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<p>Horizontal transfer of transposable elements (TEs) is widespread in eukaryotes, driving genetic variation and often associated with bursts of TE activity. Here, we report a recent TE burst in the insect-pathogenic fungus <i>Metarhizium anisopliae</i>. The actively transposing TEs were likely introduced via hitchhiking on a so-called <i>Starship</i>, a class of large, horizontally transferable transposons. This TE burst likely triggered extensive structural reshuffling across all chromosomes, which was associated with loss of pathogenicity. Expanding our analysis to other fungi, we found that <i>Starship</i>-mediated horizontal transfer of TEs is a general phenomenon. Most (75%) of 522 reported <i>Starships</i> harbor TEs; many of which show evidence of a recent burst, in some cases likely starting from the TE copies on the <i>Starship</i> itself. A high fraction of TEs located on <i>Starships</i> also shows signatures of past horizontal transfer. Collectively, our results establish <i>Starships</i> as major vectors of horizontal TE transfer.</p>

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Transposable elements hitchhike on Starships across fungal genomes

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月11日

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  • Hanne Griem-Krey,
  • Júlia de Fraga Sant’Ana,
  • Ursula Oggenfuss,
  • Yohana Porto Calegari-Alves,
  • Ana Luiza Marques,
  • Markus Berger,
  • Lucélia Santi,
  • Walter O. Beys-da-Silva,
  • Michael Habig

摘要

Horizontal transfer of transposable elements (TEs) is widespread in eukaryotes, driving genetic variation and often associated with bursts of TE activity. Here, we report a recent TE burst in the insect-pathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae. The actively transposing TEs were likely introduced via hitchhiking on a so-called Starship, a class of large, horizontally transferable transposons. This TE burst likely triggered extensive structural reshuffling across all chromosomes, which was associated with loss of pathogenicity. Expanding our analysis to other fungi, we found that Starship-mediated horizontal transfer of TEs is a general phenomenon. Most (75%) of 522 reported Starships harbor TEs; many of which show evidence of a recent burst, in some cases likely starting from the TE copies on the Starship itself. A high fraction of TEs located on Starships also shows signatures of past horizontal transfer. Collectively, our results establish Starships as major vectors of horizontal TE transfer.