Genomic insights into Aspergillus sydowii 29R-4-F02: unraveling adaptive mechanisms in subseafloor coal-bearing sediment environments.

The generated genome was 37.19 Mb with GC content of 50.05%. The final assembly consisted of 11 contigs with N of 4.6 Mb, encoding 12,488 putative genes. Notably, the subseafloor strain 29R-4-F02 showed a higher number of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) and distinct genes related to vesicular fusion and autophagy compared to the terrestrial strain CBS593.65. Furthermore, 257 positively selected genes, including those involved in DNA repair and CAZymes were identified in subseafloor strain 29R-4-F02. These findings suggest that possesses a unique genetic repertoire enabling its survival in the extreme subseafloor environments over tens of millions of years.