Sympatric divergence of the ergot fungus, <i>Claviceps purpurea</i>, populations infecting agricultural and nonagricultural grasses in North America

Liu, Miao; Shoukouhi, Parivash; Bisson, Kassandra R.; Wyka, Stephen; Broders, Kirk; Menzies, J. I.

doi:10.1002/ece3.7028

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…We conducted neutrality tests and found that none of the genes departed significantly from neutrality (results not shown). These results are contradictory to Liu et al [59], in that easE and easA were under positive selection in Canadian and western USA C. purpurea populations. We speculate here that the small sample sizes in present study (28 sequences versus 200-300 in the previous study) might be the factor limiting the ability of the Tajima's D test to detect selective pressures.…”

Section: Micro-evolution Of Eas Genes Within C Purpurea-an Approximate Hourglass Modelcontrasting

confidence: 99%

Mining Indole Alkaloid Synthesis Gene Clusters from Genomes of 53 Claviceps Strains Revealed Redundant Gene Copies and an Approximate Evolutionary Hourglass Model

Liu

Findlay

Dettman

et al. 2021

Toxins

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Ergot fungi (Claviceps spp.) are infamous for producing sclerotia containing a wide spectrum of ergot alkaloids (EA) toxic to humans and animals, making them nefarious villains in the agricultural and food industries, but also treasures for pharmaceuticals. In addition to three classes of EAs, several species also produce paspaline-derived indole diterpenes (IDT) that cause ataxia and staggers in livestock. Furthermore, two other types of alkaloids, i.e., loline (LOL) and peramine (PER), found in Epichloë spp., close relatives of Claviceps, have shown beneficial effects on host plants without evidence of toxicity to mammals. The gene clusters associated with the production of these alkaloids are known. We examined genomes of 53 strains of 19 Claviceps spp. to screen for these genes, aiming to understand the evolutionary patterns of these genes across the genus through phylogenetic and DNA polymorphism analyses. Our results showed (1) varied numbers of eas genes in C. sect. Claviceps and sect. Pusillae, none in sect. Citrinae, six idt/ltm genes in sect. Claviceps (except four in C. cyperi), zero to one partial (idtG) in sect. Pusillae, and four in sect. Citrinae, (2) two to three copies of dmaW, easE, easF, idt/ltmB, itd/ltmQ in sect. Claviceps, (3) frequent gene gains and losses, and (4) an evolutionary hourglass pattern in the intra-specific eas gene diversity and divergence in C. purpurea.

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Section: Micro-evolution Of Eas Genes Within C Purpurea-an Approximate Hourglass Modelcontrasting

confidence: 99%

Mining Indole Alkaloid Synthesis Gene Clusters from Genomes of 53 Claviceps Strains Revealed Redundant Gene Copies and an Approximate Evolutionary Hourglass Model

Liu

Findlay

Dettman

et al. 2021

Toxins

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“…At least 400 species of the Poaceae family have been found to be parasitized by C. purpurea, among them the weedy grasses, with cereals such as rye, wheat, triticale, barley, millet, and oats being the most infected [57][58][59]. Some cereals such as rye become more frequently infected with Claviceps, while others such as maize become less infected [28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ergot Alkaloids Mycotoxins in Cereals and Cereal-Derived Food Products: Characteristics, Toxicity, Prevalence, and Control Strategies

Agriopoulou

2021

Agronomy

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Ergot alkaloids (EAs) are a group of mycotoxins that are mainly produced from the plant pathogen Claviceps. Claviceps purpurea is one of the most important species, being a major producer of EAs that infect more than 400 species of monocotyledonous plants. Rye, barley, wheat, millet, oats, and triticale are the main crops affected by EAs, with rye having the highest rates of fungal infection. The 12 major EAs are ergometrine (Em), ergotamine (Et), ergocristine (Ecr), ergokryptine (Ekr), ergosine (Es), and ergocornine (Eco) and their epimers ergotaminine (Etn), egometrinine (Emn), egocristinine (Ecrn), ergokryptinine (Ekrn), ergocroninine (Econ), and ergosinine (Esn). Given that many food products are based on cereals (such as bread, pasta, cookies, baby food, and confectionery), the surveillance of these toxic substances is imperative. Although acute mycotoxicosis by EAs is rare, EAs remain a source of concern for human and animal health as food contamination by EAs has recently increased. Environmental conditions, such as low temperatures and humid weather before and during flowering, influence contamination agricultural products by EAs, contributing to the appearance of outbreak after the consumption of contaminated products. The present work aims to present the recent advances in the occurrence of EAs in some food products with emphasis mainly on grains and grain-based products, as well as their toxicity and control strategies.

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“…Even after the refined molecular classification, it remains a species with a very wide host range. However, intraspecific genetic variations were demonstrated by the existence of at least three subdivided populations in Canada and the western United States in agricultural and non‐agricultural areas (Cheng et al., 2020; Gilmore et al., 2016; Liu, Shoukouhi, et al., 2021). Because the population subdivision was not correlated with geographic separation or host ranges, it was speculated that a specific mating system might have played a role in leading to the cessation of gene flows among the subpopulations (Liu, Shoukouhi, et al., 2021).…”

Section: Pathogen Species Populations and Their Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…purpurea from the perspective of biochemistry and biotechnology to screen for effective alkaloid‐producing strains (Esser & Tudzynski, 1978; Tudzynski, 2006; Tudzynski et al., 1982, 1983; Tudzynski & Esser, 1986). In parallel, molecular research focused on a pathogen population perspective to protect crops from the negative impacts of the fungus on cereal food production (Cheng et al., 2020; Liu, Shoukouhi, et al., 2021; Miedaner & Geiger, 2015). Early investigation of the genome features of ergot fungi was led by the team of Tudzynski in the 1980s.…”

Section: Pathogen Species Populations and Their Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ergot of cereals: Toxins, pathogens and management

Berraies,

Liu,

Menzies

et al. 2024

Plant Pathology

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Ergot is a fungal disease of many plants but is perhaps most commonly associated with domesticated grasses or cereals, such as rye, wheat, barley, oat, sorghum, millet, maize and rice. Ergot is of historical significance, having been reported for several millennia, but is also of concern in modern agricultural production systems. Caused by many different species within the genus Claviceps, the fungi cause the production of sclerotia, which are typically dark in colour, in place of healthy grain. The sclerotia contain toxins that can make the grain unsafe for consumption by humans or livestock. Ergot can be managed both preharvest as well as postharvest to minimize the presence of sclerotia and their associated toxins in food and feed systems. In this review, we provide a detailed update on our current knowledge of ergot on cereals, with a focus on recent advances in our understanding of fungal toxins and their regulation, pathogen biology and disease management.

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Sympatric divergence of the ergot fungus, Claviceps purpurea, populations infecting agricultural and nonagricultural grasses in North America

Abstract: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Cited by 10 publications

References 51 publications

Mining Indole Alkaloid Synthesis Gene Clusters from Genomes of 53 Claviceps Strains Revealed Redundant Gene Copies and an Approximate Evolutionary Hourglass Model

Mining Indole Alkaloid Synthesis Gene Clusters from Genomes of 53 Claviceps Strains Revealed Redundant Gene Copies and an Approximate Evolutionary Hourglass Model

Ergot Alkaloids Mycotoxins in Cereals and Cereal-Derived Food Products: Characteristics, Toxicity, Prevalence, and Control Strategies

Ergot of cereals: Toxins, pathogens and management

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