Cryptococcus terricola and Cryptococcus curvatus ATCC 20509 v1.0 are closely related fungal species that differ in their metabolic capabilities and adaptation to their respective habitats. C.terricola can utilize starch (polysaccharides) to produce biolipids, whereas C. curvatus can utilize a mixture of xylose, glucose, and L-arabinose to produce lipids. One of the challenges of the agricultural and food processing industries is dealing with waste biomass, which constitutes a challenge to the environment. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) is a large family of heme-containing monooxygenases that are known to influence many biochemical processes. Comparing the cytochrome P450 (CYP) genes in these two species will provide more insight into their genetic composition. The study therefore aims to investigate and understand the similarities and differences in their cytochrome P450, which are likely to play a critical role in their adaptation to soil environments and allow them to utilize different organic compounds. The discovered motifs were identified by using the Multiple Expectation Maximization for Motif Elicitation (MEME) suite, while the intron and exon organization of each CYP gene was analyzed by the Gene Structure Display Server (GSDS). The subcellular localization of the CYPs was predicted by DEEP LOC 2.0, while the evolutionary relatedness of the CYP genes was determined by MEGA X. The result indicated that identified motifs in the genome of C. curvatus were more conserved than in C. terricola. Similarly, the gene structure study showed that C. terricola had more introns than C. curvatus. Subcellular localization predictions revealed that most CYPs in both species are localized in the endoplasmic reticulum, emphasizing their crucial roles in lipid metabolism and protein synthesis. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the clustering of CYPs into distinct clades, both species-specific and shared evolutionary relationships, underscoring the genetic diversity and evolutionary significance within these species. Therefore, the observed differences in the structural organization and localization of CYPs between these two species may be strongly associated with the environmental adaptations, protein composition, and control of gene expression. This study, therefore, contributes to our understanding of the relationship between fungal genomes' organization and environmental adaptation. It also lays the foundation for future exploration of fungal capabilities across different habitats and for application in biotechnology.

Keywords: Comparative, Cryptococcus terricola, Cryptococcus curvatus, Cytochrome P450, Motif.