Identification of Genetic Diversity, Pyrrocidine-Producing Strains and Transmission Modes of Endophytic Fungi from Crops.

Genotyping by sequencing (GBS) was used to reveal the inherent genetic variation within the haploid fungi isolated from diverse germplasm, including modern and its wild progenitors-the teosintes. In accordance with broad host relationship parameters, GBS analysis revealed significant host lineages of genetic diversity, indicating that genetic variation may associate with different evolutionary histories of host species or varieties. Based on a recently identified PKS-NRPS gene responsible for pyrrocidine biosynthesis in fungi, a novel PCR assay was developed to discriminate pyrrocidine-producing strains. This molecular method for screening bioactive strains of is complementary to other approaches, such as chemical analyses. An GFP-labelled strain was also developed to investigate the endophytic transmission of in seedlings, which has further improved our understanding of the transmission modes of endophytes in maize tissues.