| staggers induced by consumption of perennial ryegrass in cattle and sheep from northern california. | staggers was diagnosed in sheep and cattle from the northern california coast. the diagnosis was made on the basis of history of ingestion of perennial ryegrass (lolium perenne) stubble, clinical signs of transient ataxia, which was aggravated by stimulation, and nearly complete recovery after removal of ryegrass as the primary forage. morbidity was high, but death did not occur in any affected animals. the toxic endophyte, acremonium lolii, was in most lower leaf sheaths from the ryegrass. inje ... | 1991 | 1917658 |
| a mutualistic fungal symbiont of perennial ryegrass contains two different pyr4 genes, both expressing orotidine-5'-monophosphate decarboxylase. | a fragment of the claviceps purpurea pyr4 gene, encoding orotidine-5'-monophosphate decarboxylase (omp decarboxylase), was used to screen a genomic library from an isolate of a fungus, acremonium sp. (designated lp1), which grows as an endophyte in perennial ryegrass (lolium perenne). three positive clones, lambda mc11, lambda mc12 and lambda mc14, were isolated. two of these clones, lambda mc12 and lambda mc14, were overlapping clones from the same locus, while lambda mc11 was from a different ... | 1995 | 7789808 |
| origin of a fungal symbiont of perennial ryegrass by interspecific hybridization of a mutualist with the ryegrass choke pathogen, epichloë typhina. | seed-borne fungal symbionts (endophytes) provide many cool-season grass species with biological protection from biotic and abiotic stresses. the endophytes are asexual, whereas closely related sexual species of genus epichloë (clavicipitales) cause grass choke disease. perennial ryegrass (lolium perenne) is a host of two endophyte taxa, lptg-1 (l. perenne endophyte taxonomic grouping one = acremonium lolii) and lptg-2, as well as the choke pathogen, epichloë typhina (represented by isolate e8). ... | 1994 | 8013907 |
| neurotoxic mycotoxins: a review of fungal toxins that cause neurological disease in large animals. | five mycotoxins found in concentrates or roughages have been shown to cause neurologic disease in livestock. fumonisin b1 is produced by fusarium moniliforme and causes leukoencephalomalacia in horses. swainsonine and slaframine are produced by rhizoctonia leguminicola and cause mannose accumulation and parasympathomimetic effects, respectively. lolitrems from acremonium lolii and paspalitrems from claviceps paspali are tremorgens found in grasses. | 1994 | 8176663 |
| ryegrass staggers in heifers: a new mycotoxicosis in argentina. | aberdeen angus (aa) and crossbred aa x hereford 8-9 mo old heifers (560 animals) showed a typical perennial ryegrass (prg) staggers syndrome after grazing 26 d in a 25-hectare paddock of pure lolium perenne. effects were observed in about 50% of the herd. when forced to move, the animals showed incoordination, weakening of the forelimbs, falling on the chest and neck, and moving in this position during the first steps before recovering a normal gait. in severely affected animals all of the 4 lim ... | 1993 | 8470358 |
| rapid identification of acremonium lolii and acremonium coenophialum endophytes through arbitrarily primed pcr. | using a random decamer 5'-ccgaggtgac-3' in an arbitrarily primed pcr, similar band patterns were observed between acremonium lolii and a. coenophialum dna, which were somewhat different from those formed by other fungal dna. despite sharing bands of around 0.7, 0.9 and 2.1 kb, a. lolii can be distinguished from a. coenophialum by the presence of an additional band at around 0.5 kb in the arbitrarily primed pcr. | 1995 | 8566719 |
| mutualistic fungal endophytes express a proteinase that is homologous to proteases suspected to be important in fungal pathogenicity. | many cultivated and wild grass species are hosts to mutualistic fungal endophytes. these associations are ecologically and agronomically significant, yet little is known regarding the physiological aspects of the interaction. in the poa ampla/acremonium typhinum interaction, a fungal serine proteinase, at1, is surprisingly abundant and may constitute 1 to 2% of the total leaf-sheath protein. sequence analysis of cdna and genomic clones indicates that proteinase at1 is a member of the eukaryotic ... | 1996 | 8756501 |
| pcr assay based on a microsatellite-containing locus for detection and quantification of epichloë endophytes in grass tissue. | a pcr assay which allows detection and quantification of epichloë endophytes in tissues of the grass bromus erectus is described. pcr with specific primers flanking a microsatellite-containing locus (ms primers) amplified fragments 300 to 400 bp in length from as little as 1.0 pg of fungal genomic dna in 100 ng of dna from infected plant material. when annealing temperatures were optimized, all epichloë and acremonium strains tested, representing many of the known taxonomic groups, yielded an am ... | 1997 | 9097449 |
| endophytic fungi in indigenous australasian grasses associated with toxicity to livestock. | grazing of echinopogon spp. by livestock in australia has caused symptoms similar to those of perennial ryegrass staggers. we observed an endophytic fungus in the intercellular spaces of the leaves and seeds of new zealand and australian specimens of echinopogon ovatus. culture of surface-sterilized seeds from new zealand specimens yielded a slow-growing fungus. an examination in which immunoblotting and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) were used indicated that e. ovatus plants from ... | 1998 | 9464398 |
| extraordinary ribosomal spacer length heterogeneity in a neotyphodium endophyte hybrid: implications for concerted evolution. | an extraordinary level of length heterogeneity was found in the ribosomal dna (rdna) of an asexual hybrid neotyphodium grass endophyte, isolate lp1. this hybrid neotyphodium endophyte is an interspecific hybrid between two grass endophytes, neotyphodium lolii, and a sexual form, epichlöe typhina, and the length heterogeneity was not found in either of these progenitor species. the length heterogeneity in the hybrid is localized to the intergenic spacer (igs) and is the result of copy-number vari ... | 1998 | 9832538 |
| terpendole m, a novel indole-diterpenoid isolated from lolium perenne infected with the endophytic fungus neotyphodium lolii. | terpendole m (1), a novel indole-diterpenoid, was isolated from perennial ryegrass (lolium perenne) infected with the endophytic fungus neotyphodium lolii. it was identified as 14alpha-hydroxyterpendole c by nmr and mass spectral techniques. the known indole-diterpenoids paspaline (3) and 13-desoxypaxilline (4) were also isolated from perennial ryegrass for the first time. terpendole m was less tremorgenic than terpendole c (2) in a standard mouse bioassay. these findings provide clues to the bi ... | 1999 | 10552421 |
| isolation of lolicine a, lolicine b, lolitriol, and lolitrem n from lolium perenne infected with neotyphodium lolii and evidence for the natural occurrence of 31-epilolitrem n and 31-epilolitrem f. | lolicines a (1a) and b (2a), late-eluting lolitrem-like compounds, were identified in extracts of perennial ryegrass (lolium perenne) seed that was infected with the endophytic fungus neotyphodium lolii. the lolicines were isolated as their 11-o-propionates (1b and 2b) and their structures determined by mass spectrometry and one- and two-dimensional nmr spectroscopy. the structures of lolicines a and b were similar to those of paspaline (5a) and paspaline b (5b), compounds known to be biosynthet ... | 1998 | 10554283 |
| a simple method for extraction of fungal genomic dna. | we have developed a new, simple and effective method for extraction of fungal genomic dna. the initial steps involved suspension of freeze-dried mycelium in buffer containing sodium dodecyl sulphate, detachment of dna from polysaccharides by mild shearing, nacl precipitation of polysaccharides and protein, chloroform extraction and ethanol precipitation. the ethanol precipitate was then subjected to a second round of mild shearing, nacl precipitation, chloroform extraction and ethanol precipitat ... | 2000 | 10728561 |
| effects of zinc and influence of acremonium lolii on growth parameters, chlorophyll a fluorescence and antioxidant enzyme activities of ryegrass (lolium perenne l. cv apollo). | the effects of zinc on growth, mineral content, chlorophyll a fluorescence, and detoxifying enzyme activity (ascorbate peroxidase (apx), ec 1.11.1.11; superoxide dismutase (sod), ec 1.15.1.1) of ryegrass infected or not by acremonium lolii, and treated with nutrient solution containing 0-50 mm znso(4) were studied. the introduction of zinc induces stress with a decrease in growth at 1, 5 and 10 mm znso(4) and a cessation of growth at 50 mm znso(4), in ryegrass plants infected by a. lolii or not. ... | 2000 | 10948221 |
| association between feeding perennial ryegrass (lolium perenne cultivar grasslands impact) containing high concentrations of ergovaline, and health and productivity in a herd of lactating dairy cows. | perennial ryegrasses are frequently infected with fungal endophyte (neotyphodium lolii) to increase the resistance of the plant to insect damage. unfortunately, a side effect of endophyte infection can be the production of alkaloids, including lolitrem b and ergovaline, that produce toxic effects in animals. a significant 4.6 litre decrease in milk production in a herd of holstein-friesian dairy cows was associated with high concentrations of ergovaline in ryegrass silage. simultaneously, milk s ... | 2001 | 11349413 |
| elimination of ergovaline from a grass-neotyphodium endophyte symbiosis by genetic modification of the endophyte. | the fungal endophytes neotyphodium lolii and neotyphodium sp. lp1 from perennial ryegrass (lolium perenne), and related endophytes in other grasses, produce the ergopeptine toxin ergovaline, among other alkaloids, while also increasing plant fitness and resistance to biotic and abiotic stress. in the related fungus, claviceps purpurea, the biosynthesis of ergopeptines requires the activities of two peptide synthetases, lps1 and lps2. a peptide synthetase gene hypothesized to be important for erg ... | 2001 | 11592979 |
| in planta regulation of extension of an endophytic fungus and maintenance of high metabolic rates in its mycelium in the absence of apical extension. | the fungus neotyphodium lolii is an endophytic symbiont. it grows in the intercellular spaces of the perennial ryegrass lolium perenne, producing secondary metabolites which enhance the fitness of the association over that of uninfected l. perenne. we report that the average number of hyphal strands in a given section of a leaf remains constant during the life of a leaf, indicating synchrony of leaf and hyphal extension, including cessation of hyphal extension when leaf extension ceases. we used ... | 2001 | 11722882 |
| ryegrass host genetic control of concentrations of endophyte-derived alkaloids. | endophytic fungi in pasture grasses produce alkaloids which affect invertebrate and vertebrate herbivores. while the competence to produce an alkaloid is a property of the fungus, the host plant may moderate fungal activity. host genetic influence on endophyte activity was studied in perennial ryegrass (lolium perenne l.) infected with a common strain of neotyphodium lolii (latch, christensen & samuels) glenn, bacon & hanlin. progeny seedling families of a partial diallel cross and their 12 pare ... | 2002 | 11756253 |
| development and characterization of est-derived simple sequence repeat (ssr) markers for pasture grass endophytes. | fungal endophytes of the genus neotyphodium are common in temperate pasture grass species and confer both beneficial and deleterious agronomic characteristics to their hosts. the aim of this study was to develop molecular markers based on simple sequence repeat (ssr) loci for the identification and assessment of genetic diversity among neotyphodium endophytes in grasses. expressed sequence tags (ests) from both neptyphodium coenophialum and neotyphodium lolii were examined, and unique ssr loci w ... | 2003 | 12723044 |
| endophyte transmission via seeds of lolium perenne l.: immunodetection of fungal antigens. | we traced the presence and distribution of neotyphodium lolii within developing inflorescences and embryos of perennial ryegrass (lolium perenne l.), cultivar "grassland nui," by in situ immunolocalization of fungal proteins. evidence is presented that the fungus penetrates through the rachilla at the base of the ovary, and localizes in a very precise and specific manner in the ovular nucellus, but never enters the embryo sac or the integuments. young embryos do not contain mycelium, but as they ... | 2004 | 15050542 |
| [young perennial ryegrass staggers in a dairy herd]. | ryegrass staggers was diagnosed in a group of young stock on a dairy farm in the netherlands. the cattle were fed on ryegrass hay originating from a farm in the region. the typical clinical signs observed in this herd were difficulty in rising, hypermetria of especially the front legs, incoordination, and tremors of the head and neck muscles. the morbidity of the illness was about 80 percent and there was no mortality. four weeks after withdrawal of the hay, the animals recovered completely. the ... | 2004 | 15156654 |
| countercurrent chromatographic isolation of lolitrem b from endophyte-infected ryegrass (lolium perenne l.) seed. | this paper describes a new method of purification of the lolitrem b, a tremorgenic mycotoxin produced in planta by the endophytic fungus neotyphodium lolii. the method is based on the large-scale isolation of the toxin by countercurrent chromatography (ccc). the lolitrem b content in endophyted ryegrass seed, 11 microg/g or 11 ppm, is extracted by stirring finely ground seeds with ethanol for 3 h at room temperature. the concentrated crude extract contains about 0.6 mg/g or 600 ppm of lolitrem b ... | 2004 | 15628126 |
| distribution of the fungal endophyte neotyphodium lolii is not a major determinant of the distribution of fungal alkaloids in lolium perenne plants. | the relationships of the distributions of the insect and mammalian mycotoxins, lolitrem b and ergovaline, and the insect-feeding deterrent, peramine, with the distribution of fungal mycelium were investigated in three genotypes of perennial ryegrass (lolium perenne l.) infected with the endophyte neotyphodium lolii. in planta levels and distribution of the endophyte and of the three alkaloids were assessed in parallel, and different spatial or temporal concentration gradients were observed for e ... | 2005 | 15652576 |
| molecular cloning and genetic analysis of a symbiosis-expressed gene cluster for lolitrem biosynthesis from a mutualistic endophyte of perennial ryegrass. | lolitrems are potent tremorgenic mycotoxins that are synthesised by clavicipitaceous fungal endophytes of the epichloë/neotyphodium group in association with grasses. these indole-diterpenes confer major ecological benefits on the grass-endophyte symbiotum. a molecular signature for diterpene biosynthesis is the presence of two geranylgeranyl diphosphate (ggpp) synthases. using degenerate primers for conserved domains of fungal ggpp synthases, we cloned two such genes, ltmg and ggsa, from neotyp ... | 2005 | 15991026 |
| the effect of glyphosate, paraquat and paclobutrazol on lolitrem b levels in endophyte-infected perennial ryegrass. | two herbicides (glyphosate and paraquat) and a plant growth regulator (paclobutrazol) were applied to endophyteinfected (acremonium lolii) perennial ryegrass swards. subsamples of these swards were then chemically analysed at intervals up to 28 days later for lolitrem b, the compound responsible for perennial ryegrass staggers in domestic livestock. glyphosate and paclobutrazol had no effect on lolitrem b concentrations. paraquat applications decreased lolitrem b concentrations in the herbage. b ... | 1995 | 16031833 |
| structural analysis of a peptide synthetase gene required for ergopeptine production in the endophytic fungus neotyphodium lolii. | lysergyl peptide synthetase 1 catalyzes the assembly of toxic ergopeptines from activated d-lysergic acid and three amino acids. the gene encoding this enzyme in the endophytic fungus neotyphodium lolii was analyzed and compared to a homologous gene from the ergot fungus claviceps purpurea. each gene contained two introns, which were found in the same relative position within two modules of the gene. the 5' ends of the two genes were unusually divergent. signature sequences determining substrate ... | 2005 | 16243728 |
| interrelationships between acremonium lolii, peramine, and lolitrem b in perennial ryegrass. | perennial ryegrass (lolium perenne l.) is commonly infected with the endophytic fungus acremonium lolii in a mutualistic relationship. the fungus produces a number of alkaloids, some of which are responsible for causing livestock disorders and/or for conferring insect resistance to the host grass. little is known about the interrelationship between fungal growth and alkaloid production in the ryegrass plant and how this varies throughout the year. the concentrations of a. lolii and two of its al ... | 1995 | 16535001 |
| transcriptome analysis of neotyphodium and epichloë grass endophytes. | large-scale gene discovery has been performed for the grass fungal endophytes neotyphodium coenophialum, neotyphodium lolii, and epichloë festucae. the resulting sequences have been annotated by comparison with public dna and protein sequence databases and using intermediate gene ontology annotation tools. endophyte sequences have also been analysed for the presence of simple sequence repeat and single nucleotide polymorphism molecular genetic markers. sequences and annotation are maintained wit ... | 2006 | 16554176 |
| fungal plant endosymbionts alter life history and reproductive success of aphid predators. | endosymbionts occur in most plant species and may affect interactions among herbivores and their predators through the production of toxic alkaloids. here, we ask whether effects of mycotoxins produced by the symbiosis of the fungal endophyte neotyphodium lolii and the grass lolium perenne are transmitted to the aphidophagous ladybird coccinella septempunctata when feeding on cereal aphids rhopalosiphum padi on infected plants. the larval development of coccinellids was extended, while their sur ... | 2006 | 16720406 |
| effects of the fungal endophyte, neotyphodium lolii, on net photosynthesis and growth rates of perennial ryegrass (lolium perenne) are independent of in planta endophyte concentration. | neotyphodium lolii is a fungal endophyte of perennial ryegrass (lolium perenne), improving grass fitness through production of bioactive alkaloids. neotyphodium species can also affect growth and physiology of their host grasses (family poaceae, sub-family pooideae), but little is known about the mechanisms. this study examined the effect of n. lolii on net photosynthesis (p(n)) and growth rates in ryegrass genotypes differing in endophyte concentration in all leaf tissues. | 2006 | 16735403 |
| a complex gene cluster for indole-diterpene biosynthesis in the grass endophyte neotyphodium lolii. | lolitrems are a structurally diverse group of indole-diterpene mycotoxins synthesized by epichloë/neotyphodium endophytes in association with pooid grasses. using suppression subtractive hybridization combined with chromosome walking, two clusters of genes for lolitrem biosynthesis were isolated from neotyphodium lolii, a mutualistic endophyte of perennial ryegrass. the first cluster contains five genes, ltmp, ltmq, ltmf, ltmc, and ltmb, four of which appear to be orthologues of functionally cha ... | 2006 | 16765617 |
| transformation of the ryegrass endophyte neotyphodium lolii can alter its in planta mycelial morphology. | the fungus neotyphodium lolii grows in the intercellular spaces of perennial ryegrass as a mutualistic endosymbiont. one of the benefits it conveys to the plant is the production of alkaloids toxic to herbivores. we wanted to determine in planta expression patterns of the n. lolii 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coa reductase (hmg coa reductase) gene, believed to be involved in the synthesis of two of these alkaloid toxins, lolitrem b and ergovaline. we transformed the n. lolii strain lp19 with plasm ... | 2006 | 16769511 |
| peramine and other fungal alkaloids are exuded in the guttation fluid of endophyte-infected grasses. | many grasses live in association with asymptomatic fungi (neotyphodium spp. endophytes), which grow in the intercellular spaces of the grass. these endophytes produce a range of alkaloids that protect the grass against grazing by mammals and insects. one of these alkaloids is an unusual pyrrolopyrazine, peramine. peramine appears to be continuously produced by the endophyte, but does not progressively accumulate. no mechanism for the removal of peramine by its further metabolism or any other pro ... | 2007 | 17126863 |
| high nitrogen supply and carbohydrate content reduce fungal endophyte and alkaloid concentration in lolium perenne. | the relationship between cool-season grasses and fungal endophytes is widely regarded as mutualistic, but there is growing uncertainty about whether changes in resource supply and environment benefit both organisms to a similar extent. here, we infected two perennial ryegrass (lolium perenne) cultivars (aberdove, fennema) that differ in carbohydrate content with three strains of neotyphodium lolii (ar1, ar37, common strain) that differ intrinsically in alkaloid profile. we grew endophyte-free an ... | 2007 | 17286827 |
| functional analysis of a beta-1,6-glucanase gene from the grass endophytic fungus epichloë festucae. | beta-1,6-glucanases degrade the polysaccharide beta-1,6-glucan, a cell wall component in some filamentous fungi. a single copy of a beta-1,6-glucanase gene, designated gcna, was identified in each of the grass endophytic fungi neotyphodium lolii and epichloë festucae. phylogenetic analysis indicates that the gcna protein is a member of glycosyl hydrolase family 5, and is closely related to fungal beta-1,6-glucanases implicated in mycoparasitism. the e. festucae gcna gene was expressed in myceliu ... | 2007 | 17303450 |
| a complex ergovaline gene cluster in epichloe endophytes of grasses. | clavicipitaceous fungal endophytes of the genera epichloë and neotyphodium form symbioses with grasses of the subfamily pooideae, in which they can synthesize an array of bioprotective alkaloids. some strains produce the ergopeptine alkaloid ergovaline, which is implicated in livestock toxicoses caused by ingestion of endophyte-infected grasses. cloning and analysis of a nonribosomal peptide synthetase (nrps) gene from neotyphodium lolii revealed a putative gene cluster for ergovaline biosynthes ... | 2007 | 17308187 |
| metabolic profiles of lolium perenne are differentially affected by nitrogen supply, carbohydrate content, and fungal endophyte infection. | lolium perenne cultivars differing in their capacity to accumulate water soluble carbohydrates (wscs) were infected with three strains of fungal neotyphodium lolii endophytes or left uninfected. the endophyte strains differed in their alkaloid profiles. plants were grown at two different levels of nitrogen (n) supply in a controlled environment. metabolic profiles of blades were analyzed using a variety of analytical methods. a total of 66 response variables were subjected to a principle compone ... | 2008 | 18218971 |
| advanced data-mining strategies for the analysis of direct-infusion ion trap mass spectrometry data from the association of perennial ryegrass with its endophytic fungus, neotyphodium lolii. | direct-infusion mass spectrometry (ms) was applied to study the metabolic effects of the symbiosis between the endophytic fungus neotyphodium lolii and its host perennial ryegrass (lolium perenne) in three different tissues (immature leaf, blade, and sheath). unbiased direct-infusion ms using a linear ion trap mass spectrometer allowed metabolic effects to be determined free of any preconceptions and in a high-throughput fashion. not only the full ms(1) mass spectra (range 150-1,000 mass-to-char ... | 2008 | 18287492 |
| natural enemies act faster than endophytic fungi in population control of cereal aphids. | 1. fast-growing populations of phytophagous insects can be limited by the presence of natural enemies and by alkaloids that are produced by symbiotic associations of many temperate grass species with endophytic fungi. it is unclear if and how acquired plant defences derived from endophytic fungi interact with natural enemies to affect phytophagous insect populations. 2. to assess the relative importance of endophytic fungi compared to that of natural enemies on the population dynamics of phytoph ... | 2008 | 18312338 |
| influence of nitrogen fertilizer and endophyte infection on ecophysiological parameters and mineral element content of perennial ryegrass. | an experiment was designed to determine the effect of the fungal endophyte neotyphodium lolii on the growth, physiological parameters and mineral element content of perennial ryegrass (lolium perennel l.), when growing at two n supply levels. endophyte infection had a significant positive effect on both shoot and root growth of ryegrass, but this difference was only significant in the high n supply treatment. at high n supply, endophyte-infected (ei) plants accumulated more soluble sugar in the ... | 2009 | 19166497 |
| indole-diterpene biosynthetic capability of epichloë endophytes as predicted by ltm gene analysis. | bioprotective alkaloids produced by epichloë and closely related asexual neotyphodium fungal endophytes protect their grass hosts from insect and mammalian herbivory. one class of these compounds, known for antimammalian toxicity, is the indole-diterpenes. the ltm locus of neotyphodium lolii (lp19) and epichloë festuce (fl1), required for the biosynthesis of the indole-diterpene lolitrem, consists of 10 ltm genes. we have used pcr and southern analysis to screen a broad taxonomic range of 44 end ... | 2009 | 19181837 |
| functional analysis and subcellular localization of two geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthases from penicillium paxilli. | the filamentous fungus penicillium paxilli contains two distinct geranylgeranyl diphosphate (ggpp) synthases, ggsa and ggsb (paxg). paxg and its homologues in neotyphodium lolii and fusarium fujikuroi are associated with diterpene secondary metabolite gene clusters. the genomes of other filamentous fungi including aspergillus fumigatus, aspergillus nidulans, aspergillus niger, aspergillus oryzae and fusarium graminearum also contain two or more copies of ggpp synthase genes, although the diterpe ... | 2009 | 19529962 |
| plant-endophyte-herbivore interactions: more than just alkaloids? | a recent paper by rasmussen et al., (new phytol 2007; 173:787-97) describes the interactions between lolium perenne cultivars with contrasting carbohydrate content and the symbiotic fungal endophyte neotyphodium lolii at different levels of nitrogen supply. in a subsequent study undertaken by rasmussen et al., (plant physiol 2008; 146:1440-53) 66 metabolic variables were analysed in the same material, revealing widespread effects of endophyte infection, n supply and cultivar carbohydrate content ... | 2008 | 19704424 |
| structure of a eukaryotic nonribosomal peptide synthetase adenylation domain that activates a large hydroxamate amino acid in siderophore biosynthesis. | nonribosomal peptide synthetases (nrpss) are large, multidomain proteins that are involved in the biosynthesis of an array of secondary metabolites. we report the structure of the third adenylation domain from the siderophore-synthesizing nrps, sidn, from the endophytic fungus neotyphodium lolii. this is the first structure of a eukaryotic nrps domain, and it reveals a large binding pocket required to accommodate the unusual amino acid substrate, n(delta)-cis-anhydromevalonyl-n(delta)-hydroxy-l- ... | 2010 | 19923209 |
| expression and purification of an adenylation domain from a eukaryotic nonribosomal peptide synthetase: using structural genomics tools for a challenging target. | nonribosomal peptide synthetases (nrpss) are large multimodular and multidomain enzymes that are involved in synthesising an array of molecules that are important in human and animal health. nrpss are found in both bacteria and fungi but most of the research to date has focused on the bacterial enzymes. this is largely due to the technical challenges in producing active fungal nrpss, which stem from their large size and multidomain nature. in order to target fungal nrps domains for biochemical a ... | 2010 | 20716446 |
| controlling a structural branch point in ergot alkaloid biosynthesis. | the ergot alkaloids are a diverse class of fungal-derived indole alkaloid natural products with potent pharmacological activities. the biosynthetic intermediate chanoclavine-i aldehyde 1 represents a branch point in ergot biosynthesis. ergot alkaloids festuclavine 2 and agroclavine 3 derive from alternate enzymatic pathways originating from the common biosynthetic precursor chanoclavine-i aldehyde 1. here we show that while the old yellow enzyme homologue easa from the ergot biosynthetic gene cl ... | 2010 | 20735127 |
| high levels of a fungal superoxide dismutase and increased concentration of a pr-10 plant protein in associations between the endophytic fungus neotyphodium lolii and ryegrass. | neotyphodium lolii is a fungal endosymbiont of the ryegrass lolium perenne. in functional symbioses, its growth is coordinated with that of the host, and fungal biomass distribution is tightly controlled. how the symbionts communicate is largely unknown, but failure of the endophyte to elicit a defense response is considered crucial for successful symbiosis. in silver-stained 2d gels of protein extracts from functional symbioses a fungal cu/zn superoxide dismutase was detectable, even though the ... | 2011 | 21520999 |
| endosymbiosis and population differentiation in wild and cultivated lolium perenne (poaceae). | • premise of the study: endophytic fungi are common inhabitants of cool-season grasses that can affect host growth and reproduction. one prerequisite for the expected coevolution between symbionts is that there exist variable effects of the endosymbiont on its host in different environments. here, the impact of endophytes (neotyphodium lolii) on survival, growth, and reproduction of wild populations of lolium perenne from its native range (italy, morocco, turkey, tunisia) and two united states c ... | 2011 | 21613060 |
| recovery from drought stress in lolium perenne (poaceae): are fungal endophytes detrimental? | perennial ryegrass (lolium perenne) is a cool-season, perennial species widely used for forage and turf. it is often infected by a clandestine, endophytic fungus (neotyphodium lolii) that has the potential to affect host growth responses to abiotically stressful conditions. in some species, the grass-endophyte symbiosis is mutualistic, but the relationship is reported to be contingent on environmental conditions and host genotype in l. perenne. the objective of this research was to determine the ... | 2004 | 21652344 |
| Conspicuous epiphytic growth of an interspecific hybrid Neotyphodium sp. endophyte on distorted host inflorescences. | Selected Neotyphodium sp. endophytes are now commonly used to enhance pasture persistence and livestock productivity, with seed of perennial ryegrass and tall fescue cultivars with these selected endophytes being commercially available. In a large population of perennial ryegrass plants infected with a Neotyphodium sp. endophyte that was being grown for seed production a small percentage of inflorescences were distorted and covered with a conspicuous white mycelial growth. Within individual plan ... | 2012 | 22208600 |
| a morphological change in the fungal symbiont neotyphodium lolii induces dwarfing in its host plant lolium perenne. | the endophytic fungus neotyphodium lolii forms symbiotic associations with perennial ryegrass (lolium perenne) and infection is typically described as asymptomatic. here we describe a naturally occurring new zealand n. lolii isolate that can induce dwarfing of l. perenne and suppress floral meristem development in the dwarfed plants. further to this we demonstrate that the observed host dwarfing correlates with a reversible morphological change in the endophyte that appears associated with colon ... | 2011 | 22289769 |