Taxonomy and toxicity of Conocybe lactea and related species

Conocybe lactea was examined as part of a larger study on the distribution of amatoxins and phallotoxins in fungi, and the taxonomic relationships between these fungi. As amatoxins are present in the congener C. filaris, the locally abundant C. lactea was examined using HPLC and mass spectroscopy. A...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Mycological research 2003-08, Vol.107 (8), p.969-979
Main Authors: HALLEN, Heather E., WATLING, Roy, ADAMS, Gerard C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agaricales - chemistry
Agaricales - classification
Agaricales - genetics
Agaricales - growth & development
Amanita
amanitins
Amanitins - analysis
Amatoxins
bacterial infections
Biological and medical sciences
Candidae
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
Conocybe
Conocybe lactea
DNA, Fungal - analysis
DNA, Ribosomal Spacer - genetics
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Fungi
Gastrocybe lateritia
genes
Genes, rRNA
high performance liquid chromatography
Mass Spectrometry
Molecular Sequence Data
Phallotoxins
Phylogeny
Plant cytology, morphology, systematics, chorology and evolution
ribosomal RNA
RNA, Ribosomal, 28S - genetics
RNA, Ribosomal, 5.8S - genetics
rRNA
Sequence Analysis, DNA
taxonomy
Thallophyta
toxicity
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Summary:Conocybe lactea was examined as part of a larger study on the distribution of amatoxins and phallotoxins in fungi, and the taxonomic relationships between these fungi. As amatoxins are present in the congener C. filaris, the locally abundant C. lactea was examined using HPLC and mass spectroscopy. Amatoxins were not found in C. lactea, but the related phallotoxins were present in small quantities making it the first fungus outside of the genus Amanita in which phallotoxins have been detected. Despite the presence of a related toxin, C. lactea was found not to be taxonomically close to C. filaris. Phylogenetic analyses using nuclear ribosomal RNA genes indicated that North American specimens of C. lactea were conspecific with North American specimens of C. crispa in Conocybe sect. Candidae. European C. crispa was a distinct taxon. The implications of the use of the name C. albipes for these taxa are discussed. Nucleotide data confirmed placement of the sequestrate taxon Gastrocybe lateritia in sect. Candidae, but as a distinct taxon. It is hypothesized that the unique sequestrate morphology of G. lateritia may be caused by a bacterial infection.
ISSN:0953-7562
1469-8102
DOI:10.1017/S0953756203008190