Divergence of Beauvericin Synthase Gene among and Species.

Beauvericin (BEA) is a cyclodepsipeptide mycotoxin, showing insecticidal, antibiotic and antimicrobial activities, as well as inducing apoptosis of cancer cell lines. BEA can be produced by multiple fungal species, including saprotrophs, plant, insect and human pathogens, particularly belonging to , and genera. The ability of species to produce BEA was until now uncertain. Biosynthesis of BEA is governed by a non-ribosomal peptide synthase (NRPS), known as beauvericin synthase (BEAS), which appears to present considerable divergence among different fungal species. In the present study we compared the production of beauvericin among and strains using UPLC methods. fragments were sequenced and analyzed to examine the level of the gene's divergence between these two genera and confirm the presence of active copy in . Seventeen strains of twelve species were studied and phylogenetic analysis showed distinctive grouping of and strains. The highest producers of beauvericin were and . strains of three species (, , ) were minor BEA producers. The study showed beauvericin production by and species and high variance of the non-ribosomal peptide synthase gene among fungal species from the order.