In Silico Identification of Cytochrome P450 Families in Putative Ascomycota Fungi that Degrade Xenobiotics

There is currently limited knowledge concerning fungi that can degrade xenobiotic compounds. In this study, we used bioinformatics to identify Ascomycota fungi that possessed specific sequences of cytochrome P450 (CYP), a group of enzymes involved in the degradation of xenobiotics. The CYP sequences of Aspergillus nidulans FGSC A4 and Alternaria alternata were selected to identify homologous sequences in the genera Aspergillus and Penicillium, as well as in other genera. The CYP amino acid sequences of both A. nidulans and A. alternata were used to detect Ascomycota fungi belonging to the classes Eurotiomycetes and Dothideomycetes that possess CYP proteins. Our research identified 53 genera, including 83 species that had not previously been described as xenobiotic degraders. A phylogenetic analysis of the CYP sequences indicated that the class Eurotiomycetes comprises three major groups. In comparison, the class Dothideomycetes is divided into three groups, one of which includes only two species. All fungal CYPs identified were members of the CYP617 family. Based on these results, we propose that Aspergillus sclerotialis, Aspergillus nanangensis, and Decorospora gaudefroyi should be considered as potential xenobiotic-degrading fungi due to the high similarity of their CYP proteins and their non-pathogenic and toxigenic characteristics. We believe that the in silico analysis of CYP sequences can be an effective strategy for identifying xenobiotic-degrading fungi.