Recombination suppression on fungal mating-type chromosomes without mating-type loci linkage and with loss of function of HD mating-type genes

So as to compare fungal mating-type chromosomes across a range of Microbotryum species, comparative genomics analyses were conducted, and were informed by RNASeq data. In this instance, different stages of the lifecycle of M. violaceum infecting D. pavonius were compared via RNASeq. Overall design: Haploid strains of Microbotryum violaceum Dianthus pavonius, grown on PDA; Mated haploid strains of compatible mating types were incubated on water agar plates; Buds from infected Dianthus pavonius were isoalted and pooled according to size. RNAs from these samples were isolated and used for RNASeq so as to inform comparative genomic analyses across a variety of Microbotryum species.