Fellomyces horovitziae sp. nov., a new basidiomycetous yeast species isolated from aXenasmatella basidiocarp

A new species of the genusFellomyces, F. horovitziae, was isolated from aXenasmatella basidiocarp. It differs from other accepted species in its carbon assimilation pattern, mol% G+C and low DNA-DNA homology. The delimiting characters are discussed and a key to the genus is provided.     

Cryptococcus adeliensis sp. nov., a xylanase producing basidiomycetous yeast from Antarctica

Cryptococcus adeliensis sp. nov. (CBS 8351) is described based on phenotypic characteristics and molecular sequence analysis of the D1/D2 large subunit and internal transcribed spacer regions of the ribosomal DNA. Molecular comparisons include species closely related to Cryptococcus albidus and several species isolated from the Antarctic. C. adeliensis, which has a cold-adapted xylanase, was isolated from Terre Adelie, Antarctica. ATCC 34633, which has a mesophilic xylanase, was identified as Cryptococcus albidosimilis.     

Kurtzmanomyces tardus sp. nov., a new anamorphic yeast species of basidiomycetous affinity

A new yeast species of basidiomycetous affinity Kurtzmanomyces tardus was isolated from contaminated demineralized water. It differs from K. nectairii, the only other Kurtzmanomyces species so far described, in its carbon assimilation pattern and low DNA-DNA homology (2.3%±2.1).     

Leucosporidium fellii sp. nov., a basidiomycetous yeast that degrades L(+)-tartaric acid

A new species of basidiomycetous yeast Leucosporidium fellii was isolated from soil in Portugal on a selective L(+)-tartaric acid medium. This yeast is self-sporulating but forms dikaryotic hyphae with clamp connections and is presumably homothallic. It differs from the type strain of Leucosporidium scottii in its life cycle, assimilation pattern and guanine-cytosine content and from the other described Leucosporidium species by additional characteristics.     

Pseudozyma jejuensis sp. nov., a novel cutinolytic ustilaginomycetous yeast species that is able to degrade plastic waste

An ustilaginomycetous anamorphic yeast, isolated from orange leaves on Jeju island in South Korea, represents a novel Pseudozyma species according to morphologic and physiologic findings and molecular taxonomic analysis using the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit (26S) rRNA gene and the internally transcribed spacer (ITS) 1+2 regions. The name Pseudozyma jejuensis sp. nov. is proposed for this novel species, with OL71(T) (=KCTC 17482(T)=CBS 10454(T)) as type strain. In the present study, we have also demonstrated that Pseudozyma jejuensis OL71 is capable of producing cutinase and degrading polycaprolactone. These results suggest that Pseudozyma jejuensis or its cutinase may be useful for the biological degradation of plastic waste.     

Farysizyma gen. nov., an anamorphic genus in the Ustilaginales to accommodate three novel epiphytic basidiomycetous yeast species from America, Europe and Asia

Among many isolates that resulted from four independent surveys of yeasts associated with plants in Brazil, the USA, Portugal and Taiwan, we have characterized eighteen basidiomycetous strains, two of which were conspecific with the type strain of Rhodotorula acheniorum, whereas the remaining sixteen isolates appeared not to correspond to any previously described species. Microsatellite-PCR fingerprinting with primers M13 and (GTG)5 confirmed that the latter strains formed three genetically distinct groups. Each group was considered to represent a distinct species based on nucleotide sequences of the D1/D2 domains of the 26S rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Phylogenetic analyses of sequence data placed the putative novel species in a clade with R. acheniorum and the dimorphic smut fungus Farysia chardoniana. A novel anamorphic genus, Farysizyma, is created to accommodate the three undescribed species, which were named Farysizyma itapuensis, Farysizyma setubalensis and Farysizyma taiwaniana. A new combination, Farysizyma acheniorum, is proposed for R. acheniorum, which may represent the yeast-phase anamorph of Farysia thuemenii.     

Isolation of a CDC28 homologue from Cryptococcus neoformans that is able to complement cdc28 temperature-sensitive mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A partial cDNA fragment of the Cryptococcus neoformans homologue of the main cell cycle control gene CDC28/cdc2 was isolated using degenerate primer RT-PCR. A subsequent search in the C. neoformans genome database identified several sequences similar to CDC28/cdc2. A part of the sequence which showed the highest similarity to CDC28/cdc2 turned out to be identical to the partial cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) cDNA fragment isolated by degenerate RT-PCR. The full-length coding region of this Cdk homologue was amplified by RT-PCR using primers designed to target regions around start and stop codons, and the gene was named CnCdk1. To determine its function, an analysis of deduced amino acid sequence of the CnCdk1 was performed and its ability to rescue Saccharomyces cerevisiae cdc28-temperature sensitive mutants was tested. S. cerevisiae cdc28-4 and cdc28-1N strains transformed with the pYES2- CnCdk1 construct exhibited growth at 36.5 degrees C in galactose-raffinose medium, but not in glucose medium. Results of the sequence analysis and the fact that CnCdk1 is able to complement the S. cerevisiae cdc28-ts mutation support its assumed role as the CDC28/cdc2 homologue in C. neoformans.     

Saccharomyces bulderi sp. nov., a yeast that ferments gluconolactone

An unknown yeast species was isolated from maize silage and was determined to be novel on the basis of morphological and physiological characteristics, nucleotide sequence of domain D1/D2 of LSU rDNA and from its electrophoretic karyotype. The name for the proposed new species is Saccharomyces bulderi Middelhoven, Kurtzman et Vaughan-Martini (type strain CBS 8638, NRRL Y-27203, DBVPG 7127). S. bulderi is closely related to S. barnettii and S. exiguus from which it can be distinguished by having a double vitamin requirement of biotin and thiamine and by no or slow aerobic growth on raffinose, a sugar that on the contrary is fermented rapidly. Gluconolactone is rapidly fermented with ethanol, glycerol and carbon dioxide being the main products.     

Methylosulfonomonas methylovora gen. nov., sp. nov., and Marinosulfonomonas methylotropha gen. nov., sp. nov.: novel methylotrophs able to grow on methanesulfonic acid

Two novel genera of restricted facultative methylotrophs are described; both Methylosulfonomonas and Marinosulfonomonas are unique in being able to grow on methanesulfonic acid as their sole source of carbon and energy. Five identical strains of Methylosulfonomonas were isolated from diverse soil samples in England and were shown to differ in their morphology, physiology, DNA base composition, molecular genetics, and 16S rDNA sequences from the two marine strains of Marinosulfonomonas, which were isolated from British coastal waters. The marine strains were almost indistinguishable from each other and are considered to be strains of one species. Type species of each genus have been identified and named Methylosulfonomonas methylovora (strain M2) and Marinosulfonomonas methylotropha (strain PSCH4). Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rDNA sequencing places both genera in the α-Proteobacteria. Methylosulfonomonas is a discrete lineage within the α-2 subgroup and is not related closely to any other known bacterial genus. The Marinosulfonomonas strains form a monophyletic cluster in the α-3 subgroup of the Proteobacteria with Roseobacter spp. and some other partially characterized marine bacteria, but they are distinct from these at the genus level. This work shows that the isolation of bacteria with a unique biochemical character, the ability to grow on methanesulfonic acid as energy and carbon substrate, has resulted in the identification of two novel genera of methylotrophs that are unrelated to any other extant methylotroph genera. Received: 19 July 1996 / Accepted: 7 October 1996     

Cryptococcus antarcticus var. circumpolaris var. nov., a basidiomycetous yeast from Antarctica

Cryptococcus antarcticus Vishniac & Kurtzman var. circumpolaris Vishniac and Onofri var. nov. (Filobasidiales, Tremellomycetidae, Hymenomycetes), an anamorphic yeast with ca. 73% nDNA relatedness to Cryptococcus antarcticus var.antarcticus, differs in failure to assimilate raffinose, a lower maximum temperature for growth, fatty acid profile, and in a single nucleotide change in the D2 region of LSU rDNA. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Vanderwaltozyma verrucispora sp. nov., a new ascomycetous yeast species

A new yeast species, Vanderwaltozyma verrucispora , is proposed in this study based on two strains isolated from partially decayed leaves in Japan and one strain from soil in Taiwan. The species is characterized by the fermentation of glucose and galactose, formation of one to four spheroidal to ellipsoidal ascospores with warty surfaces in each ascus, and assimilation of a few carbon and nitrogen compounds. Genus assignment and distinction of the species from the other two recognized species of Vanderwaltozyma is based on the morphological and physiological characteristics, and phylogenetic analysis of nucleotide sequences of the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit (LSU) rRNA gene. From these comparisons, the name V. verrucispora sp. nov. is proposed. Sequence analysis of the D1/D2 domains of the LSU rRNA gene reveals that the phylogenetically closest relative of V. verrucispora is Vanderwaltozyma yarrowii . The type strain of the new species, which was isolated from a partially decayed leaf in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, is NBRC 1884^T (=CBS 10887^T=BCRC 23141^T).     

Ogataea populialbae sp. nov., a yeast species from white poplar

During a survey of methylotrophic yeasts in natural habitats in Hungary, the yeast community associated with the exudates of white poplar ( Populus alba ) was found to be unique among the tree exudates hitherto investigated. Nineteen methanol-assimilating yeast strains representing an undescribed ascomycetous species were isolated from tree exudates of P. alba collected at different locations in Hungary. Analysis of the D1/D2 large subunit rRNA gene sequences placed the strains in the Ogataea clade and the new species is described as Ogataea populialbae . The type culture is NCAIM Y.01853^T (CBS 11363, NRRL Y-48632).     

Cryptococcus yarrowii sp. nov., a novel yeast species from Portugal

A novel species of the basidiomycetous genusCryptococcus is described asCr. yarrowii based on the study of an isolate from a decayed mushroom collected in Portugal. DNA-DNA homology with the type strain of the phenotypically similar speciesCr. albidus was 10±2%.     

Candida nonsorbophila sp. nov., a new ascomycetous yeast species isolated in Thailand

Four yeast strains, RS42, SSK10, ST-520 and ST-521, isolated from water in a mangrove forest, bark of a tree and fruit of Ficus sp., respectively, were found to represent a hitherto undescribed anamorphic species. The four strains are related to Candida sinolaborantium in the D1/D2 domain of the large subunit rRNA gene, but differed by eight nucleotide substitutions and two indels, and for this reason are regarded as members of a separate species. Because ascospore formation was not detected, it is described as a new species of Candida, Candida nonsorbophila sp. nov. The type strain is RS42^T (BCC 25963^T=NBRC 103860^T=CBS 10862^T). This species is distinguished from C. sinolaborantium by the inability to assimilate l -sorbose, l -rhamnose and galactitol, and a higher maximum growth temperature.     

Validation of the basidiomycetous yeast, Sporidiobolus microsporus sp. nov., based on phenotypic and molecular analyses

The validation of Sporidiobolus microsporus Higham, nom. nud. is based on phenotypic characterization and molecular sequence analysis of a partial region of the large sub-unit ribosomal DNA. The species is compared, based on phenotypic and molecular characteristics, with other species of Sporidiobolus and the closely related Rhodosporidium fluviale.     

Bensingtonia pseudonaganoensis sp. nov., a novel ballistoconidium-forming yeast species isolated from plant leaves

Among the basidiomycetous yeasts isolated from plant leaves collected in different regions of China, two ballistoconidium-forming strains were revealed to represent an undescribed species of the genus Bensingtonia by conventional, chemotaxonomic and molecular phylogenetic characterization. Sequence analysis of the 26S rDNA D1/D2 domains and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region indicated that the novel species was located in the Agaricostilbum lineage and closely related to Bensingtonia naganoensis and Bensingtonia ciliata, with the former as its closest relative. The name Bensingtonia pseudonaganoensis sp. nov. is proposed (type strain: AS 2.2601^T = CBS 10121^T)     

Cryptococcus haglerorum,sp. nov., an anamorphic basidiomycetous yeast isolated from nests of the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens

A yeast strain (CBS 8902) was isolated from the nest of a leaf-cutting ant and was shown to be related to Cryptococcus humicola. Sequencing of the D1/D2 region of the 26S ribosomal DNA and physiological characterization revealed a separate taxonomic position. A novel species named Cryptococcus haglerorum is proposed to accommodate strain CBS 8902 that assimilates n-hexadecane and several benzene compounds. Physiological characteristics distinguishing the novel species from some other members of the C. humicola complex are presented. The phylogenetic relationship of these strains to species of the genus Trichosporon Behrend is discussed. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.