Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 31, 2025

Heuristic Mining of Hierarchical Genotypes and Accessory Genome Loci in Bacterial Populations
Published on: December 7, 2021
Diversity of Claviceps paspali reveals unknown lineages and unique alkaloid genotypes
H Oberti1, M Dalla Rizza1, R Reyno2
1Unidad de Biotecnología, Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria, Las Brujas, Uruguay.
Abstract:
Claviceps species affecting Paspalum spp. are a serious problem, as they infect forage grasses such as Paspalum dilatatum and P. plicatulum, producing the ergot disease. The ascomycete C. paspali is known to be the pathogen responsible for this disease in both grasses. This fungus produces alkaloids, including ergot alkaloids and indole-diterpenes, that have potent neurotropic activities in mammals. A total of 32 isolates from Uruguay were obtained from infected P. dilatatum and P. plicatulum. Isolates were phylogenetically identified using partial sequences of the genes coding for the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase subunit II (RPB2), translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF1), β-tubulin (TUB2), and the nuc rDNA 28S subunit (28S). Isolates were also genotyped by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and presence of genes within the ergot alkaloid (EAS) and indole-diterpene (IDT) biosynthetic gene clusters. This study represents the first genetic characterization of several isolates of C. paspali. The results from this study provide insight into the genetic and genotypic diversity of Claviceps paspali present in P. dilatatum and suggest that isolates from P. plicatulum could be considered an ecological subspecies or specialized variant of C. paspali. Some of these isolates show hypothetical alkaloid genotypes never reported before.
More Related Videos
08:45Whole Genome Sequencing of Candida glabrata for Detection of Markers of Antifungal Drug Resistance
Published on: December 28, 2017
11:09Use of MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry and a Custom Database to Characterize Bacteria Indigenous to a Unique Cave Environment Kartchner Caverns, AZ, USA
Published on: January 2, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Diversity of Protists IV
Fungal Phylum Ascomycota
Diversity of Protists III
Diversity of Protists I
Diversity of Protists II
Diversity of Archaea IV