TY - JOUR
T1 - Deciphering the biology of Cryptophyllachora eurasiatica gen. et sp. nov., an often cryptic pathogen of an allergenic weed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia
AU - Kiss, Levente
AU - Kovács, Gábor M.
AU - Bóka, Károly
AU - Bohár, Gyula
AU - Bohárné, Krisztina Varga
AU - Németh, Márk Z.
AU - Takamatsu, Susumu
AU - Shin, Hyeon Dong
AU - Hayova, Vera
AU - Nischwitz, Claudia
AU - Seier, Marion K.
AU - Evans, Harry C.
AU - Cannon, Paul F.
AU - Ash, Gavin James
AU - Shivas, Roger G.
AU - Müller-Schärer, Heinz
N1 - Funding Information:
We are grateful to two anonymous reviewers for their useful comments on our study and to Drs. Shaun Pennycook and Paul Kirk for their advice and explanations around matters of fungal nomenclature. We would also like to thank the Curator of the Schweinitz Herbarium for providing high resolution images of the type of D. ambrosiae. The support of the EU COST Action FA1203 ‘Sustainable management of Ambrosia artemisiifolia in Europe (SMARTER)’ and that of a grant of the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (OTKA T046841) is also acknowledged.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 The Author(s).
PY - 2018/12/1
Y1 - 2018/12/1
N2 - A little known, unculturable ascomycete, referred to as Phyllachora ambrosiae, can destroy the inflorescences of Ambrosia artemisiifolia, an invasive agricultural weed and producer of highly allergenic pollen. The fungus often remains undetectable in ragweed populations. This work was conducted to understand its origin and pathogenesis, a prerequisite to consider its potential as a biocontrol agent. The methods used included light and transmission electron microscopy, nrDNA sequencing, phylogenetic analyses, artificial inoculations, and the examination of old herbarium and recent field specimens from Hungary, Korea, Ukraine and USA. The Eurasian and the North American specimens of this fungus were to represent two distinct, although closely related lineages that were only distantly related to other lineages within the Ascomycota. Consequently, we describe a new genus that includes Cryptophyllachora eurasiatica gen. et sp. nov. and C. ambrosiae comb. nov., respectively. The pathogenesis of C. eurasiatica was shown in A. artemisiifolia. No evidence was found for either seed-borne transmission or systemic infection. Two hypotheses were developed to explain the interaction between C. eurasiatica and A. artemisiifolia: (i) as yet undetected seed-borne transmissions and latent, systemic infections; or (ii) alternative hosts.
AB - A little known, unculturable ascomycete, referred to as Phyllachora ambrosiae, can destroy the inflorescences of Ambrosia artemisiifolia, an invasive agricultural weed and producer of highly allergenic pollen. The fungus often remains undetectable in ragweed populations. This work was conducted to understand its origin and pathogenesis, a prerequisite to consider its potential as a biocontrol agent. The methods used included light and transmission electron microscopy, nrDNA sequencing, phylogenetic analyses, artificial inoculations, and the examination of old herbarium and recent field specimens from Hungary, Korea, Ukraine and USA. The Eurasian and the North American specimens of this fungus were to represent two distinct, although closely related lineages that were only distantly related to other lineages within the Ascomycota. Consequently, we describe a new genus that includes Cryptophyllachora eurasiatica gen. et sp. nov. and C. ambrosiae comb. nov., respectively. The pathogenesis of C. eurasiatica was shown in A. artemisiifolia. No evidence was found for either seed-borne transmission or systemic infection. Two hypotheses were developed to explain the interaction between C. eurasiatica and A. artemisiifolia: (i) as yet undetected seed-borne transmissions and latent, systemic infections; or (ii) alternative hosts.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85050302740&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41598-018-29102-5
DO - 10.1038/s41598-018-29102-5
M3 - Article
C2 - 30018297
AN - SCOPUS:85050302740
SN - 2045-2322
VL - 8
JO - Scientific Reports
JF - Scientific Reports
IS - 1
M1 - 10806
ER -