Other - The origin of ergoline alkaloids in Convolvulaceae plants

[DarkDead]

I found strange how this most interesting article wasn't already posted in DF although I remember reading some references to the fungus living on Ipomoea plants.

Summary: The article explains that the ergoline (aka ergine, LSA or LAA) alkaloids present in plants from the Convolvulaceae family (more specifically those from the Ipomoea genera) are produced by a clavicipitaceous fungus that lives in symbiosis with them. That fungus lives on the surface of these plants and passes to next generations by incorporating it's spores on the plant's seeds.

The entire arcticle is attached in pdf, bellow is just the abstract.

Title: Molecular characterization of a seed transmitted clavicipitaceous fungus occurring on dicotyledoneous plants (Convolvulaceae)

Autors: Ulrike Steiner, Mahalia A. Ahimsa-Muller
Anne Markert, Sabine Kucht, Julia Groß
Nicole Kauf, Monika Kuzma, Monika Zych
Marc Lamshoft, Miroslawa Furmanowa
Volker Knoop, Christel Drewke, Eckhard Leistner

Abstract: Ergoline alkaloids (syn. ergot alkaloids) are
constituents of clavicipitaceous fungi (Ascomycota) and
of one particular dicotyledonous plant family, the
Convolvulaceae. While the biology of fungal ergoline
alkaloids is rather well understood, the evolutionary and
biosynthetic origin of ergoline alkaloids within the
family Convolvulaceae is unknown. To investigate the
possible origin of ergoline alkaloids from a plant-associated
fungus, 12 endophytic fungi and one epibiotic
fungus were isolated from an ergoline alkaloid-containing
Convolvulaceae plant, Ipomoea asarifolia Roem.
& Schult. Phylogenetic trees constructed from 18S
rDNA genes as well as internal transcribed spacer (ITS)
revealed that the epibiotic fungus belongs to the family
Clavicipitaceae (Ascomycota) whereas none of the
endophytic fungi does. In vitro and in vivo cultivation
on intact plants gave no evidence that the endophytic
fungi are responsible for the accumulation of ergoline
alkaloids in I. asarifolia whereas the epibiotic clavicipitaceous
fungus very likely is equipped with the genetic
material to synthesize these compounds. This fungus
resisted in vitro and in vivo cultivation and is seed
transmitted. Several observations strongly indicate that
this plant-associated fungus and its hitherto unidentified
relatives occurring on different Convolvulaceae plants
are responsible for the isolated occurrence of ergoline
alkaloids in Convolvulaceae. This is the first report of an
ergot alkaloid producing clavicipitaceous fungus associated
with a dicotyledonous plant.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Great post. Helped SWIM out a lot with his studies!