Disparate evolution of yeasts and filamentous fungi indicated by phylogenetic analysis of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase genes.

Genes encoding glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.12) from several evolutionarily disparate organisms were used to construct a phylogenetic tree by evolutionary parsimony. The GAPDH tree indicates that, in contrast to the presently accepted taxonomy of fungi, the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Zygosaccharomyces rouxii evolved separately from the filamentous ascomycetes (such as Aspergillus nidulans) with which these yeasts are classified. According to this tree, the Saccharomyces-like yeasts evolved very early in the course of eukaryotic evolution, whereas both ascomycete and basidiomycete filamentous fungi diverged much later through a common ancestor.