Genomic and morphological analysis of two new heat-resistant and osmotolerant species of the novel genus Peribolospora. Peribolospora gen. nov.: a new lineage of heat-resistant and osmotolerant basidiomycetous species

Sampling of Canadian boreal forest soils in combination with a heat-shock treatment (75°C, 30 min) yielded, among others, four heat-resistant fungal isolates. Molecular analysis of rDNA barcode sequences indicated that these isolates are undescribed species of a new lineage within the Basidiomycota. We use both macro- and micromorphology, cultivation assays and comparative genomics for interspecific differentiation, phylogenetic placement and physiological characterization of these isolates. After whole genome sequencing, a phylogeny of single-copy orthologous genes, an orthology analysis and transmission electron microscopy revealed the isolates as representatives of two new basidiomycetous species of the novel genus Peribolospora, representing a sister lineage to all other members of Ustilaginomycotina. Based on cultivation assays, the macromorphology of the isolates was described, and their physiological capabilities, including osmotolerance, were investigated.