Molecular phylogeny and paclitaxel screening of fungal endophytes from Taxus globosa

Giovanny Soca-Chafre, Flor N. Rivera-Orduña, M. Eugenia Hidalgo-Lara, Cesar Hernandez-Rodriguez, Rodolfo Marsch, Luis B. Flores-Cotera

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

55 Scopus citations

Abstract

We studied the endophytic mycoflora associated with Taxus globosa, the Mexican yew. The study localities; Las Avispas (LA), San Gaspar (SG), and La Mina (LM) were three segments of cloud forest within the range of Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, México. Overall, 245 endophytes were isolated and 105 representative Ascomycota (morphotaxons) were chosen for phylogenetic and genotypic characterization. Maximum likelihood analyses of large subunit of ribosomal RNA (LSU) rDNA showed well-supported clades of Dothideomycetes, Eurotiomycetes, Leotiomycetes, Pezizomycetes, and Sordariomycetes. Analyses of ITS rDNA groups showed 57 genotypes (95% sequence similarity), in general consistent with the phylogenetically delimitated taxa based on LSU rDNA sequences. The endophyte diversity measured by Fisher's α, Shanonn, and Simpson indices was ca. three-fold and ca. two-fold greater in LM than in LA and SG respectively. A screening for paclitaxel using a competitive inhibition enzyme immunoassay showed 16 positive isolates producing between 65 and 250ngl-1. The isolates included Acremonium, Botryosphaeria, Fusarium, Gyromitra, Nigrospora, Penicillium, three novel Pleosporales, and Xylaria.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)143-156
Number of pages14
JournalFungal Biology
Volume115
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2011

Keywords

  • Ascomycota
  • Diversity
  • ITS rDNA
  • Mexican yew
  • Species richness

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