The epichloae: alkaloid diversity and roles in symbiosis with grasses
Author ORCID Identifier
Patrick Caliehttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-3705-4742
Department
Biological Sciences
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2013
Abstract
Epichloae (Epichloë and Neotyphodium species; Clavicipitaceae) are fungi that live in systemic symbioses with cool-season grasses, and many produce alkaloids that are deterrent or toxic to herbivores. The epichloae colonize much of the aerial plant tissues, and most benignly colonize host seeds to transmit vertically. Of their four chemical classes of alkaloids, the ergot alkaloids and indole-diterpenes are active against mammals and insects, whereas peramine and lolines specifically affect insects. Comparative genomic analysis of Clavicipitaceae reveals a distinctive feature of the epichloae, namely, large repeat blocks in their alkaloid biosynthesis gene loci. Such repeat blocks can facilitate gene losses, mutations, and duplications, thus enhancing diversity of alkaloid structures within each class. We suggest that alkaloid diversification is selected especially in the vertically transmissible epichloae.
Recommended Citation
Schardl, Christopher L.; Florea, Simona; Pan, Juan; Nagabhyru, Padmaja; Bec, Sladana; and Calie, Pat, "The epichloae: alkaloid diversity and roles in symbiosis with grasses" (2013). EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship. 544.
https://encompass.eku.edu/fs_research/544
Journal Title
Current Opinion in Plant Biology