Endophytic Diaporthe Associated with Morinda officinalis in China

Abstract

Diaporthe species are endophytes, pathogens, and saprobes with a wide host range worldwide. However, little is known about endophytic Diaporthe species associated with Morinda officinalis. In the present study, 48 endophytic Diaporthe isolates were obtained from cultivated M. officinalis in Deqing, Guangdong Province, China. The nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS), partial sequences of translation elongation factor 1-α (tef1-α), partial calmodulin (cal), histone H3 (his), and Beta-tubulin (β-tubulin) gene regions were sequenced and employed to construct phylogenetic trees. Based on morphology and combined multigene phylogeny, 12 Diaporthe species were identified, including five new species of Diaporthe longiconidialis, D. megabiguttulata, D. morindendophytica, D. morindae, and D. zhaoqingensis. This is the first report of Diaporthe chongqingensis, D. guangxiensis, D. heliconiae, D. siamensis, D. unshiuensis, and D. xishuangbanica on M. officinalis. This study provides the first intensive study of endophytic Diaporthe species on M. officinalis in China. These results will improve the current knowledge of Diaporthe species associated with this traditional medicinal plant. Furthermore, results from this study will help to understand the potential pathogens and biocontrol agents from M. officinalis and to develop a disease management platform.

Integrative Taxonomy of Novel Diaporthe Species Associated with Medicinal Plants in Thailand

“…Aside from the phenotypic traits, phylogenetic and PHI analyses based on the combined sequence datasets of ITS, tef1-α , tub2 , cal , and his3 were successfully applied to justify the novel species. In particular, tub2 , cal , and his3 have a high discrimination power for distinguishing species in Diaporthe , and this is consistent with the results from other studies [ 15 , 18 , 22 , 35 , 36 , 37 ].…”

“…The PHI test result also showed that D. zhaoqingensis and D. chiangmaiensis were not conspecific, indicating that they are different species ( Figure 2 e). Diaporthe zhaoqingensis was isolated as an endophyte on Morinda officinalis [ 18 ], and D. chiangmaiensis was isolated from Magnolia lilifera as an endophyte and saprobe [ 47 ]. However, the morphological characteristics of these two species could not be compared as only gamma conidia were observed in D. zhaoqingensis while alpha conidia were observed in D. chiangmaiensis [ 18 , 47 ].…”

“…Diaporthe species are a large and diverse group of fungi known as endophytes, saprobes, and plant pathogens, with worldwide distribution and a broad range of host associations [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Pathogenic Diaporthe species cause various plant diseases, such as blight, cankers, diebacks, fruit rots, leaf spots, and wilts, on forest trees [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ] and many agricultural crops such as citrus, grapevine, peach, soybean, sunflower, and tea [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ].…”

Diaporaustalides A–L, Austalide Meroterpenoids from a Plant Endophytic Diaporthe sp.

“…2−4 It is estimated that approximately one million endophytic fungi are present in various ecosystems. 5 Among them, the genus Diaporthe belongs to the family Diaporthaceae, order Diaporthales, class Sordariomycetes, 6 which has broad host ranges and occurs on many plant hosts, including cultivated crops, trees, and ornamentals. 7−9 Based on morphological and phylogenetic analysis, it consists of approximately 800 species.…”

“…Endophytic fungi, inhabiting the living tissues of plants without posing any harmful or deleterious symptoms, are a valuable source of functional biomolecules. − It is estimated that approximately one million endophytic fungi are present in various ecosystems . Among them, the genus Diaporthe belongs to the family Diaporthaceae, order Diaporthales, class Sordariomycetes, which has broad host ranges and occurs on many plant hosts, including cultivated crops, trees, and ornamentals. − Based on morphological and phylogenetic analysis, it consists of approximately 800 species. , To date, approximately 150 secondary metabolites have been obtained from the genus Diaporthe , ,− encompassing polyketides, terpenoids, alkaloids, macrolides, and steroids. Those compounds exhibit a wide range of bioactivities, including cytotoxic, , antibacterial, , antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, , and enzyme inhibitory effects.…”