The diversity of polyketide synthase gene clusters in Aspergillus aculeatus genomes

Abstract

Polyketide synthases (PKSs) play a crucial role in the biosynthesis of polyketides, a diverse class of secondary metabolites with significant ecological and pharmaceutical importance. This study investigated the genetic diversity of PKS gene clusters in Aspergillus aculeatus using three publicly available genome sequences. Genome mining was performed in GenBank for sequences GCA_001890905.1, GCA_039111485.1 and GCA_039111445.1 using the antiSMASH tool to predict biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). Genetic diversity parameters such as nucleotide diversity, polymorphic sites, and mutation were determined using DnaSP software program. Genome mining identified a total of 295 BGCs in all three genomes. The PKS gene clusters identified included 11 in GCA_001890905.1 and 16 each in both GCA_039111485.1 and GCA_039111445.1. Various domains were identified within the PKS gene clusters; however, the dominant and most important domains for secondary metabolites biosynthesis were acyltransferase (AT) and ketosynthase (KS). Genome mining predicted 40 secondary metabolites, including 19 novel compounds not previously recorded in existing repositories. The analysis revealed moderate diversity in the dominant PKS domains (AT and KS), with AT domains exhibiting slightly higher variation than KS domains. These findings highlight the potential of A. aculeatus as a source of novel bioactive compounds, underscoring its significance in natural product discovery and biotechnological applications.