ABSTRACT
Aspergillus fumigatus is a ubiquitous filamentous fungus that causes devastating infections in severely immunocompromised individuals in the clinic. Pathogenesis relies in part on a combination of fine-tuned stress response pathways and rapid growth rate. Previous literature suggests that A. fumigatus produces a finite pool of small RNAs, consisting in part of tRNA-derived RNAs (tDRs). Here, we improve our understanding of the tDRs of A. fumigatus produced in conidia and mycelium using small RNA-sequencing and a cutting-edge tDR-sequencing approach. We find tDRs to be differentially abundant across fungal morphotypes, with specific fragments proving dominant in particular morphotypes (e.g., Asp(GTC)-5’tRH in conidia; His(GTG)-5’tRH in mycelium). Consistent with the literature, we observed distinct patterns of tDRs from nuclear- and mitochondria-derived tDRs and found tDR-seq to provide a modestly improved view of the tDRs of A. fumigatus over standard sRNA-seq. Ultimately, we have provided an improved description of the sRNA landscape of A. fumigatus and uncovered numerous small RNA species likely linked to gene regulation in this important human pathogen.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Footnotes
The new version adds supplemental files.