Studies on Morinia: Recognition of Morinia longiappendiculata sp. nov. as a new endophytic fungus, and a new circumscription of Morinia pestalozzioides

Abstract

A new coelomycete, Morinia longiappendiculata sp. nov., isolated from living stems of four plant species in central Spain, is described. The distinctive morphological characteristics of this fungus are the production of conidia with long basal and apical appendages on filiform conidiogenous cells that contrasts with the short-appendaged conidia and cylindrical conidiogenic cells of the type species, M. pestalozzioides. Comparative sequence analysis of the ITS rDNA region and fragments of the translation elongation factor 1α, actin and chitin synthase 1 genes and the study of the HPLC profiles of the M. longiappendiculata and M. pestalozzioides isolates supported the recognition of the new species. Comparison of the ITS rDNA sequences of the Morinia isolates with GenBank sequences indicated that the genus belongs to the Amphisphaeriaceae with the highest similarity to Bartalinia and Truncatella. Bresadola’s original definition of M. pestalozzioides is updated by adding information on conidiogenesis and molecular data. A lectotype and epitype are designated for the species. A study of bioactive metabolites revealed that M. pestalozzioides cultures produced moriniafungin, a novel sordarin analog with potent antifungal activity.

• Amphisphaeriaceae
• appendaged conidia
• Coelomycetes
• DNA-sequencing
• HPLC
• moriniafungin
• typification

The authors thank Dr Amy Y. Rossman (director of U.S. National Fungus Collections, Beltsville, Maryland) for the loan of the M. pestalozzioides voucher specimen. Thanks are extended to: Dr Francisco Arenal (Centro de Ciencias medioambientales-CSIC, Madrid, Spain), who collected and identified plants from Sierra Alhamilla; Drs Ricardo Galán and Gabriel Moreno (Universidad Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain), for providing literature; Dr Vicente González (Real Jardín Botánico, Madrid, Spain) for the collection and identification of plant samples in the provinces of Madrid and Segovia and for providing reference literature; Jon D. Polishook (Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, New Jersey), who participated in the sampling in Sierra Alhamilla; and M. Rosa Jiménez, Asunción Fillola, and Ana Pérez (CIBE, MSD, Madrid, Spain) for their valuable support in strain isolation, preservation and DNA sequencing.