MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY OF Beauveria bassiana NATIVE FROM MISIONES USING THE ELONGATION FACTOR 1-α

BICH, GUSTAVO ANGEL; CASTRILLO, MARIA LORENA; RECALDE, ERICA LORENA; VILLALBA,LAURA LIDIA; ZAPATA, PEDRO DARIO

MAR DEL PLATA

Congreso; - SAIB - 51 Annual Meeting Argentine Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; 2015

Beauveria is an entomopathogenic fungus of interest for biocontrol of pest insects. Species recognition and diversity studies in this genus are difficult due to a lack of taxonomically informative morphology. A strain of B. bassiana was isolated from an insect (Hemipthera) from the province of Misiones. A molecular approach using elongation factor 1-alpha (EF1-α) was used to investigate the molecular phylogenetic diversity of this genus. Analyses were based on EF1α sequences from twenty-seven isolates from diverse geographic origins and insect hosts. Phylogenetic trees were calculated using MP, ML and NJ methods. All sequences evaluated resolved three main Beauveria?s genus clades. Also four well supported subclades within B. bassiana species were attained in the EF1-α phylogeny. Related to geographic origins all B. bassiana isolates from South America were included in a sole subclade but no other clear trend was observed. The subclade was supported as a monophyletic group by the three methods. Insect-fungal associations were heterogeneous in all clades and subclades, and no clear trend was observed. The clades molecularly resolved correspond closely to clades morphologically defined within Beauveria genus. The development of methods to differentiate among sympatric lineages will be an essential step toward the elucidation of the community structure of B. bassiana.