Multilocus sequence analysis of Fusarium pseudograminearum reveals a single phylogenetic species

• Published in: Mycological research Vol. 110; no. 12; pp. 1413 - 1425
• Main Authors: Scott, Jason B., Chakraborty, Sukumar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2006
• Subjects: Base Sequence; Bayes Theorem; Crown rot; DNA, Fungal - chemistry; DNA, Fungal - genetics; DNA, Intergenic - chemistry; DNA, Intergenic - genetics; Evolution, Molecular; Fusarium; Fusarium - classification; Fusarium - genetics; Fusarium - isolation & purification; Fusarium pseudograminearum; Genetic Variation; host plants; loci; Molecular Sequence Data; molecular systematics; New South Wales; Peptide Elongation Factor 1 - chemistry; Peptide Elongation Factor 1 - genetics; Phosphate Transport Proteins - chemistry; Phosphate Transport Proteins - genetics; Phylogeny; Plant Diseases - microbiology; plant pathogenic fungi; Plant pathology; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Queensland; ribosomal DNA; Sequence Alignment; sequence analysis; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Triticum; Triticum aestivum; Tubulin - chemistry; Tubulin - genetics; wheat; Australia; New South Wales; Queensland; Fusarium pseudograminearum; Plant pathology; Phylogeny; Crown rot
• ISSN: 0953-7562; 1469-8102
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mycres.2006.09.008

Fusarium pseudograminearum causes crown rot of wheat in Australia and most other wheat growing regions, but its evolutionary history is largely unknown. We demonstrate for the first time that F. pseudograminearum is a single phylogenetic species without consistent lineage development across genes. Isolates of F. pseudograminearum, F. graminearum sensu lato, and F. cerealis, were collected from four countries and four single copy, nuclear genes were partially sequenced, aligned with previously published sequences of these and related species, and analysed by maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference. Evolutionary divergence varied between genes, with high phylogenetic incongruence occurring between the gene genealogies. The absence of geographic differentiation between isolates indicates that the introduction of new fungal strains to a region has the potential to introduce new pathogenic and toxigenic genes into the native population through sexual recombination.