The mating type (MAT) locus is the key regulator of sexual reproduction in fungi. In the dermatophytes and other Ascomycetes this genomic region exists in two distinct forms (idiomorphs) and their balanced presence is a precondition for successful mating in heterothallic fungi. But the MAT locus not only drives sexual reproduction, it has also been shown to influence pathogenicity, virulence, and/or morphological changes in pathogenic fungi of the genera Candida, Histoplasma, and Cryptococcus. In order to find out whether there are similar trends in dermatophytes, we investigated the MAT locus of 19 anthropophilic and zoophilic species via Sanger sequencing and primer walking. We identified for the first time the MAT locus idiomorphs of the dermatophyte species Microsporum audouinii (MAT1-2), M. ferrugineum (MAT1-2), Trichophyton schoenleinii (MAT1-2), T. bullosum (MAT1-1), T. quinckeanum (MAT1-1), T. concentricum (MAT1-1), T. eriotrephon (MAT1-1), and T. erinacei (MAT1-2). In addition, we determined the MAT locus sequence for dermatophyte species whose mating type idiomorphs had been described on the basis of results of classical confrontation experiments (e.g. M. canis, MAT1-2) and we confirmed recently published molecular data (e.g. T. rubrum, MAT1-2). Our results corroborate that MAT locus idiomorphs are unequally distributed in the majority of the analyzed species and the ability to mate with a partner of the opposite sex is limited to a few zoophilic species. Clonal spreads are identified that are connected to one of the idiomorphs and a higher virulence and/or a higher transmission rate to humans (T. benhamiae and T. mentagrophytes). For the imbalanced idiomorph distribution pattern we hypothesize that either: (I) one of the mating type idiomorphs may be extinct due to clonal reproduction (e.g., T. rubrum and M. canis), (II) mating partners of one species adapted to different hosts followed by speciation in the new niche (e.g., T. equinum and T. tonsurans) or (III) unisexual reproduction is the next evolutionary stage of propagation in dermatophytes which involves the extinction of one mating idiomorph.

中文翻译：

---

皮肤赘生物物种中交配类型（MAT）基因座亚型的分布不均。

交配型（MAT）基因座是真菌有性生殖的关键调节器。在皮肤癣菌和其他子囊菌中，该基因组区域以两种不同的形式（同形异形体）存在，它们的平衡存在是成功在异源真菌中交配的前提。但是，MAT基因座不仅驱动性繁殖，而且还显示出影响念珠菌，组织胞浆菌和隐球菌属的致病真菌的致病性，毒力和/或形态变化。为了查明皮肤癣菌是否存在类似趋势，我们通过Sanger测序和引物步移研究了19种嗜热和亲动物物种的MAT基因座。我们首次确定了皮肤癣菌物种微孢子虫（MAT1-2），M。ferrugineum（MAT1-2），毛癣菌（MAT1-2），大圆木（MAT1-1），西洋扁豆（MAT1-1），同心圆木（MAT1-1），艾​​氏曲霉（MAT1-1）和艾氏木犀（MAT1） -2）。此外，我们根据经典对抗实验（例如犬M. canis，MAT1-2）的结果，确定了已经描述了交配型独特型的皮肤癣菌物种的MAT基因座序列，并证实了最近发表的分子数据（例如红毛丹毒菌）。 ，MAT1-2）。我们的结果证实了MAT基因座独特型在大多数被分析物种中分布不均，并且与异性伴侣交配的能力仅限于少数几种亲动物物种。鉴定出与独特型之一相关联的克隆传播，以及对人的更高的毒力和/或更高的传播速率（苯虫（T. benhamiae）和薄荷茶（T. mentagrophytes））。