PNNL

Abstract

Members of the economically important ascomycete genus Trichoderma are ubiquitously distributed around the world. The mycoparasitic lifestyle and plant defense inducing interactions of Trichoderma spp. make them ideal biocontrol agents. Of the Trichoderma enzymes that produce secondary metabolites, some of which likely play important roles in biocontrol processes, polyketide synthases have garnered less attention that non-ribosomal peptide synthetases such as those that produce peptaibols. We have taken a phylogenomic approach to study the polyketide synthase repertoire encoded in the genomes of Trichoderma reesei, Trichoderma atroviride and Trichoderma virens. Our analysis lays a foundation for future research related to polyketide synthases within the Trichoderma genus and other filamentous fungi.