Four-locus phylogeny of Fusarium avenaceum and related species and their species-specific identification based on partial phosphate permease gene sequences

• Sequences of the phosphate permease gene for species Fusarium avenaceum and its closest relatives were determined.
• Multilocus hylogenetic study was carried out to reveal phylogenetic relationships between those species isolates.
• PHO gene could be considered as an informative DNA marker.
• Variabilities in PHO sequence have been used to design specific primers and probe to detect F. avenaceum and its relatives.

The fungus Fusarium avenaceum and its closest relatives are responsible for contamination of agricultural plants and their products by mycotoxins such as enniatins and moniliformin. Precise identification of mycotoxin producers is necessary for estimation of the accumulation risk of those compounds and for preventing the consumption of highly contaminated products. Nucleic acids amplification-based techniques proved to be the most rapid and reliable approach for pathogen diagnostics and identification. In this study partial phosphate permease gene (PHO) sequences were determined for Fusarium avenaceum (including one isolate identified as F. arthrosporioides), F. tricinctum, F. acuminatum and F. torulosum. Phylogenetic analysis of 40 isolates of those species from different climates and geographical regions of Russia and some neighboring countries based on sequences of PHO, translation elongation factor 1 alpha (TEF1α), beta-tubulin (β-TUB), enniatin synthetase (Esyn1) genes and combined data set demonstrated that the PHO gene possesses the highest rate of variability among them and can be considered as an informative marker for phylogenetic studies of these species. According to the combined data set phylogeny, the isolates of each species formed clusters with a high bootstrap support. Analysis of PHO sequences revealed a high intraspecific variability of F. avenaceum: there were 5 independent clusters on the dendrogram, including one cluster which was closer to F. torulosum than to other F. avenaceum isolates. Variable sites in PHO sequences have been used for the design of species-specific primers and a fluorescent hydrolysis probe. The specificity of the assay was shown for DNA samples extracted from 68 isolates of 23 Fusarium species. Quantitative PCR approach was applied to estimate the contamination rate of 17 naturally infected oat and barley samples, previously characterized by microbiological procedures.