Genome Sequencing and Functional Potential of the Freshwater Fungus Talaromyces purpureogenus FBCC-F0319

Talaromyces purpureogenus is a filamentous fungus belonging to the class Eurotiomycetes and is known for producing red pigments and bioactive metabolites with potential agricultural and biotechnological applications. In this study, we performed whole-genome sequencing and functional analysis of the freshwater fungal isolate T. purpureogenus FBCC-F0319, obtained from sediment collected at Gamcheon in Korea. Previous observations indicated that this strain exhibits beneficial traits including antifungal activity, phosphate solubilization, siderophore production, pigment formation, and plant growth-promoting potential. The genome of FBCC-F0319 was assembled using Canu and polished with Illumina short reads. The final assembly consisted of 11 contigs with a genome size of 31.9 Mb and a GC content of 44.9%. The N50 length was 3.66 Mb and sequencing depth reached approximately 2939, indicating a highly reliable assembly. A total of 11,202 protein-coding genes were predicted from the genome, providing the first comprehensive estimation of gene numbers for this species. Functional annotation using InterProScan, GO, and EggNOG revealed many genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism, transcriptional regulation, and post-translational modification processes. BUSCO analysis using the fungi_odb10 dataset showed high genome completeness, with 98.3% of conserved genes detected as complete single-copy BUSCOs. Secondary metabolite analysis using antiSMASH predicted 68 biosynthetic gene clusters, including clusters related to compounds such as clavaric acid and duclauxin. CAZyme analysis identified hundreds of carbohydrate-active enzymes, with 327 genes commonly predicted across multiple algorithms. These results provide genomic insights into the metabolic capacity and ecological potential of T. purpureogenus FBCC-F0319, highlighting its promise as a source of bioactive compounds and beneficial traits for agriculture.