Starmerella aceti f.a., sp. nov., an ascomycetous yeast species isolated from fungus garden of the leafcutter ant Acromyrmex balzani

Melo, Weilan Gomes da Paixão; Arcuri, Silvio Lovato; Rodrigues, André; Morais, Paula B.; Meirelles, Lucas A.; Pagnocca, Fernando Carlos

doi:10.1099/ijs.0.058818-0

Cited by 20 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Despite a new appreciation of the ubiquity and importance of such symbioses, the attine ants and their fungal symbionts have long been recognized as an example of the complex interactions between animals and microbes. Although the fungal cultivar used as a food source for ants was first recognized in 1874 [ 38 ], it was not until the 1990s, and especially the 2000s, that the high fungal diversity associated with attine ants began to be recognized [ 6 , 13 , 17 – 19 , 39 – 46 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Light on the Systematics of Fungi Associated with Attine Ant Gardens and the Description of Escovopsis kreiselii sp. nov.

et al. 2015

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Since the formal description of fungi in the genus Escovopsis in 1990, only a few studies have focused on the systematics of this group. For more than two decades, only two Escovopsis species were described; however, in 2013, three additional Escovopsis species were formally described along with the genus Escovopsioides, both found exclusively in attine ant gardens. During a survey for Escovopsis species in gardens of the lower attine ant Mycetophylax morschi in Brazil, we found four strains belonging to the pink-colored Escovopsis clade. Careful examination of these strains revealed significant morphological differences when compared to previously described species of Escovopsis and Escovopsioides. Based on the type of conidiogenesis (sympodial), as well as morphology of conidiogenous cells (percurrent), non-vesiculated conidiophores, and DNA sequences, we describe the four new strains as a new species, Escovopsis kreiselii sp. nov. Phylogenetic analyses using three nuclear markers (Large subunit RNA; translation elongation factor 1-alpha; and internal transcribed spacer) from the new strains as well as available sequences in public databases confirmed that all known fungi infecting attine ant gardens comprise a monophyletic group within the Hypocreaceae family, with very diverse morphological characteristics. Specifically, Escovopsis kreiselii is likely associated with gardens of lower-attine ants and its pathogenicity remains uncertain.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Light on the Systematics of Fungi Associated with Attine Ant Gardens and the Description of Escovopsis kreiselii sp. nov.

et al. 2015

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“…The reducing sugar concentration was determined using the dinitrosalicylic (DNS) acid method, based on Miller (1959). 21 …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The isolation of pentose-assimilating yeasts and their xylose fermentation potential

Martins

Bocchini

Bezzerra-Bussoli

et al. 2018

Brazilian Journal of Microbiology

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For the implementation of cellulosic ethanol technology, the maximum use of lignocellulosic materials is important to increase efficiency and to reduce costs. In this context, appropriate use of the pentose released by hemicellulose hydrolysis could improve de economic viability of this process. Since the Saccharomyces cerevisiae is unable to ferment the pentose, the search for pentose-fermenting microorganisms could be an alternative. In this work, the isolation of yeast strains from decaying vegetal materials, flowers, fruits and insects and their application for assimilation and alcoholic fermentation of xylose were carried out. From a total of 30 isolated strains, 12 were able to assimilate 30 g L−1 of xylose in 120 h. The strain Candida tropicalis S4 produced 6 g L−1 of ethanol from 56 g L−1 of xylose, while the strain C. tropicalis E2 produced 22 g L−1 of xylitol. The strains Candida oleophila G10.1 and Metschnikowia koreensis G18 consumed significant amount of xylose in aerobic cultivation releasing non-identified metabolites. The different materials in environment were source for pentose-assimilating yeast with variable metabolic profile.

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“…These insects were found to harbour a large and unknown diversity of microorganisms ( Pagnocca et al 2008 , Rodrigues et al 2008 , 2011 , Guedes et al 2012 , Duarte et al 2014 ), and some novel species of filamentous fungi and yeasts were already described from the ants’ microenvironment ( Middelhoven et al 2003 , Carreiro et al 2004 , Pagnocca et al 2010 , Augustin et al 2013 , Attili-Angelis et al 2014 , Melo et al 2014 , Masiulionis et al 2015 , Meirelles et al 2015 , Samerpitak et al 2015 , Montoya et al 2016 ). However, the occurrence of species of Teratosphaeriaceae in the ants’ environment has never been documented.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Riding with the ants

et al. 2017

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Isolates of Teratosphaeriaceae have frequently been found in the integument of attine ants, proving to be common and diverse in this microenvironment. The LSU phylogeny of the ant-isolated strains studied revealed that they cluster in two main lineages. The first was associated with the genus Xenopenidiella whereas the other represented two ant-isolated lineages sister to the taxa Penidiella aggregata and P. drakensbergensis, which are allocated to the new genus Penidiellomyces. The genus Penidiella is limited to the lineage containing P. columbiana, which is not congeneric with Penidiellomyces or Penidiellopsis, nor with Simplicidiella, a novel genus introduced here to accommodate a strain isolated from ants. For species level analysis, the final 26 aligned sequences of the ITS (498 characters), cmdA (389 characters), tef1 (342 characters) and tub2 (446 characters) gene regions lead to the introduction of six new species in Xenopenidiella, and one in respectively Penidiellopsis and Simplicidiella. The species described in this study were distinguished by the combination of morphological and phylogenetic data. Novelties on the integument of leaf-cutting ants from Brazil include: Penidiellopsis ramosus, Xenopenidiella clavata, X. formica, X. inflata, X. laevigata, X. nigrescens, X. tarda spp. nov., and Simplicidiella nigra gen. & sp. nov. Beta-tubulin is recommended as primary barcode for the distinction of species in Penidiellopsis, whereas ITS was sufficient to distinguish species of Xenopenidiella.

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Starmerella aceti f.a., sp. nov., an ascomycetous yeast species isolated from fungus garden of the leafcutter ant Acromyrmex balzani

Cited by 20 publications

References 35 publications

New Light on the Systematics of Fungi Associated with Attine Ant Gardens and the Description of Escovopsis kreiselii sp. nov.

New Light on the Systematics of Fungi Associated with Attine Ant Gardens and the Description of Escovopsis kreiselii sp. nov.

The isolation of pentose-assimilating yeasts and their xylose fermentation potential

Riding with the ants

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