Epichloë hybrida
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Epichloë hybrida | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Sordariomycetes |
| Order: | Hypocreales |
| Family: | Clavicipitaceae |
| Genus: | Epichloë |
| Species: | E. hybrida |
| Binomial name | |
| Epichloë hybrida M.P.Cox & M.A.Campbell | |
Epichloë hybrida is a systemic, asexual and seed-transmissible endophyte of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) within the genus Epichloë.[1] An interspecies allopolyploid of two haploid parent species Epichloë typhina and Epichloë festucae var. lolii (previously classified as Neotyphodium lolii), E. hybrida was first identified in 1989,[2] recognized as an interspecific hybrid in 1994,[3] but only formally named in 2017.[1] Previously this species was often informally called Epichloë typhina x Epichloë festucae var. lolii, or referenced by the identifier of its most well-studied strain, Lp1.[1] Epichloë hybrida is a symbiont of perennial ryegrass where its presence is almost entirely asymptomatic.[4] The species has been commercialized for the benefits of its anti-insect compounds in a pasture setting,[5] although it is now more commonly used as an experimental model system for studying interspecific hybridization in fungi.[6][1]
The type specimen of E. hybrida is held in the American Type Culture Collection under holotype accession number TSD-66.
The genus Epichloë is characterized by the frequent formation of interspecific, typically asexual, allopolyploid species that are commonly referred to as hybrids.[7] Haploid, sexual Epichloë species usually carry only one homeolog ('gene copy') at a given genetic locus, but interspecific hybrids were originally identified by the presence of two or three homeologs, indicating their origin from two or three different parent species.[7] As of 2016, Epichloë had the most known interspecific hybrids of any fungal genus.[8] Epichloë hybrida was one of the first Epichloë hybrids identified.[3] Although the date of the hybridization event is not known with any certainty, an upper bound of ~300,000 years has been estimated.[6]
The colony morphology of E. hybrida Lp1 is a compact form with wavy edges, in contrast to the morphology of either parent. Conidia stained with DAPI, which binds to DNA, show only a single nucleus, confirming that E. hybrida is mononucleate and not simply an interspecies dikaryon.
