Large-scale fungal strain sequencing unravels the molecular diversity in mating loci maintained by long-term balancing selection

Balancing selection, an evolutionary force that retains genetic diversity, has been detected in multiple genes and organisms, such as the sexual mating loci in fungi. However, to quantify the strength of balancing selection and define the mating-related genes require a large number of strains. In tetrapolar basidiomycete fungi, sexual type is determined by two unlinked loci, MATA and MATB. Genes in both loci define mating type identity, control successful mating and completion of the life cycle. These loci are usually highly diverse. Previous studies have speculated, based on culture crosses, that species of the non-model genus Trichaptum (Hymenochaetales, Basidiomycota) possess a tetrapolar mating system, with multiple alleles. Here, we sequenced a hundred and eighty strains of three Trichaptum species. We characterized the chromosomal location of MATA and MATB, the molecular structure of MAT regions and their allelic richness. The sequencing effort was sufficient to molecularly charac..., Description of methods included in the manuscript, Additional information can be found in the dedicated GitHub webpage: https://perisd.github.io/TriMAT/, # Large-scale fungal strain sequencing unravels the molecular diversity in mating loci maintained by long-term balancing selection publication in Plos Genetics 2022

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.fxpnvx0t4](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.fxpnvx0t4)

Additional information is described in the dedicated [GitHub page](https://perisd.github.io/TriMAT/)

## Information about data in the dryad repository

### iWGS\_SPAdes\_Assemblies.tar.gz:

Compressed file with genome assemblies for individuals sequenced by Illumina technology. Additional information about these assemblies can be found in Supplementary Table 1 of the manuscript.

### CrossingPictures.rar:

Compressed picture files related with experimental crosses.

### IndividualGeneAlignments\_trimmed.zip:

Compressed file with trimmed alignments for the coding sequences (*CDS*) and amino acid sequences (*aa*)

### MATA.zip:

Assembled MATA regions (.fas) and annotations (.gff) for each specimen.

### MATB.zip:

Assembled MATB regions (.f...