Two ITS forms co-inhabiting a single genet of an isolate of Terfezia boudieri (Ascomycotina), a desert truffle

Abstract

Two fruit-bodies of Terfezia boudieri Chatin, each exhibiting a mixture of two ITS -RFLP profiles, were found in the Negev desert of Israel. A mycelial culture obtained from glebal out-growth maintained the double profile, as did proliferating cultures established using single hyphae isolated from the original cultures. The main difference between the two ITS variants lies in a 21 bp deletion in the smaller variant. The question whether both variants are contained within a single nucleus or occupy different nuclei sharing the same cytoplasm is discussed.

Hypogeous Pezizaceae: Physiology and Molecular Genetics

“…The fact that such unification did not occur in the case of our T. boudieri ITS variants seems to support the possibility of long-term maintenance of the two forms in separate nuclei, i.e. heterokaryotic culture (Aviram et al 2004). 4.…”

Unresolved Problems in the Life Cycle of Truffles

“…The fact that such unification did not occur in the case of our T. boudieri ITS variants seems to support the possibility of long-term maintenance of the two forms in separate nuclei, i.e. a heterokaryotic culture [10].It has consistently been assumed that the ascocarps of Tuber melanosporum and Tuber magnatum -the black Perigord truffle and the white Piedmont truffle, respectively -are also diploids (heterokaryotic? ), and have therefore been regarded as selfing species.…”

“…This culture has now been maintained for about 10 years without any alterations taking place in the (equal) intensity of the two variants [10]. Had the two ITS types been contained together within each nucleus in the culture, then according to the theory of molecular drive processes and concerted evolution [11,12], one should at least have begun to overtake the other.…”

Genetic diversity of the genus Terfezia (Pezizaceae, Pezizales): New species and new record from North Africa

“…Samples of T. boudieri studied in the present work showed no significant morphological differences. However, some GenBank ITS rDNA sequences (AF301418, AF301419, AF092097) deposited as T. boudieri (Aviram et al 2004, Ferdman et al 2005) formed a well-supported divergent lineage, suggesting that this lineage could represent a cryptic species within T. boudieri complex (Ferdman et al 2009) or else match one of the several Terfezia species erected in the past and treated later as forms or developmental stages of T. boudieri (T. boudieri var. arabica Chatin, T. boudieri var.…”

“…Among the five most common Terfezia species in the Mediterranean region and the Middle East (Alsheikh 1994), T. arenaria (Moris) Trappe has the lowest intraspecific variability (Kovács et al 2011b). In contrast, considerable genetic variation was reported in T. boudieri Chatin (Aviram et al 2004, Ferdman et al 2009, Sbissi et al 2011, and T. claveryi Chatin (Sbissi et al 2011). A high intraspecific and intrasporocarpic ITS variability was detected also among Spanish collections of T. leptoderma Tul.…”