Taxonomy, phylogeny and identification of Chaetomiaceae with emphasis on thermophilic species.

Chaetomiaceae comprises phenotypically diverse species, which impact biotechnology, the indoor environment and human health. Recent studies showed that most of the traditionally defined genera in Chaetomiaceae are highly polyphyletic. Many of these morphology-based genera, such as Chaetomium, Thielavia and Humicola, have been redefined using multigene phylogenetic analysis combined with morphology; however, a comprehensive taxonomic overview of the family is lacking. In addition, the phylogenetic relationship of thermophilic Chaetomiaceae species with non-thermophilic taxa in the family is largely unclear due to limited taxon sampling in previous studies. In this study, we provide an up-to-date overview on the taxonomy and phylogeny of genera and species belonging to Chaetomiaceae, including an extensive taxon sampling of thermophiles. A multigene phylogenetic analysis based on the ITS (internal transcribed spacers 1 and 2 including the 5.8S nrDNA), LSU (D1/D2 domains of the 28S nrDNA), rpb2 (partial RNA polymerase II second largest subunit gene) and tub2 (ß-tubulin gene) sequences was performed on 345 strains representing Chaetomiaceae and 58 strains of other families in Sordariales. Divergence times based on the multi-gene phylogeny were estimated as aid to determine the genera in the family. Genera were delimited following the criteria that a genus must be a statistically well-supported monophyletic clade in both the multigene phylogeny and molecular dating analysis, fall within a divergence time of over 27 million years ago, and be supported by ecological preference or phenotypic traits. Based on the results of the phylogeny and molecular dating analyses, combined with morphological characters and temperature-growth characteristics, 50 genera and 275 species are accepted in Chaetomiaceae. Among them, six new genera, six new species, 45 new combinations and three new names are proposed. The results demonstrate that the thermophilic species fall into seven genera (Melanocarpus, Mycothermus, Remersonia, Thermocarpiscus gen. nov., Thermochaetoides gen. nov., Thermothelomyces and Thermothielavioides). These genera cluster in six separate lineages, suggesting that thermophiles independently evolved at least six times within the family. A list of accepted genera and species in Chaetomiaceae, together with information on their MycoBank numbers, living ex-type strains and GenBank accession numbers to ITS, LSU, rpb2 and tub2 sequences is provided. Furthermore, we provide suggestions how to describe and identify Chaetomiaceae species. Taxonomic novelties: new genera: Parvomelanocarpus X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Pseudohumicola X.Wei Wang, P.J. Han, F.Y. Bai & Houbraken, Tengochaeta X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Thermocarpiscus X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Thermochaetoides X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Xanthiomyces X.Wei Wang & Houbraken; New species: Botryotrichum geniculatum X.Wei Wang, P.J. Han & F.Y. Bai, Chaetomium subaffine Sergejeva ex X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Humicola hirsuta X.Wei Wang, P.J. Han & F.Y. Bai, Subramaniula latifusispora X.Wei Wang, P.J. Han & F.Y. Bai, Tengochaeta nigropilosa X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Trichocladium tomentosum X.Wei Wang, P.J. Han & F.Y. Bai; New combinations: Achaetomiella gracilis (Udagawa) Houbraken, X.Wei Wang, P.J. Han & F.Y. Bai, Allocanariomyces americanus (Cañete-Gibas et al.) Cañete-Gibas, Wiederhold, X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Amesia dreyfussii (Arx) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Amesia raii (G. Malhotra & Mukerji) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Arcopilus macrostiolatus (Stchigel et al.) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Arcopilus megasporus (Sörgel ex Seth) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Arcopilus purpurascens (Udagawa & Y. Sugiy.) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Arxotrichum deceptivum (Malloch & Benny) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Arxotrichum gangligerum (L.M. Ames) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Arxotrichum officinarum (M. Raza & L. Cai) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Arxotrichum piluliferoides (Udagawa & Y. Horie) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Arxotrichum repens (Guarro & Figueras) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Arxotrichum sinense (K.T. Chen) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Botryotrichum inquinatum (Udagawa & S. Ueda) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Botryotrichum retardatum (A. Carter & R.S. Khan) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Botryotrichum trichorobustum (Seth) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Botryotrichum vitellinum (A. Carter) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Collariella anguipilia (L.M. Ames) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Collariella hexagonospora (A. Carter & Malloch) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Collariella pachypodioides (L.M. Ames) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Ovatospora amygdalispora (Udagawa & T. Muroi) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Ovatospora angularis (Yu Zhang & L. Cai) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Parachaetomium biporatum (Cano & Guarro) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Parachaetomium hispanicum (Guarro & Arx) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Parachaetomium inaequale (Pidopl. et al.) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Parachaetomium longiciliatum (Yu Zhang & L. Cai) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Parachaetomium mareoticum (Besada & Yusef) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Parachaetomium muelleri (Arx) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Parachaetomium multispirale (A. Carter et al.) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Parachaetomium perlucidum (Sergejeva) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Parachaetomium subspirilliferum (Sergejeva) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Parathielavia coactilis (Nicot) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Parvomelanocarpus tardus (X.Wei Wang & Samson) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Parvomelanocarpus thermophilus (Abdullah & Al-Bader) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Pseudohumicola atrobrunnea (X.Wei Wang et al.) X.Wei Wang, P.J. Han, F.Y. Bai & Houbraken, Pseudohumicola pulvericola (X.Wei Wang et al.) X.Wei Wang, P.J. Han, F.Y. Bai & Houbraken, Pseudohumicola semispiralis (Udagawa & Cain) X.Wei Wang, P.J. Han, F.Y. Bai & Houbraken, Pseudohumicola subspiralis (Chivers) X.Wei Wang, P.J. Han, F.Y. Bai & Houbraken, Staphylotrichum koreanum (Hyang B. Lee & T.T.T. Nguyen) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Staphylotrichum limonisporum (Z.F. Zhang & L. Cai) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Subramaniula lateralis (Yu Zhang & L. Cai) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Thermocarpiscus australiensis (Tansey & M.A. Jack) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Thermochaetoides dissita (Cooney & R. Emers.) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Thermochaetoides thermophila (La Touche) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Xanthiomyces spinosus (Chivers) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken; New names: Chaetomium neoglobosporum X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Thermothelomyces fergusii X.Wei Wang & Houbraken, Thermothelomyces myriococcoides X.Wei Wang & Houbraken; Lecto- and / or epi-typifications (basionyms): Botryoderma rostratum Papendorf & H.P. Upadhyay, Botryotrichum piluliferum Sacc. & Marchal, Chaetomium carinthiacum Sörgel, Thielavia heterothallica Klopotek. Citation: Wang XW, Han PJ, Bai FY, Luo A, Bensch K, Meijer M, Kraak B, Han DY, Sun BD, Crous PW, Houbraken J (2022). Taxonomy, phylogeny and identification of Chaetomiaceae with emphasis on thermophilic species. Studies in Mycology 101: 121-243. doi: 10.3114/sim.2022.101.03.

Diversity and phylogeny of basidiomycetous yeasts from plant leaves and soil: Proposal of two new orders, three new families, eight new genera and one hundred and seven new species.

Nearly 500 basidiomycetous yeast species were accepted in the latest edition of The Yeasts: A Taxonomic Study published in 2011. However, this number presents only the tip of the iceberg of yeast species diversity in nature. Possibly more than 99 % of yeast species, as is true for many groups of fungi, are yet unknown and await discovery. Over the past two decades nearly 200 unidentified isolates were obtained during a series of environmental surveys of yeasts in phyllosphere and soils, mainly from China. Among these isolates, 107 new species were identified based on the phylogenetic analyses of nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) [D1/D2 domains of the large subunit (LSU), the small subunit (SSU), and the internal transcribed spacer region including the 5.8S rDNA (ITS)] and protein-coding genes [both subunits of DNA polymerase II (RPB1 and RPB2), the translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF1) and the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b (CYTB)], and physiological comparisons. Forty-six of these belong to 16 genera in the Tremellomycetes (Agaricomycotina). The other 61 are distributed in 26 genera in the Pucciniomycotina. Here we circumscribe eight new genera, three new families and two new orders based on the multi-locus phylogenetic analyses combined with the clustering optimisation analysis and the predicted similarity thresholds for yeasts and filamentous fungal delimitation at genus and higher ranks. Additionally, as a result of these analyses, three new combinations are proposed and 66 taxa are validated.

Phylogenetic re-evaluation of Thielavia with the introduction of a new family Podosporaceae.

The genus Thielavia is morphologically defined by having non-ostiolate ascomata with a thin peridium composed of textura epidermoidea, and smooth, single-celled, pigmented ascospores with one germ pore. Thielavia is typified with Th. basicola that grows in close association with a hyphomycete which was traditionally identified as Thielaviopsis basicola. Besides Th. basicola exhibiting the mycoparasitic nature, the majority of the described Thielavia species are from soil, and some have economic and ecological importance. Unfortunately, no living type material of Th. basicola exists, hindering a proper understanding of the classification of Thielavia. Therefore, Thielavia basicola was neotypified by material of a mycoparasite presenting the same ecology and morphology as described in the original description. We subsequently performed a multi-gene phylogenetic analyses (rpb2, tub2, ITS and LSU) to resolve the phylogenetic relationships of the species currently recognised in Thielavia. Our results demonstrate that Thielavia is highly polyphyletic, being related to three family-level lineages in two orders. The redefined genus Thielavia is restricted to its type species, Th. basicola, which belongs to the Ceratostomataceae (Melanosporales) and its host is demonstrated to be Berkeleyomyces rouxiae, one of the two species in the "Thielaviopsis basicola" species complex. The new family Podosporaceae is sister to the Chaetomiaceae in the Sordariales and accommodates the re-defined genera Podospora, Trangularia and Cladorrhinum, with the last genus including two former Thielavia species (Th. hyalocarpa and Th. intermedia). This family also includes the genetic model species Podospora anserina, which was combined in Triangularia (as Triangularia anserina). The remaining Thielavia species fall in ten unrelated clades in the Chaetomiaceae, leading to the proposal of nine new genera (Carteria, Chrysanthotrichum, Condenascus, Hyalosphaerella, Microthielavia, Parathielavia, Pseudothielavia, Stolonocarpus and Thermothielavioides). The genus Canariomyces is transferred from Microascaceae (Microascales) to Chaetomiaceae based on its type species Can. notabilis. Canariomyces is closely related to the human-pathogenic genus Madurella, and includes three thielavia-like species and one novel species. Three monotypic genera with a chaetomium-like morph (Brachychaeta, Chrysocorona and Floropilus) are introduced to better resolve the Chaetomiaceae and the thielavia-like species in the family. Chrysocorona lucknowensis and Brachychaeta variospora are closely related to Acrophialophora and three newly introduced genera containing thielavia-like species; Floropilus chiversii is closely related to the industrially important and thermophilic species Thermothielavioides terrestris (syn. Th. terrestris). This study shows that the thielavia-like morph is a homoplastic form that originates from several separate evolutionary events. Furthermore, our results provide new insights into the taxonomy of Sordariales and the polyphyletic Lasiosphaeriaceae.

Redefining Humicola sensu stricto and related genera in the Chaetomiaceae.

The traditional concept of the genus Humicola includes species that produce pigmented, thick-walled and single-celled spores laterally or terminally on hyphae or minimally differentiated conidiophores. More than 50 species have been described in the genus. Species commonly occur in soil, indoor environments, and compost habitats. The taxonomy of Humicola and morphologically similar genera is poorly understood in modern terms. Based on a four-locus phylogeny, the morphological concept of Humicola proved to be polyphyletic. The type of Humicola, H. fuscoatra, belongs to the Chaetomiaceae. In the Chaetomiaceae, species producing humicola-like thick-walled spores are distributed among four lineages: Humicola sensu stricto, Mycothermus, Staphylotrichum, and Trichocladium. In our revised concept of Humicola, asexual and sexually reproducing species both occur. The re-defined Humicola contains 24 species (seven new and thirteen new combinations), which are described and illustrated in this study. The species in this genus produce conidia that are lateral, intercalary or terminal on/in hyphae, and conidiophores are not formed or are minimally developed (micronematous). The ascospores of sexual Humicola species are limoniform to quadrangular in face view and bilaterally flattened with one apical germ pore. Seven species are accepted in Staphylotrichum (four new species, one new combination). Thick-walled conidia of Staphylotrichum species usually arise either from hyphae (micronematous) or from apically branched, seta-like conidiophores (macronematous). The sexual morph represented by Staphylotrichum longicolleum (= Chaetomium longicolleum) produces ascomata with long necks composed of a fused basal part of the terminal hairs, and ascospores that are broad limoniform to nearly globose, bilaterally flattened, with an apical germ pore. The Trichocladium lineage has a high morphological diversity in both asexual and sexual structures. Phylogenetic analysis revealed four subclades in this lineage. However, these subclades are genetically closely related, and no distinctive phenotypic characters are linked to any of them. Fourteen species are accepted in Trichocladium, including one new species, twelve new combinations. The type species of Gilmaniella, G. humicola, belongs to the polyphyletic family Lasiosphaeriaceae (Sordariales), but G. macrospora phylogenetically belongs to Trichocladium. The thermophilic genus Mycothermus and the type species My. thermophilum are validated, and one new Mycothermus species is described. Phylogenetic analyses show that Remersonia, another thermophilic genus, is sister to Mycothermus and two species are known, including one new species. Thermomyces verrucosus produces humicola-like conidia and is transferred to Botryotrichum based on phylogenetic affinities. This study is a first attempt to establish an inclusive modern classification of Humicola and humicola-like genera of the Chaetomiaceae. More research is needed to determine the phylogenetic relationships of "humicola"-like species outside the Chaetomiaceae.

Phylogenetic classification of yeasts and related taxa within Pucciniomycotina.

Most small genera containing yeast species in the Pucciniomycotina (Basidiomycota, Fungi) are monophyletic, whereas larger genera including Bensingtonia, Rhodosporidium, Rhodotorula, Sporidiobolus and Sporobolomyces are polyphyletic. With the implementation of the "One Fungus = One Name" nomenclatural principle these polyphyletic genera were revised. Nine genera, namely Bannoa, Cystobasidiopsis, Colacogloea, Kondoa, Erythrobasidium, Rhodotorula, Sporobolomyces, Sakaguchia and Sterigmatomyces, were emended to include anamorphic and teleomorphic species based on the results obtained by a multi-gene phylogenetic analysis, phylogenetic network analyses, branch length-based methods, as well as morphological, physiological and biochemical comparisons. A new class Spiculogloeomycetes is proposed to accommodate the order Spiculogloeales. The new families Buckleyzymaceae with Buckleyzyma gen. nov., Chrysozymaceae with Chrysozyma gen. nov., Microsporomycetaceae with Microsporomyces gen. nov., Ruineniaceae with Ruinenia gen. nov., Symmetrosporaceae with Symmetrospora gen. nov., Colacogloeaceae and Sakaguchiaceae are proposed. The new genera Bannozyma, Buckleyzyma, Fellozyma, Hamamotoa, Hasegawazyma, Jianyunia, Rhodosporidiobolus, Oberwinklerozyma, Phenoliferia, Pseudobensingtonia, Pseudohyphozyma, Sampaiozyma, Slooffia, Spencerozyma, Trigonosporomyces, Udeniozyma, Vonarxula, Yamadamyces and Yunzhangia are proposed to accommodate species segregated from the genera Bensingtonia, Rhodosporidium, Rhodotorula, Sporidiobolus and Sporobolomyces. Ballistosporomyces is emended and reintroduced to include three Sporobolomyces species of the sasicola clade. A total of 111 new combinations are proposed in this study.

Phylogeny of tremellomycetous yeasts and related dimorphic and filamentous basidiomycetes reconstructed from multiple gene sequence analyses.

The Tremellomycetes (Basidiomycota) contains a large number of unicellular and dimorphic fungi with stable free-living unicellular states in their life cycles. These fungi have been conventionally classified as basidiomycetous yeasts based on physiological and biochemical characteristics. Many currently recognised genera of these yeasts are mainly defined based on phenotypical characters and are highly polyphyletic. Here we reconstructed the phylogeny of the majority of described anamorphic and teleomorphic tremellomycetous yeasts using Bayesian inference, maximum likelihood, and neighbour-joining analyses based on the sequences of seven genes, including three rRNA genes, namely the small subunit of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA), D1/D2 domains of the large subunit rDNA, and the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS 1 and 2) of rDNA including 5.8S rDNA; and four protein-coding genes, namely the two subunits of the RNA polymerase II (RPB1 and RPB2), the translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF1) and the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b (CYTB). With the consideration of morphological, physiological and chemotaxonomic characters and the congruence of phylogenies inferred from analyses using different algorithms based on different data sets consisting of the combined seven genes, the three rRNA genes, and the individual protein-coding genes, five major lineages corresponding to the orders Cystofilobasidiales, Filobasidiales, Holtermanniales, Tremellales, and Trichosporonales were resolved. A total of 45 strongly supported monophyletic clades with multiple species and 23 single species clades were recognised. This phylogenetic framework will be the basis for the proposal of an updated taxonomic system of tremellomycetous yeasts that will be compatible with the current taxonomic system of filamentous basidiomycetes accommodating the 'one fungus, one name' principle.

Phylogeny of yeasts and related filamentous fungi within Pucciniomycotina determined from multigene sequence analyses.

In addition to rusts, the subphylum Pucciniomycotina (Basidiomycota) includes a large number of unicellular or dimorphic fungi which are usually studied as yeasts. Ribosomal DNA sequence analyses have shown that the current taxonomic system of the pucciniomycetous yeasts which is based on phenotypic criteria is not concordant with the molecular phylogeny and many genera are polyphyletic. Here we inferred the molecular phylogeny of 184 pucciniomycetous yeast species and related filamentous fungi using maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference analyses based on the sequences of seven genes, including the small subunit ribosomal DNA (rDNA), the large subunit rDNA D1/D2 domains, the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS 1 and 2) of rDNA including the 5.8S rDNA gene; the nuclear protein-coding genes of the two subunits of DNA polymerase II (RPB1 and RPB2) and the translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF1); and the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b (CYTB). A total of 33 monophyletic clades and 18 single species lineages were recognised among the pucciniomycetous yeasts employed, which belonged to four major lineages corresponding to Agaricostilbomycetes, Cystobasidiomycetes, Microbotryomycetes and Mixiomycetes. These lineages remained independent from the classes Atractiellomycetes, Classiculomycetes, Pucciniomycetes and Tritirachiomycetes formed by filamentous taxa in Pucciniomycotina. An updated taxonomic system of pucciniomycetous yeasts implementing the 'One fungus = One name' principle will be proposed based on the phylogenetic framework presented here.

Multigene phylogeny and taxonomic revision of yeasts and related fungi in the Ustilaginomycotina.

The subphylum Ustilaginomycotina (Basidiomycota, Fungi) comprises mainly plant pathogenic fungi (smuts). Some of the lineages possess cultivable unicellular stages that are usually classified as yeast or yeast-like species in a largely artificial taxonomic system which is independent from and largely incompatible with that of the smut fungi. Here we performed phylogenetic analyses based on seven genes including three nuclear ribosomal RNA genes and four protein coding genes to address the molecular phylogeny of the ustilaginomycetous yeast species and their filamentous counterparts. Taxonomic revisions were proposed to reflect this phylogeny and to implement the 'One Fungus = One Name' principle. The results confirmed that the yeast-containing classes Malasseziomycetes, Moniliellomycetes and Ustilaginomycetes are monophyletic, whereas Exobasidiomycetes in the current sense remains paraphyletic. Four new genera, namely Dirkmeia gen. nov., Kalmanozyma gen. nov., Golubevia gen. nov. and Robbauera gen. nov. are proposed to accommodate Pseudozyma and Tilletiopsis species that are distinct from the other smut taxa and belong to clades that are separate from those containing type species of the hitherto described genera. Accordingly, new orders Golubeviales ord. nov. with Golubeviaceae fam. nov. and Robbauerales ord. nov. with Robbaueraceae fam. nov. are proposed to accommodate the sisterhood of Golubevia gen. nov. and Robbauera gen. nov. with other orders of Exobasidiomycetes. The majority of the remaining anamorphic yeast species are transferred to corresponding teleomorphic genera based on strongly supported phylogenetic affinities, resulting in the proposal of 28 new combinations. The taxonomic status of a few Pseudozyma species remains to be determined because of their uncertain phylogenetic positions. We propose to use the term pro tempore or pro tem. in abbreviation to indicate the single-species lineages that are temporarily maintained.

Towards an integrated phylogenetic classification of the Tremellomycetes.

Families and genera assigned to Tremellomycetes have been mainly circumscribed by morphology and for the yeasts also by biochemical and physiological characteristics. This phenotype-based classification is largely in conflict with molecular phylogenetic analyses. Here a phylogenetic classification framework for the Tremellomycetes is proposed based on the results of phylogenetic analyses from a seven-genes dataset covering the majority of tremellomycetous yeasts and closely related filamentous taxa. Circumscriptions of the taxonomic units at the order, family and genus levels recognised were quantitatively assessed using the phylogenetic rank boundary optimisation (PRBO) and modified general mixed Yule coalescent (GMYC) tests. In addition, a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis on an expanded LSU rRNA (D1/D2 domains) gene sequence dataset covering as many as available teleomorphic and filamentous taxa within Tremellomycetes was performed to investigate the relationships between yeasts and filamentous taxa and to examine the stability of undersampled clades. Based on the results inferred from molecular data and morphological and physiochemical features, we propose an updated classification for the Tremellomycetes. We accept five orders, 17 families and 54 genera, including seven new families and 18 new genera. In addition, seven families and 17 genera are emended and one new species name and 185 new combinations are proposed. We propose to use the term pro tempore or pro tem. in abbreviation to indicate the species names that are temporarily maintained.

Moniliellomycetes and Malasseziomycetes, two new classes in Ustilaginomycotina.

Ustilaginomycotina (Basidiomycota, Fungi) has been reclassified recently based on multiple gene sequence analyses. However, the phylogenetic placement of two yeast-like genera Malassezia and Moniliella in the subphylum remains unclear. Phylogenetic analyses using different algorithms based on the sequences of six genes, including the small subunit (18S) ribosomal DNA (rDNA), the large subunit (26S) rDNA D1/D2 domains, the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS 1 and 2) including 5.8S rDNA, the two subunits of RNA polymerase II (RPB1 and RPB2) and the translation elongation factor 1-α (EF1-α), were performed to address their phylogenetic positions. Our analyses indicated that Malassezia and Moniliella represented two deeply rooted lineages within Ustilaginomycotina and have a sister relationship to both Ustilaginomycetes and Exobasidiomycetes. Those clades are described here as new classes, namely Moniliellomycetes with order Moniliellales, family Moniliellaceae, and genus Moniliella; and Malasseziomycetes with order Malasseziales, family Malasseziaceae, and genus Malassezia. Phenotypic differences support this classification suggesting widely different life styles among the mainly plant pathogenic Ustilaginomycotina.

Synthesis and structure of a new scorpionate-dithio carboxyl oxovanadium complex and an organic dithio carboxyl compound.

A new complex of oxovanadium(IV), V(2)O(2)[(HB(pz)(3))(2)(pyrro)(2) (1) and a dimer-dithio carboxyl compound (C(5)H(8)NS(2))(2) (2) have been synthesized by the reaction of VOSO(4).nH(2)O with NaHB(pz)(3) and pyrrolidine dithio carboxylic acid ammonium salt. They were characterized by element analysis, IR spectra, UV-vis spectra and X-ray diffraction. Structural analyses of 1 and 2 gave the following parameters: 1, triclinic, P-1, a=7.732(4)A, b=14.285(8)A, c=17.802(9)A, alpha=101.314(8) degrees , beta=92.682(9) degrees , gamma=92.228(9) degrees , V=1923.6(18)A(3), and Z=4; 2, monoclinic, C2/c, a=13.857(2)A, b=10.4213(18)A, c=9.436(2)A, beta=97.099(2), V=1352.1(4)A(3), and Z=4. In complex 1, vanadium atom adopts a distorted tetragonal bipyramid structure, which is typical for oxovanadium(IV) complexes. Compound 2 is a dimer-dithio carboxyl compound with S-S bond. In addition, thermal analysis was performed for analyzing the stabilization of the complexes.

Antifungal susceptibility and genotypes of Candida albicans strains from patients with vulvovaginal candidiasis.

Studies of the genetic diversity of Candida albicans strains and the correlation between the antifungal susceptibility and gene diversity of C. albicans were carried out and the results were found to be inconsistent. To investigate antifungal susceptibility and genotypes of C. albicans strains from patients with vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), the genotypes of C. albicans in patients with VVC were studied using a recently developed polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) of CAI microsatellite method and antifungal susceptibility was tested using E-test methods. Twenty-six genotypes were identified from 89 strains of C. albicans isolated from patients with VVC. Candida albicans isolates were susceptible to amphotericin B, flucytosine, ketoconazole and fluconazole. The dominant genotypes (A, B, C, D) account for 69.7% (62/89) of C. albicans. The resistant rate of C. albicans genotype B to itraconazole (ITR) and that of C. albicans non-genotype B strains were 66.7% (14/21) and 4.4% (3/68) respectively at P < 0.05. We concluded that C. albicans genotype B from patients with VVC was more resistant to ITR.

Genotype distribution of Candida albicans strains associated with different conditions of vulvovaginal candidiasis, as revealed by microsatellite typing.

OBJECTIVE: To compare genotypes of Candida albicans strains causing different conditions of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) in Chinese women. METHODS: C albicans strains were isolated from the vaginas of patients with different conditions of VVC. The genotypes of the strains were investigated based on single-strand conformation polymorphisms (SSCP) of the PCR amplified microsatellite locus CAI. RESULTS: A total of 93 independent C albicans strains was isolated from patients with mild-to-moderate (n = 37) or severe (n = 56) VVC. Thirty of the patients enrolled suffered recurrent VVC. Twenty-six distinct genotypes tentatively designated as A to Z were identified from the 93 C albicans strains compared on the basis of their CAI SSCP patterns. The majority (72.0%) of the strains possessed genotypes A to D, which were similar in the CAI SSCP profiles and were designated as the dominant genotypes. The overall frequencies of the four dominant genotypes were 87.5% (49/56) and 48.6% (18/37; p<0.001) in the C albicans strains from patients with severe and mild-to-moderate VVC, respectively. The strains with the dominant genotypes occupied 83.3% (25/30) and 66.7% (42/63; p = 0.094) in the C albicans strains from patients with recurrent VVC and sporadic VVC, respectively. CONCLUSION: The frequency of C albicans strains with the dominant genotypes (A to D) from patients with severe VVC was significantly higher than that from patients with mild-to-moderate VVC, implying that the CAI genotype distribution of C albicans strains correlates with the severity of VVC.

Sporobolomyces yunnanensis sp. nov., a Q-10(H2)-containing yeast species with a close phylogenetic relationship to Erythrobasidium hasegawianum.

A ballistoconidia-forming yeast strain, CH 2.141T, isolated from a semi-dried leaf sample collected in Yunnan, China, was found to have Q-10(H2) as its major ubiquinone. Molecular phylogenetic analysis based on the nucleotide sequences of small subunit (18S) rDNA and the internal transcribed spacer region (including 5.8S rDNA) indicated that the strain was closely related to the two described Q-10(H2)-containing yeast species, Erythrobasidium hasegawianum and Sporobolomyces elongatus, with a closer relationship to the former. A DNA-DNA reassociation experiment showed that strain CH 2.141T represents a new yeast species, for which the name Sporobolomyces yunnanensis sp. nov. is proposed.

Phylogenetic analysis of strains originally assigned to Bullera variabilis: descriptions of Bullera pseudohuiaensis sp. nov., Bullera komagatae sp. nov. and Bullera pseudoschimicola sp. nov.

Twenty strains previously assigned to the species Bullera variabilis Nakase & Suzuki were reclassified using a molecular taxonomic approach. The strains were regrouped first by nucleotide sequence comparison of the rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, including the 5.8S gene. Phylogenetic positions of B. variabilis strains with different ITS region sequences were then analysed based on their 18S rDNA sequences. The taxonomic status of the original Bullera variabilis strains was clarified further by DNA-DNA hybridization experiments. Of the 20 strains studied, five remained in the species B. variabilis, six strains were reassigned to the species Bullera mrakii and three novel species were proposed for eight of the nine remaining strains, namely Bullera pseudohuiaensis sp. nov. (one strain; type strain JCM 5984T = AS 2.2203T), Bullera komagatae sp. nov. (one strain; type strain JCM 5983T = AS 2.2202T) and Bullera pseudoschimicola sp. nov. (six strains; type strain JCM 391ST = AS 2.2201T). The remaining strain, JCM 6140, was closely related to B. pseudoschimicola. However, differences in ITS region sequences between strain JCM 6140 and strains of B. pseudoschimicola, and the intermediate DNA-DNA relatedness to representative strains of B. pseudoschimicola did not allow a definite taxonomic decision to be made for strain JCM 6140.

Description of Bullera kunmingensis sp. nov., and clarification of the taxonomic status of Bullera sinensis and its synonyms based on molecular phylogenetic analysis.

A ballistoconidium-forming yeast strain, CH 2.506, isolated from a semi-dried leaf of Parthenocissus sp. collected near Kunming City in Yunnan, China, was shown to be closely related to the non-ballistoconidium-forming species Cryptococcus luteolus (Saito) C.E. Skinner and the ballistoconidium-forming species Bullera sinensis Li by molecular phylogenetic analysis based on 18S rDNA sequencing. This strain was demonstrated to represent a distinct undescribed yeast species by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region sequence and G+C content comparison and DNA-DNA relatedness, for which the name Bullera kunmingensis sp. nov. is proposed. Meanwhile, the taxonomic relationships among Bullera sinensis and its synonyms B. derxii Nakase & Suzuki and B. alba (Hanna) Derx var. lactis Li, were clarified on the basis of molecular phylogenetic analysis and DNA-DNA reassociation. B. derxii was confirmed to be conspecific with B. sinensis, while B. alba var. lactis was shown to represent a variety of B. sinensis. A new combination, Bullera sinensis Li var. lactis (Li) Bai, Takashima et Nakase, is therefore proposed. Comparative analysis of different types of molecular criteria employed in the present study suggested that when inferring phylogenetic relationships among sibling taxa, sequence data from ITS regions should be interpreted with caution.

Taxonomic relationships among the taxa in the Candida guilliermondii complex, as revealed by comparative electrophoretic karyotyping.

Electrophoretic karyotypes of 15 type strains of the taxa in the Candida guilliermondii complex including Candida fukuyamaensis Nakase et al. and Candida xestobii Yarrow et S. A. Meyer were comparatively analysed by using the CHEF (contour-clamped homogeneous electric field) method of PFGE. Eighteen strains (isolated from various natural sources in China) which were originally identified as C. guilliermondii by conventional methods were also included. Six electrophoretic karyotype groups were recognized among the strains compared. The following type strains were grouped together with the type strains of C. guilliermondii (Castellani) Langeron et Guerra and Pichia guilliermondii Wickerham: Blastodendrion arztii Ota, Blastodendrion krausi Ota, Candida amidovorans Balloni et al., C. guilliermondii var. japonica Sugiyama et Goto, Candida mamillae S. Goto, Candida parapsilosis (Ashford) Langeron et Talice var. tokyoensis Suzuki et al., C. parapsilosis var. tuxtlensis Herrera et al. and six Chinese strains. The type strain of Torulopsis kestonii Scarr et Rose was classified into the group together with the type strain of Candida fermentati (Saito) Bai and seven Chinese strains. The group represented by the type strain of C. fukuyamaensis included five other strains isolated in China. The type strains of Candida xestobii, C. guilliermondii var. carpophila Phaff et M. W. Miller and Trichosporon appendiculare Batista et al. were separated into three different groups, respectively. Taxonomic relationships among the taxa studied are discussed.