A new Ophiostoma species from loblolly pine roots in the southeastern United States

During the course of a survey of fungi in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) roots in Georgia, USA, a species of Ophiostoma morphologically similar to O. pluriannulatum, was isolated. Morphological characteristics and DNA sequence comparisons were used to identify the fungus. The isolates produced perithecia with unusually long necks similar to those of O. pluriannulatum but they had few or no annuli. DNA sequences for the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer regions 1 and 2 were identical to those of O. pluriannulatum. Sequence data of the β-tubulin gene region revealed the absence of intron 4 and presence of intron 5, distinguishing the isolates from O. pluriannulatum, which has intron 4 but not intron 5. Phylogenetic analyses of the β-tubulin sequences showed that the isolates from loblolly pine roots grouped together in a lineage distinct from O. multiannulatum and O. subannulatum, both of which lack intron 4 and have intron 5. The fungus is consequently described as O. sparsiannulatum sp. nov., a novel taxon in the O. pluriannulatum complex.United States Department of Defense via Fort Benning Military Reservation, members of the Tree Protection Cooperative Program (TPCP), DST/NRF Centre of Excellence in Tree Health Biotechnology (CTHB

Microsatellite markers for Grosmannia alacris (Ophiostomataceae, Ascomycota) and other species in the G. serpens complex

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed for the pine infecting fungus, Grosmannia alacris. METHODS AND RESULTS: Sixteen microsatellite markers were developed by using ISSRPCRs and 454 sequencing methods. Seven of these markers showed polymorphisms for a South African population of G. alacris and thirteen markers showed polymorphism when European isolates were included. Most of the primer pairs also amplified four closely related species, G. serpens, Leptographium gibbsii, L. castellanum, and L. yamaokae. CONCLUSION: These new markers will be useful for population studies of G. alacris and other species in the G. serpens complex.Tree Protection and Cooperation Program (TPCP), the National Research Foundation (NRF), the Department of Science and Technology (DST)/NRF, Centre of Excellence in Tree Health Biotechnology (CTHB) and the University of Pretoria, South Africa.http://www.botany.org/nf201