Genetic differences between Coccidioides spp. and closely related nonpathogenic Onygenales

<p><strong>Abstract:&nbsp; </strong><em>Coccidioides</em> spp. are dimorphic, pathogenic fungi that can cause severe human and animal disease.&nbsp; Like the other primary fungal pathogens, animal infection results in a morphologic transformation from the environmental mycelial phase to a tissue phase, known as a spherule.&nbsp; The sequencing and annotation of <em>Coccidioides</em> spp. and the genomes of several nonpathogenic Onygenales species allows orthology comparisons that may provide clues about the <em>Coccidioides</em> spp.&nbsp; genes involved in pathogenesis.&nbsp; There were a number of differences in the characterization of the genes that are <em>Coccidioides</em> spp.-specific and those that are found in both <em>Coccidioides</em> spp. and non-pathogenic Onygenales.&nbsp; Many more <em>Coccidioides </em>spp.-specific genes are up-regulated expression in spherules.&nbsp; <em>Coccidioides </em>spp.-specific genes more often lacked functional annotation, were more often classified as orphan genes and had SNPs with higher non-synonymous/ synonymous ratios.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Review of individual genes in the <em>Coccidioides</em> spp.-specific group identified two genes in the Velvet family, a histidine kinase, two thioredoxin genes, a calmodulin gene and ureidoglycolate hydrolase.&nbsp; Velvet genes have been found to be important for mycelium differentiation to yeast in <em>Histoplasma capsulatum</em>.&nbsp; Hopefully, identification of these genes will be useful for pursuing potential <em>Coccidioides</em> spp. virulence genes in the future.</p> <p>This is Supplemental Table 1 from that manuscript</p>