Calmodulin M phylogeny, mating type and alkaloid gene profiles reveal a high diversity of asexual Epichloë species in Argentina

MC. CARGO, P.D.; NIKKI, D. CHARLTON; FLOREA, S.; NOVAS, M.V.; YOUNG C.; SCHARDL, C.L.; IANNONE, L.J.

Buenos Aires

Congreso; 5th International Symposium of Forage Breeding (ISFB 2015); 2015

These results not only show the existence of a high diversity of asexual endophytes in Argentina but also suggest that thorough analyses, including more isolates from each host, could allow the discovering of more Epichloë genotypes in this region and a better understanding of their evolutionary origins.E. pampeana and lineage A had idiomorphs for both mating types A and B (AB), indicating that its two ancestors were different mating types. E. tembladerae and lineages B, C and D had two mating type A idiomorphs (AA), suggesting that its ancestral strains were both mating type A. All of the mating type AA lineages were IDT+, with only one copy of each IDT gene. However they differed in the ancestral origin of the IDT genes, E. tembladerae has IDT genes from E. festucae, whereas lineages B, C and D had E. typhina-derived IDT genes. The presence of different copies of IDT genes among E. typhina x E. festucae AA lineages and the presence of ergot alkaloid genes only in lineage B could be explained by differential deletions or by different ancestral strains involved in the origins of these hybrids.