Molecular divergence of the soil yeasts Williopsis sensu stricto

Fifty-three strains of saturn-spored yeasts were analyzed by means of restriction analysis of the amplified fragment of rDNA which comprised the 5.8S rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacers ITS1 and ITS2. The use of endonucleases HaeIII and MspI enabled clear differentiation of yeast species Williopsis mucosa, W. salicorniae, Zygowilliopsis californica, Komagataea pratensis, and the Williopsis sensu stricto complex. Minisatellite primer M13 was proposed for the differentiation between twin species of Williopsis sensu stricto, which have identical restriction profiles. PCR with primer M13 enabled reidentification of a number of collection strains, species identification of saturn-spored isolates from the Far East, and detection of three strains affiliated to novel taxa. The latter have unique PCR profiles and differ in the nucleotide sequences of ITS1 and ITS2 fragments of rDNA. Possible variations in the results obtained with different molecular methods are discussed.     

Molecular identification of chromosomal forms of Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto

The Afrotropical malaria vectors Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto and An. arabiensis, responsible for more than 3/4 of the world Plasmodium falciparum inoculations, are members of the Anopheles gambiae complex, a group consisting of six sibling species. The nominal species (An. gambiae s.s.) is by far the most anthropophilic vector and its adaptation to man and his environment involves further ongoing speciation processes. This fact is shown by the existence of a number of incipient taxonomic units characterised by different chromosomal arrangements derived from the presence of polymorphic paracentric inversions. This speciation process is centered in West Africa, where five so-called 'chromosomal forms' have been described, designated with a non-Linnean nomenclature: Forest, Bissau, Savanna, Bamako, and Mopti. Studies on the distribution and the ecology of these incipient species have highlighted specific adaptations to eco-ethological parameters, which might reflect on their relative efficiency as malaria vectors. Cytogenetic analysis, in spite of some inherent difficulties, has proved to be a powerful tool for the identification of An. gambiae sibling species and the individual chromosomal forms. Yet, modern molecular tools are now available, providing alternative faster low-cost technologies, and we discuss here their relative merits.     

Molecular analysis of alpha-galactosidase MEL genes from Saccharomyces sensu stricto

To infer the molecular evolution of yeast Saccharomyces sensu stricto from analysis of the alpha-galactosidase MEL gene family, two new genes were cloned and sequenced from S. bayanus var. bayanus and S. pastorianus. Nucleotide sequence homology of the MEL genes of S. bayanus var. bayanus (MELb), S. pastorianus (MELpt), S. bayanus var. uvarum (MELu), and S. carlsbergensis (MELx) was rather high (94.1-99.3%), comparable with interspecific homology (94.8-100%) of S. cerevisiae MEL1-MEL11. Homology of the MEL genes of sibling species S. cerevisiae (MEL1), S. bayanus (MELb), S. paradoxus (MELp), and S. mikatae (MELj) was 76.2-81.7%, suggesting certain species specificity. On this evidence, the alpha-galactosidase gene of hybrid yeast S. pastorianus (S. carlsbergensis) was assumed to originate from S. bayanus rather than from S. cerevisiae.     

Molecular and metabolic characterization of cold-tolerant alpine soil Pseudomonas sensu stricto

Alpine soils undergo dramatic temporal changes in their microclimatic properties, suggesting that the bacteria there encounter uncommon shifting selection gradients. Pseudomonads constitute important members of the alpine soil community. In order to characterize the alpine Pseudomonas community and to assess the impact of shifting selection on this community, we examined the ability of cold-tolerant Pseudomonas isolates to grow on a variety of carbon sources, and we determined their phylogenetic relationships based on 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing. We found a high prevalence of Pseudomonas in our soil samples, and isolates from these soils exhibited extensive metabolic diversity. In addition, our data revealed that many of our isolates form a unique cold-adapted clade, representatives of which are also found in the Swedish tundra and Antarctica. Our data also show a lack of concordance between the metabolic properties and 16S phylogeny, indicating that the metabolic diversity of these organisms cannot be predicted by phylogeny.     

Characterization ofYersinia enterocolitica sensu stricto

The speciesYersinia enterocolitica is definedsensu stricto on the bases of biochemical and other phenotypic characteristics. Biochemically,Y. enterocolitica contains five major biotypes: 1 through 4 of Niléhn and of Wauters, and the trehalose-negative, metabolically inactive, socalled hare strains in biotype 5 of Niléhn and of Wauters, and biochemically atypical strains, including urease-negative, Simmons' citrate-positive, and lactose-and raffinose-positive strains.Y. enterocolitica sensu stricto was distinguishable from the newly described speciesYersinia kristensenii by sucrose and Voges-Proskauer reactions (negative inY. kristensenii). These species were previously separated by DNA relatedness.Y. enterocolitica was also separable biochemically and by DNA relatedness from the two newly proposed rhamnose-positive species,Yersinia intermedia andYersinia frederiksenii. Strain 161(=CIP 80-27=ATCC 9610) is proposed as the neotype forY. enterocolitica.     

Molecular evidence of a teleomorph-anamorph connection between Cordyceps scarabaeicola and Beauveria sungii and its implication for the systematics of Cordyceps sensu stricto

A teleomorph of Beauveria sungii S.A. Rehner & Humber is identified as Cordyceps scarabaeicola Y. Kobayasi based on the teleomorphic material of the B. sungii isolate used in the recent phylogenetic study. Cordyceps Fr. 1818 is an older generic name than Beauveria Vuill. 1912 in Cordyceps sensu stricto. Here, C. scarabaeicola is suggested to be adopted for B. sungii on the priority basis of both generic name and species epithet in compliance with the recent revision of Article 59 of the Melbourne Code (recently changed to the ‘International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plant’ or ICN). The pros and cons of a unified nomenclature for pleomorphic fungi are briefly discussed with reference to Beauveria.     

Molecular systematics of Ceratostomella sensu lato and morphologically similar fungi

The systematic position and phylogenetic relationships of Ceratostomella sensu lato and phenotypically similar fungi using comparative morphological and culture studies and phylogenetic analyses of the nuclear large- and small-subunit ribosomal DNA were explored. In the light of inferred phylogenies and morphological data the genus Ceratostomella is redescribed, the generic concept is emended and four species are accepted (viz. C. cuspidata, C. pyrenaica, C. rhynchophora and C. rostrata). A new genus Xylomelasma is introduced and delimited from Ceratostomella, with two new species described (viz. X. novaezelandiae and X. sordida). In culture species of both Ceratostomella and Xylomelasma produced sterile mycelium. The genus Lentomitella with a phaeoisaria-like anamorph formed in vitro is reinstated to encompass taxa formerly attributed to the broadly perceived Ceratostomella with three accepted species (viz. L. cirrhosa, L. crinigera and L. tomentosa). Lentomitella and Ceratostomella are clearly distinguishable by the morphology of asci, ascospores and centrum. Lentomitella is compared to phenotypically similar Ceratosphaeria, which formed a harpophora-like anamorph in vitro. In the present phylogenies Ceratostomella, Ceratosphaeria, Lentomitella and Xylomelasma are shown as clearly separate genera belonging to three different groups of perithecial ascomycetes. Ceratostomella, Lentomitella and Xylomelasma reside within a large unsupported clade consisting of members the Ophiostomatales, the freshwater Annulatascaceae and a group of nonstromatic, terrestrial taxa. Ceratosphaeria is well supported within the Magnaporthaceae. The systematic value of morphological characters of ascospores, paraphyses, asci, centrum and conidiogenesis in segregating taxa from Ceratostomella sensu lato and their relatives is discussed.     

Molecular genetic identification of Saccharomyces sensu stricto strains from African sorghum beer

Genetic relationships of 24 phenotypically different strains isolated from sorghum beer in West Africa and the type cultures of the Saccharomyces sensu stricto species were investigated by universally primed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis, microsatellite fingerprinting and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacers. The results demonstrate that internal transcribed spacer (ITS) PCR-RFLP analysis with the endonucleases HaeIII, HpaII, ScrFI and TaqI is useful for discriminating S. cerevisiae, S. kudriavzevii, S. mikatae from one another and from the S. bayanus/S. pastorianus and S. cariocanus/S. paradoxus pairs. The sorghum beer strains exhibited the same restriction patterns as the type culture of S. cerevisiae CBS 1171. PCR profiles generated with the microsatellite primer (GTG)(5) and the universal primer N21 were almost identical for all isolates and strain CBS 1171. Despite phenotypic peculiarities, the strains involved in sorghum beer production in Ghana and Burkina Faso belong to S. cerevisiae. However, based on sequencing of the rDNA ITS1 region and Southern hybridisation analysis, these strains represent a divergent population of S. cerevisiae.     

Molecular phylogenetics,character evolution and systematics of the genus Micranthes (Saxifragaceae)

With c. 85 species, the genus Micranthes is among the larger genera of the Saxifragaceae. It is only distantly related to the morphologically similar genus Saxifraga, in which it has frequently been included as Saxifraga section Micranthes. To study the molecular evolution of Micranthes, we analysed nuclear ribosomal (internal transcribed spacer, ITS) and plastid (trnL–trnF) DNA sequences in a comprehensive set of taxa comprising c. 75% of the species. The molecular phylogenetic tree from the combined dataset revealed eight well‐supported clades of Micranthes. These clades agree in part with previously acknowledged subsections or series of Saxifraga section Micranthes. As these eight groups can also be delineated morphologically, we suggest that they should be recognized as sections of Micranthes. New relationships were also detected for some species and species groups, e.g. section Davuricae sister to sections Intermediae and Merkianae, and M. micranthidifolia as a member of section Micranthes. Species proposed to be excluded from the genus Micranthes for morphological reasons were resolved in the molecular tree in Saxifraga. Many morphological characters surveyed were homoplasious to varying extents. Micromorphological characters support comparatively well the clades in the phylogenetic tree. An updated nomenclature and a taxonomic conspectus of sections and species of Micranthes are provided. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2015, 178 , 47–66.     

Extracellular glycoprotein specific for Saccharomyces sensu stricto

Abstract Using affinity-purified rabbit polyclonal antibodies against an extracellular mannoprotein (gp400) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae , the presence of immunohomologic proteins with similar electrophoretic mobility was shown in the culture medium of S. bayanus, S. paradoxus and S. pastorianus . Cross-reactive bands with different electrophoretic behaviour were observed for S. dairensis, S. exiguus, S. kluyveri, S. unisporus and also for the species moved from Sacchromyces to Arxiozyma, Kluyveromyces, Pachytichospora, Torulaspora and Zygosaccharomyces , in contrast to ascosporous yeasts of other genera in which these proteins were not found.     

Three newly delimited species of Saccharomyces sensu stricto

Deoxyribonucleic acid reassociation studies of 24 different wine and beer-associated strains of Saccharomyces confirmed the presence of three separate species. S. cerevisiae and S. bayanus strains had only 22% of their genomes in common. S. pastorianus, with intermediate hybridization values between S. cerevisiae and S. bayanus (52 and 72%, respectively) could possibly be a natural hybrid of the two species. S. pastorianus replaces S. carlsbergensis with which it is homologous for 93% of its genome, since the former species was described first by Hansen in 1904. These data do not agree with the results of traditional physiological tests.     

Genomic Insights into the Saccharomyces sensu stricto Complex

The Saccharomyces sensu stricto group encompasses species ranging from the industrially ubiquitous yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to those that are confined to geographically limited environmental niches. The wealth of genomic data that are now available for the Saccharomyces genus is providing unprecedented insights into the genomic processes that can drive speciation and evolution, both in the natural environment and in response to human-driven selective forces during the historical “domestication” of these yeasts for baking, brewing, and winemaking.     

Phylogenetic analyses of Japanese species of Phyllosticta sensu stricto

Although the genus concept of Phyllosticta s. str. (teleomorph: Guignardia) as defined by van der Aa is widely accepted, the species concept is still controversial because it is often based on the morphology on host plants. In this study, the culture characteristics within Phyllosticta s.str. were examined, and the phylogenetic relationships among Japanese species of Phyllosticta s.str. and its teleomorph Guignardia were analyzed using 18S rDNA sequences. Phyllosticta s. str. formed a monophyletic clade. ITS-28S rDNA sequences extracted from fungal cultures derived from various host plants were divided into two subgroups. The first group included cultures from a wide range of host plants and were mainly derived as endophytes from a symptom-less plant. In the second group, cultures from each host plant genus formed distinct clades; these were often isolated as leaf pathogens from diverse plants. Isolates belonging to the first lineage generally grew faster on oatmeal agar. To classify species of Phyllosticta it is necessary to consider an integrated approach such as molecular phylogeny, host plant, colony growth, symptoms, and morphological characteristics of the conidiomata.     

Testing the taxonomic integrity of Paranthropus boisei sensu stricto

The craniodental hypodigm of Paranthropus boisei sensu stricto is morphologically distinctive, but it has been suggested that the substantial variation in mandibular and dental size in that hypodigm may exceed that which is reasonable to subsume within a single hominin species. In this study, Fligner and Killeen, coefficient of variation (CV)-based and average taxonomic distance (ATD)-based bootstrap tests, were used to compare variation in size and shape of the mandibular corpus remains attributed to P. boisei s.s. with the variation observed in samples of great apes and modern humans. The degree of size variation in the P. boisei s.s. mandibular hypodigm is never observed in human and chimpanzee samples, is rare in gorillas, but is not uncommon in orangutans. However, the shape variation in the fossil group is comparable to the variation in the extant reference groups. Although the size variation in P. boisei s.s. is substantial, it is exaggerated by the effects of taphonomy. The small mandibles are more often abraded, whereas the large mandibles are more likely to have been infiltrated with matrix. On the basis of the results of this investigation of the mandibular corpus, there are no grounds for rejecting the "single-species" hypothesis for P. boisei s.s. When Sokal and Braumann's adjusted CV values were used to predict the index of sexual dimorphism (ISD) for the P. boisei s.s., despite the substantial geological time embraced by the mandibular corpus hypodigm, the predicted value of lnISD, when corrected for taphonomic factors, is comparable to the sexual dimorphism observed within Gorilla.     

Molecular phylogeny of the fishes traditionally referred to Cyprinini sensu stricto (Teleostei: Cypriniformes)

Yang, L., Mayden, R. L., Sado, T., He, S., Saitoh, K. & Miya, M. (2010). Molecular phylogeny of the fishes traditionally referred to Cyprinini sensu stricto (Teleostei: Cypriniformes). —Zoologica Scripta, 39, 527–550. Carps (e.g. Koi) of the genus Cyprinus and Crucian carps (e.g. Goldfish) of the genus Carassius are among the most popular freshwater fishes around the world. However, their phylogenetic positions within the subfamily Cyprininae, relationships with their allies (e.g. Procypris, Carassioides), and the monophyly of the group formed by them and their allies, which is referred as the tribe Cyprinini sensu stricto, are far from clear. Historically, the Cyprinini was defined by different people according to whether a cyprinine fish possessed a spinous anal‐fin ray (or anal spine), the spine was serrated or not, and occasionally, the number of branched dorsal‐fin rays. Some definitions were established without providing any diagnostic characters. In this study, we investigated the monophyly of the tribe Cyprinini sensu stricto, based on four different historical definitions, and explored the phylogenetic relationships of these members in the subfamily Cyprininae. Using five mitochondrial genes as markers, both maximum‐likelihood and Bayesian trees were constructed using the optimal partitioning strategy. Both analyses successfully resolved a monophyletic Cyprininae and recovered seven major clades from this subfamily. The diagnosis limiting the tribe Cyprinini sensu stricto to four genera, Cyprinus, Carassius, Carassioides and Procypris, received most support. We propose that only those cyprinines that possess a serrated anal spine and have no <10 branched dorsal‐fin rays should be considered members of this tribe. Cyprinini is sister to the Sinocyclocheilus clade, a group traditionally considered a barbin, and together they form the ‘Cyprinini‐Sinocyclocheilus’ clade. Procypris forms the basal clade of the Cyprinini, whereas species of Carassius and Carassioides locate at the top.     

Most nonclinicalKlebsiella strains are notK. pneumoniae sensu stricto

Twenty-nine bacterial isolates identified by routine biochemical procedures asKlebsiella pneumoniae and included in a recent numerical, taxonomy study were analyzed for molecular heterogeneity by DNA hybridization competition experiments. The isolates were obtained from clinical sources, from potable drinking water, trees, sawdust, pulp mill environs, and fresh vegetables. Three distinct groups were formed based on hybridization levels to three reference, cultures. One group exhibited 73–100% relative reassociation (RR) to a fecal coliform-positive reference, organism; a second group exhibited 60–100% RR to a fecal coliform-negative reference culture, while the third group exhibited 84–100% RR to an indole-producing, pectate-degrading, fecal coliformnegative reference, culture. The first group is designated asK. pneumoniae sensu stricto, and the third group asK. oxytoca. The, other isolates comprise at least one, and perhaps three additionalKlebsiella species. The present groups correlate, well with a numerical taxonomy study and with a biotyping scheme, which illustrated that mostK. pneumoniae sensu stricto are of clinical origin,Klebsiella “species” are primarilly of nonclinical orgin, andK. oxytoca are found in both environments. The fecal coliform test response is relevant in the genusKlebsiella for both taxonomic and ecological information in assessing the origin and health significance ofKlebsiella strains derived from nonclinical sources.     

Comparative anatomy and systematics of woody Saxifragaceae. Deutzia*

A comparative account is given of the vegetative anatomy of 33 species and four hybrids of Deutzia. Anatomical evidence supports the retention of section Neodeutzia with Deutzia.     

Mycocin sensitivity patterns of Kluyveromyces species: Kluyveromyces sensu lato vs. Kluyveromyces sensu stricto

The Kluyveromyces species reassigned to the genera Lachancea and Vanderwaltozyma are insensitive to five mycocins secreted by Pichia membranifaciens. The remaining Kluyveromyces species including species transferred to the genera Kazachstania, Nakaseomyces, and Tetrapisispora are sensitive to them. Only the neotype strain is insensitive to mycocins among Kluyveromyces lactis cultures.