Powell R G, Petroski R J
USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Peoria, Illinois 61604.
Nat Toxins. 1992;1(3):163-70. doi: 10.1002/nt.2620010304.
Grasses infected with clavicipitaceous fungi have been associated with a variety of diseases including classical ergotism in humans and animals, fescue foot and summer syndrome in cattle, and rye-grass staggers in sheep. During the last decade it has been recognized that many of these fungal infections are endophytic; a fungal endophyte is a fungus that grows entirely within the host plant. Inspection of field collections and herbarium specimens has revealed that such infections are widespread in grasses. The chemistry associated with these grass-fungal interactions has proved to be interesting and complex, as each grass-fungal pair results in a unique "fingerprint" of various alkaloids, of which some are highly toxic to herbivores. In many cases the presence of an endophyte appears to benefit the plant by increasing drought resistance, or by increasing resistance to attack by insects, thus improving the overall survivability of the grass. This review will focus on alkaloids that have been reported in endophyte-infected grasses.
感染麦角菌科真菌的禾本科植物与多种疾病有关，包括人类和动物的经典麦角中毒、牛的羊茅足病和夏季综合征，以及绵羊的黑麦草蹒跚病。在过去十年中，人们认识到许多此类真菌感染是内生性的；真菌内生菌是一种完全生长在宿主植物体内的真菌。对田间采集样本和植物标本馆标本的检查表明，这种感染在禾本科植物中很普遍。事实证明，与这些禾本科植物 - 真菌相互作用相关的化学物质既有趣又复杂，因为每一对禾本科植物 - 真菌都会产生各种生物碱的独特“指纹图谱”，其中一些对食草动物具有高度毒性。在许多情况下，内生菌的存在似乎通过增强抗旱性或增强对昆虫攻击的抵抗力来使植物受益，从而提高禾本科植物的整体生存能力。本综述将聚焦于内生菌感染的禾本科植物中已报道的生物碱。
