pseudo-CYPs) in 23 species of Tremellomycetes that can be grouped into 38 CYP families and 72 CYP subfamilies. Twenty-three CYP families are new and three CYP families (CYP5139, CYP51 and CYP61) were conserved across 23 species of Tremellomycetes. Pathogenic cryptococcal species have 50% fewer CYP genes than non-pathogenic species. The results of this study will serve as reference for future annotation and characterization of CYPs in species of Tremellomycetes.