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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #302663
Title: Species-level assessment of secondary metabolite diversity among Hamigera species and a taxonomic note on the genus

Author
item IGARASHI, YASUHIRO - Toyama University
item HANAFUSA, TOMOAKI - Toyama University
item GOHDA, FUMIYA - Toyama University
item Peterson, Stephen
item BILLS, GERALD - University Of Texas Health Science Center

Submitted to: Mycology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/29/2014
Publication Date: 5/27/2014
Publication URL: https://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/62470
Citation: Igarashi, Y., Hanafusa, T., Gohda, F., Peterson, S., Bills, G. 2014. Species-level assessment of secondary metabolite diversity among Hamigera species and a taxonomic note on the genus. Mycology. 5(3):102-109.

Interpretive Summary: Molds in the food decaying group called Hamigera are found in the root zone of agricultural crops worldwide. While they are not known to be frank pathogens of these crops, the ability of these fungi to produce toxic metabolites has never been closely examined. We tested all known species of the group for production of toxic metabolites and report a novel chemical structure. None of the compounds found are known to be highly toxic. A taxonomic change is also made to one species in order to comply with the most recent code for naming fungi. This report will be of interest to natural products chemists, synthetic chemists and fungal taxonomists.

Technical Abstract: Secondary metabolite phenotypes in nine species of the Hamigera clade were analysed to assess their correlations to a multi-gene species-level phylogeny. High-pressure-liquid-chromatography-based chemical analysis revealed three distinctive patterns of secondary metabolite production: (1) the nine species could be divided into two groups on the basis of production of the sesquiterpene tricinonoic acid; (2) the tricinonoic acid-producing group produced two cyclic peptides avellanins A and B; (3) the tricinonoic acid-non-producing group could be further divided into two groups according to the production of avellanins A and B. The chemical phenotype was consistent with the phylogeny of the species, although metabolite patterns were not diagnostic at the species level. In addition, the taxonomy of the Hamigera clade was updated with the new combination Hamigera ingelheimensis proposed for Merimbla ingelheimensis, so that all species in the clade are now in the same genus.