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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #275253
Title: Characterization and phylogeny of entomopathogenic Isaria spp. (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) using ITS1-5.8X-ITS2 and elongation factor 1-alpha sequences

Author
item ALESSANDRO,, CP - Consejo Nacional De Investigaciones Científicas Y Técnicas(CONICET)
item JONES,, LR - Playa Unión Photobiology Station (EFPU)
item Humber, Richard
item LOPEZ LASTRA,, CC - Consejo Nacional De Investigaciones Científicas Y Técnicas(CONICET)
item SOSA-GOMEZ,, DR - Embrapa National Research Center

Submitted to: Journal of Basic Microbiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/12/2013
Publication Date: 11/12/2013
Citation: Alessandro,, C., Jones,, L., Humber, R.A., Lopez Lastra,, C., Sosa-Gomez,, D. 2013. Characterization and phylogeny of entomopathogenic Isaria spp. (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) using ITS1-5.8X-ITS2 and elongation factor 1-alpha sequences. Journal of Basic Microbiology. DOI: 10.1002/jobm.201300499.

Interpretive Summary: This study of a series of isolates of the fungal genus Isaria from infected insects collected in Argentina and Brazil is the first major study of the diversity of this genus using molecular critera. It was found that these isolates were referable to globally distributed species of this genus, but the general diagnostic value of the gene sequences analyzed here confirms their strength for identifying the species of Isaria. This genus is used for practical biological control of a significant variety of insect pests in various parts of the world, so having a better understanding of the molecular markers that can be used to identify its species and to further substantiate information about the global distributions of these species is a significant addition to the literature.

Technical Abstract: The elongation factor 1-alpha (EF1-a) and the internal transcribed spacer regions ITS1 and ITS2 (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) sequences were used to characterize and identify Isaria isolates from Argentina and Brazil, as well as to study the phylogenetic relationships among these isolates and other related fungi belonging to the order Hypocreales. The molecular characterization, which was performed by PCR-RFLP of EF1-a and ITS1-5.8-ITS2 genes, was useful for resolving the representative isolates of Isaria fumosorosea, Isaria farinosa and Isaria tenuipes and to confirm the taxonomic identity of fungi from Argentina and Brazil. The phylogenetic analyses showed three clades corresponding to three families of Hypocreales. The genus Isaria was redefined as monophyletic and in Cordycipitaceae. Isaria species were related to anamorphic Beauveria, Lecanicillium and Simplicillium genera and to teleomorphic Cordyceps and Torrubiella genera. Therefore, EF1-a and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 genes were found to be powerful tools for improving the characterization, identification and phylogenetic relationship of the Isaria species and other entomopathogenic fungi.