Clustering of two genes putatively involved in cyanate detoxification evolved recently and independently in multiple fungal lineages.

Fungi that have the enzymes cyanase and carbonic anhydrase show a limited capacity to detoxify cyanate, a fungicide employed by both plants and humans. Here, we describe a novel two-gene cluster that comprises duplicated cyanase and carbonic anhydrase copies, which we name the CCA gene cluster, trace its evolution across Ascomycetes, and examine the evolutionary dynamics of its spread among lineages of the Fusarium oxysporum species complex (hereafter referred to as the FOSC), a cosmopolitan clade of purportedly clonal vascular wilt plant pathogens. Phylogenetic analysis of fungal cyanase and carbonic anhydrase genes reveals that the CCA gene cluster arose independently at least twice and is now present in three lineages, namely Cochliobolus lunatus, Oidiodendron maius, and the FOSC. Genome-wide surveys within the FOSC indicate that the CCA gene cluster varies in copy number across isolates, is always located on accessory chromosomes, and is absent in FOSC's closest relatives. Phylogenetic reconstruction of the CCA gene cluster in 163 FOSC strains from a wide variety of hosts suggests a recent history of rampant transfers between isolates. We hypothesize that the independent formation of the CCA gene cluster in different fungal lineages and its spread across FOSC strains may be associated with resistance to plant-produced cyanates or to use of cyanate fungicides in agriculture.

Discordant phylogenies suggest repeated host shifts in the Fusarium-Euwallacea ambrosia beetle mutualism.

The mutualism between xyleborine beetles in the genus Euwallacea (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) and members of the Ambrosia Fusarium Clade (AFC) represents one of 11 known evolutionary origins of fungiculture by ambrosia beetles. Female Euwallacea beetles transport fusarial symbionts in paired mandibular mycangia from their natal gallery to woody hosts where they are cultivated in galleries as a source of food. Native to Asia, several exotic Euwallacea species were introduced into the United States and Israel within the past two decades and they now threaten urban landscapes, forests and avocado production. To assess species limits and to date the evolutionary diversification of the mutualists, we reconstructed the evolutionary histories of key representatives of the Fusarium and Euwallacea clades using maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood methods. Twelve species-level lineages, termed AF 1-12, were identified within the monophyletic AFC and seven among the Fusarium-farming Euwallacea. Bayesian diversification-time estimates placed the origin of the Euwallacea-Fusarium mutualism near the Oligocene-Miocene boundary ∼19-24 Mya. Most Euwallacea spp. appear to be associated with one species of Fusarium, but two species farmed two closely related fusaria. Euwallacea sp. #2 in Miami-Dade County, Florida cultivated Fusarium spp. AF-6 and AF-8 on avocado, and Euwallacea sp. #4 farmed Fusarium ambrosium AF-1 and Fusarium sp. AF-11 on Chinese tea in Sri Lanka. Cophylogenetic analyses indicated that the Euwallacea and Fusarium phylogenies were largely incongruent, apparently due to the beetles switching fusarial symbionts (i.e., host shifts) at least five times during the evolution of this mutualism. Three cospeciation events between Euwallacea and their AFC symbionts were detected, but randomization tests failed to reject the null hypothesis that the putative parallel cladogenesis is a stochastic pattern. Lastly, two collections of Euwallacea sp. #2 from Miami-Dade County, Florida shared an identical cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) allele with Euwallacea validus, suggesting introgressive hybridization between these species and/or pseudogenous nature of this marker. Results of the present study highlight the importance of understanding the potential for and frequency of host-switching between Euwallacea and members of the AFC, and that these shifts may bring together more aggressive and virulent combinations of these invasive mutualists.

Genetic architecture and evolution of the mating type locus in fusaria that cause soybean sudden death syndrome and bean root rot.

Fusarium tucumaniae is the only known sexually reproducing species among the seven closely related fusaria that cause soybean sudden death syndrome (SDS) or bean root rot (BRR). In a previous study, laboratory mating of F. tucumaniae yielded recombinant ascospore progeny but required two mating-compatible strains, indicating that it is heterothallic. To assess the reproductive mode of the other SDS and BRR fusaria, and their potential for mating, whole-genome sequences of two SDS and one BRR pathogen were analyzed to characterize their mating type (MAT) loci. This bioinformatic approach identified a MAT1-1 idiomorph in F. virguliforme NRRL 22292 and MAT1-2 idiomorphs in F. tucumaniae NRRL 34546 and F. azukicola NRRL 54364. Alignments of the MAT loci were used to design PCR primers within the conserved regions of the flanking genes APN1 and SLA2, which enabled primer walking to obtain nearly complete sequences of the MAT region for six MAT1-1 and five MAT1-2 SDS/BRR fusaria. As expected, sequences of the highly divergent 4.7 kb MAT1-1 and 3.7 kb MAT1-2 idiomorphs were unalignable. However, sequences of the respective idiomorphs and those that flank MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 were highly conserved. In addition to three genes at MAT1-1 (MAT1-1-1, MAT1-1-2, MAT1-1-3) and two at MAT1-2 (MAT1-2-1, MAT1-2-3), the MAT loci of the SDS/BRR fusaria also include a putative gene predicted to encode for a 252 amino acid protein of unknown function. Alignments of the MAT1-1-3 and MAT1-2-1 sequences were used to design a multiplex PCR assay for the MAT loci. This assay was used to screen DNA from 439 SDS/BRR isolates, which revealed that each isolate possessed MAT1-1 or MAT1-2, consistent with heterothallism. Both idiomorphs were represented among isolates of F. azukicola, F. brasiliense, F. phaseoli and F. tucumaniae, whereas isolates of F. virguliforme and F. cuneirostrum were only MAT1-1 and F. crassistipitatum were only MAT1-2. Finally, nucleotide sequence data from the RPB1 and RPB2 genes were used to date the origin of the SDS/BRR group, which was estimated to have occurred about 0.75 Mya (95% HPD interval: 0.27, 1.68) in the mid-Pleistocene, long before the domestication of the common bean or soybean.

An inordinate fondness for Fusarium: phylogenetic diversity of fusaria cultivated by ambrosia beetles in the genus Euwallacea on avocado and other plant hosts.

Ambrosia beetle fungiculture represents one of the most ecologically and evolutionarily successful symbioses, as evidenced by the 11 independent origins and 3500 species of ambrosia beetles. Here we document the evolution of a clade within Fusarium associated with ambrosia beetles in the genus Euwallacea (Coleoptera: Scolytinae). Ambrosia Fusarium Clade (AFC) symbionts are unusual in that some are plant pathogens that cause significant damage in naïve natural and cultivated ecosystems, and currently threaten avocado production in the United States, Israel and Australia. Most AFC fusaria produce unusual clavate macroconidia that serve as a putative food source for their insect mutualists. AFC symbionts were abundant in the heads of four Euwallacea spp., which suggests that they are transported within and from the natal gallery in mandibular mycangia. In a four-locus phylogenetic analysis, the AFC was resolved in a strongly supported monophyletic group within the previously described Clade 3 of the Fusarium solani species complex (FSSC). Divergence-time estimates place the origin of the AFC in the early Miocene ∼21.2 Mya, which coincides with the hypothesized adaptive radiation of the Xyleborini. Two strongly supported clades within the AFC (Clades A and B) were identified that include nine species lineages associated with ambrosia beetles, eight with Euwallacea spp. and one reportedly with Xyleborus ferrugineus, and two lineages with no known beetle association. More derived lineages within the AFC showed fixation of the clavate (club-shaped) macroconidial trait, while basal lineages showed a mix of clavate and more typical fusiform macroconidia. AFC lineages consisted mostly of genetically identical individuals associated with specific insect hosts in defined geographic locations, with at least three interspecific hybridization events inferred based on discordant placement in individual gene genealogies and detection of recombinant loci. Overall, these data are consistent with a strong evolutionary trend toward obligate symbiosis coupled with secondary contact and interspecific hybridization.

How well do ITS rDNA sequences differentiate species of true morels (Morchella)?

Arguably more mycophiles hunt true morels (Morchella) during their brief fruiting season each spring in the northern hemisphere than any other wild edible fungus. Concerns about overharvesting by individual collectors and commercial enterprises make it essential that science-based management practices and conservation policies are developed to ensure the sustainability of commercial harvests and to protect and preserve morel species diversity. Therefore, the primary objectives of the present study were to: (i) investigate the utility of the ITS rDNA locus for identifying Morchella species, using phylogenetic species previously inferred from multilocus DNA sequence data as a reference; and (ii) clarify insufficiently identified sequences and determine whether the named sequences in GenBank were identified correctly. To this end, we generated 553 Morchella ITS rDNA sequences and downloaded 312 additional ones generated by other researchers from GenBank using emerencia and analyzed them phylogenetically. Three major findings emerged: (i) ITS rDNA sequences were useful in identifying 48/62 (77.4%) of the known phylospecies; however, they failed to identify 12 of the 22 species within the species-rich Elata Subclade and two closely related species in the Esculenta Clade; (ii) at least 66% of the named Morchella sequences in GenBank are misidentified; and (iii) ITS rDNA sequences of up to six putatively novel Morchella species were represented in GenBank. Recognizing the need for a dedicated Web-accessible reference database to facilitate the rapid identification of known and novel species, we constructed Morchella MLST (http://www.cbs.knaw.nl/morchella/), which can be queried with ITS rDNA sequences and those of the four other genes used in our prior multilocus molecular systematic studies of this charismatic genus.

Soybean sudden death syndrome species diversity within north and South america revealed by multilocus genotyping.

Sudden death syndrome (SDS) of soybean has become a serious constraint to the production of this crop in North and South America. Phenotypic and multilocus molecular phylogenetic analyses, as well as pathogenicity experiments, have demonstrated that four morphologically and phylogenetically distinct fusaria can induce soybean SDS. Published molecular diagnostic assays for the detection and identification of these pathogens have reported these pathogens as F. solani, F. solani f. sp. glycines, or F. solani f. sp. phaseoli, primarily because the species limits of these four pathogens were only recently resolved. In light of the recent discovery that soybean SDS and Phaseolus and mung bean root rot (BRR) are caused by four and two distinct species, respectively, multilocus DNA sequence analyses were conducted to assess whether any of the published molecular diagnostic assays were species-specific. Comparative DNA sequence analyses of the soybean SDS and BRR pathogens revealed that highly conserved regions of three loci were used in the design of these assays, and therefore none were species-specific based on our current understanding of species limits within the SDS-BRR clade. Prompted by this finding, we developed a high-throughput multilocus genotyping (MLGT) assay which accurately differentiated the soybean SDS and two closely related Phaseolus and mung BRR pathogens based on nucleotide polymorphism within the nuclear ribosomal intergenic spacer region rDNA and two anonymous intergenic regions designated locus 51 and 96. The single-well diagnostic assay, employing flow cytometry and a novel fluorescent microsphere array, was validated by independent multilocus molecular phylogenetic analysis of a 65 isolate design panel. The MLGT assay was used to reproducibly type a total of 262 soybean SDS and 9 BRR pathogens. The validated MLGT array provides a unique molecular diagnostic for the accurate identification and molecular surveillance of these economically important plant pathogens.

A two-locus DNA sequence database for typing plant and human pathogens within the Fusarium oxysporum species complex.

We constructed a two-locus database, comprising partial translation elongation factor (EF-1alpha) gene sequences and nearly full-length sequences of the nuclear ribosomal intergenic spacer region (IGS rDNA) for 850 isolates spanning the phylogenetic breadth of the Fusarium oxysporum species complex (FOSC). Of the 850 isolates typed, 101 EF-1alpha, 203 IGS rDNA, and 256 two-locus sequence types (STs) were differentiated. Analysis of the combined dataset suggests that two-thirds of the STs might be associated with a single host plant. This analysis also revealed that the 26 STs associated with human mycoses were genetically diverse, including several which appear to be nosocomial in origin. A congruence analysis, comparing partial EF-1alpha and IGS rDNA bootstrap consensus, identified a significant number of conflicting relationships dispersed throughout the bipartitions, suggesting that some of the IGS rDNA sequences may be non-orthologous. We also evaluated enniatin, fumonisin and moniliformin mycotoxin production in vitro within a phylogenetic framework.