Genomics of the fungal kingdom: insights into eukaryotic biology

The last decade has witnessed a revolution in the genomics of the fungal kingdom. Since the sequencing of the first fungus in 1996, the number of available fungal genome sequences has increased by an order of magnitude. Over 40 complete fungal genomes have been publicly released with an equal number currently being sequenced—representing the widest sampling of genomes from any eukaryotic kingdom. Moreover, many of these sequenced species form clusters of related organisms designed to enable comparative studies. These data provide an unparalleled opportunity to study the biology and evolution of this medically, industrially, and environmentally important kingdom. In addition, fungi also serve as model organisms for all eukaryotes. The available fungal genomic resource, coupled with the experimental tractability of the fungi, is accelerating research into the fundamental aspects of eukaryotic biology. We provide here an overview of available fungal genomes and highlight some of the biological insights that have been derived through their analysis. We also discuss insights into the fundamental cellular biology shared between fungi and other eukaryotic organisms.