Molecular identification of endophytic fungi from medicinal plant Huperzia serrata based on rDNA ITS analysis

• Published in: World journal of microbiology & biotechnology 2011-03, Vol.27 (3), p.495-503
• Main Authors: Chen, Xu Yu, Qi, Yao Dong, Wei, Jian He, Zhang, Zheng, Wang, De Li, Feng, Jin Dong, Gan, Bing Chun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alzheimer's disease; Applied Microbiology; Biochemistry; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Chaetomium; Colletotrichum; Coniochaeta; Daldinia; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; Dothideomycetes; Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fungi; Glomerella; Herbal medicine; Huperzia; Life Sciences; Medicinal plants; Microbiology; Morphology; Nodulisporium; Original Paper; Pezizomycetes; Phellinus; Phylogenetics; Sordariomycetes; Studies; Thermal cycling; Trichoderma
• ISSN: 0959-3993; 1573-0972
• DOI: 10.1007/s11274-010-0480-x

Fifty-two endophytic fungi strains with different colony morphologies were isolated from stems, leaves and roots of Huperzia serrata (Thunb. ex Murray) Trevis. collected from Bawangling Reserve of Hainan Province in southern China. They were identified mainly based on rDNA ITS sequences and phylogenetic analysis. The results showed that all strains belonged to four classes, i.e. Sordariomycetes (92.31%), Dothideomycetes (3.85%), Pezizomycetes (1.92%) and Agaricomycetes (1.92%). Forty-seven strains were identified at the genus level, including Glomerella ( Colletotrichum ), Hypocrea ( Trichoderma ), Pleurostoma , Chaetomium , Coniochaeta ( Lecythophora ), Daldinia , Xylaria , Hypoxylon, Nodulisporium , Cazia and Phellinus . As to the other five strains, three were identified at the order level and two at the family level, indicating that a great diversity of fungi taxa exists in H . serrata . Most isolated strains belonged to the genus of Glomerella ( Colletotrichum ) and Hypoxylon , twenty-one from Glomerella and its anamorph Colletotrichum (42.3% of total isolated strains) and ten from Hypoxylon (19.2% of total isolated strains). Pleurostoma , Chaetomium , Coniochaeta ( Lecythophora ), Daldinia , Xylaria , Hypoxylon, Nodulisporium , Cazia and Phellinus were reported as endophytic fungi isolated from H . serrata for the first time.