Phylogenetic Analyses Reveal Monophyletic Origin of the Ergot Alkaloid Gene dmaW in Fungi

Ergot alkaloids are indole-derived mycotoxins that are important in agriculture and medicine. Ergot alkaloids are produced by a few representatives of two distantly related fungal lineages, the Clavicipitaceae and the Trichocomaceae. Comparison of the ergot alkaloid gene clusters from these two lineages revealed differences in the relative positions and orientations of several genes. The question arose: is ergot alkaloid biosynthetic capability from a common origin? We used a molecular phylogenetic approach to gain insights into the evolution of ergot alkaloid biosynthesis. The 4- γ,γ -dimethylallyltryptophan synthase gene, dmaW, encodes the first step in the pathway. Amino acid sequences deduced from dmaW and homologs were submitted to phylogenetic analysis, and the results indicated that dmaW of Aspergillus fumigatus (mitosporic Trichocomaceae) has the same origin as corresponding genes from clavicipitaceous fungi. Relationships of authentic dmaW genes suggest that they originated from multiple gene duplications with subsequent losses of original or duplicate versions in some lineages.

• Publication year

  2009

• Venue

  Evolutionary bioinformatics online

• Publication date

  2009-01-01

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.4137/EBO.S2633PMID 19812724PMCID 2747131
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Indole-Diterpene Biosynthetic Capability of Epichloë Endophytes as Predicted by ltm Gene Analysis

  2009cited by this paper
• Specificity in the interaction between an epibiotic clavicipitalean fungus and its convolvulaceous host in a fungus/plant symbiotum

  2008cited by this paper
• Ergot alkaloids

  2008cited by this paper
• Biosynthesis and Accumulation of Ergoline Alkaloids in a Mutualistic Association between Ipomoea asarifolia (Convolvulaceae) and a Clavicipitalean Fungus1

  2008cited by this paper
• Molecular Analysis of a 4-Dimethylallyltryptophan Synthase from Malbranchea aurantiaca*

  2008cited by this paper
• Comparison of Ergot Alkaloid Biosynthesis Gene Clusters in Claviceps Species Indicates Loss of Late Pathway Steps in Evolution of C. fusiformis

  2007cited by this paper
• Gene duplication, modularity and adaptation in the evolution of the aflatoxin gene cluster

  2007cited by this paper
• A multi-gene phylogeny of Clavicipitaceae (Ascomycota, Fungi): identification of localized incongruence using a combinational bootstrap approach.

  2007cited by this paper
• A Complex Ergovaline Gene Cluster in Epichloë Endophytes of Grasses

  2007cited by this paper
• Terrequinone A biosynthesis through L-tryptophan oxidation, dimerization and bisprenylation

  2007cited by this paper
• Chapter 2 Ergot Alkaloids – Biology and Molecular Biology

  2006cited by this paper
• Reverse Prenyltransferase in the Biosynthesis of Fumigaclavine C in Aspergillus fumigatus: Gene Expression, Purification, and Characterization of Fumigaclavine C Synthase FGAPT1

  2006cited by this paper
• Genomic mining for Aspergillus natural products.

  2006cited by this paper
• Molecular characterization of a seed transmitted clavicipitaceous fungus occurring on dicotyledoneous plants (Convolvulaceae)

  2006cited by this paper
• Ergot alkaloids--biology and molecular biology.

  2006cited by this paper
• The ergot alkaloid gene cluster in Claviceps purpurea: extension of the cluster sequence and intra species evolution.

  2005cited by this paper
• Sequencing of Aspergillus nidulans and comparative analysis with A. fumigatus and A. oryzae

  2005cited by this paper
• Genomic sequence of the pathogenic and allergenic filamentous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus

  2005cited by this paper
• Genome sequencing and analysis of Aspergillus oryzae

  2005cited by this paper
• The genome sequence of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe grisea

  2005cited by this paper
• MAFFT version 5: improvement in accuracy of multiple sequence alignment

  2005cited by this paper
• Equisetin biosynthesis in Fusarium heterosporum.

  2005cited by this paper
• Overproduction, purification and characterization of FgaPT2, a dimethylallyltryptophan synthase from Aspergillus fumigatus.

  2005cited by this paper
• An Ergot Alkaloid Biosynthesis Gene and Clustered Hypothetical Genes from Aspergillus fumigatus

  2005cited by this paper
• Structural analysis of a peptide synthetase gene required for ergopeptine production in the endophytic fungus Neotyphodium lolii

  2005cited by this paper
• Overproduction, purification and characterization of FtmPT1, a brevianamide F prenyltransferase from Aspergillus fumigatus.

  2005cited by this paper
• Origins and significance of ergot alkaloid diversity in fungi.

  2005cited by this paper
• Abundant Respirable Ergot Alkaloids from the Common Airborne Fungus Aspergillus fumigatus

  2005cited by this paper
• The determinant step in ergot alkaloid biosynthesis by an endophyte of perennial ryegrass.

  2004cited by this paper
• STUDIES OF ERGOT ALKALOID BIOSYNTHESIS GENES IN CLAVICIPITACEOUS FUNGI

  2004cited by this paper
• The sirodesmin biosynthetic gene cluster of the plant pathogenic fungus Leptosphaeria maculans

  2004cited by this paper
• The genome sequence of the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa

  2003cited by this paper
• A novel ergot alkaloid as a 5-HT(1A) inhibitor produced by Dicyma sp.

  2003cited by this paper
• Distinguishing Features of the Tribe Balansieae

  2003cited by this paper
• Clavicipitalean Fungi: evolutionary biology, chemistry, biocontrol and cultural impacts.

  2003cited by this paper
• MRBAYES : Bayesian inference of phylogeny

  2001cited by this paper
• MRBAYES: Bayesian inference of phylogenetic trees

  2001cited by this paper
• Elimination of ergovaline from a grass–Neotyphodium endophyte symbiosis by genetic modification of the endophyte

  2001cited by this paper
• Biotechnology and genetics of ergot alkaloids

  2001cited by this paper
• Molecular cloning and genetic analysis of an indole‐diterpene gene cluster from Penicillium paxilli

  2001cited by this paper
• Horizontal gene transfer and the evolution of secondary metabolite gene clusters in fungi: an hypothesis.

  2000cited by this paper
• Selection of conserved blocks from multiple alignments for their use in phylogenetic analysis.

  2000cited by this paper
• PAUP* Phylogenetic analysis using parsimony (*and other methods) Version 4

  2000cited by this paper
• Evidence for an ergot alkaloid gene cluster in Claviceps purpurea

  1999cited by this paper
• Producers of Ergot Alkaloids out of Claviceps Genus

  1999cited by this paper
• Identification of genes induced in alkaloid-producing cultures of Claviceps sp.

  1997cited by this paper
• Chemistry and Biology

  1996cited by this paper
• The Claviceps purpurea gene encoding dimethylallyltryptophan synthase, the committed step for ergot alkaloid biosynthesis.

  1995cited by this paper
• Gene Trees and Species Trees: Molecular Systematics as One-Character Taxonomy

  1992cited by this paper
• Physiological study of ergot: induction of alkaloid synthesis by tryptophan at the enzymatic level

  1976cited by this paper
• Roquefortine and isofumigaclavine A, metabolites fromPenicillium roqueforti

  1976cited by this paper
• Regulatory Control Mechanisms in Alkaloid Biosynthesis

  1974cited by this paper

• Analysis of ergot alkaloid gene expression and ergine levels in different parts of Ipomoea asarifolia

  2025cites this paper
• The biosynthetic logic and enzymatic machinery of approved fungi-derived pharmaceuticals and agricultural biopesticides.

  2023cites this paper
• Genetic Manipulation of the Ergot Alkaloid Pathway in Epichloë festucae var. lolii and Its Effect on Black Beetle Feeding Deterrence

  2021cites this paper
• Mining Indole Alkaloid Synthesis Gene Clusters from Genomes of 53 Claviceps Strains Revealed Redundant Gene Copies and an Approximate Evolutionary Hourglass Model

  2021cites this paper
• CURatio: Genome-Wide Phylogenomic Analysis Method Using Ratios of Total Branch Lengths

  2020cites this paper
• Molecular mechanisms in grass-Epichloë interactions: towards endophyte driven farming to improve plant fitness and immunity

  2020cites this paper
• UNSUPERVISED LEARNING IN PHYLOGENOMIC ANALYSIS OVER THE SPACE OF PHYLOGENETIC TREES

  2019cites this paper
• Genomic and metabolic characterisation of alkaloid biosynthesis by asexual Epichloë fungal endophytes of tall fescue pasture grasses.

  2017cites this paper
• Transcriptome-wide analysis reveals the progress of Cordyceps militaris subculture degeneration

  2017cites this paper
• Recent progress in ergot alkaloid research

  2017cites this paper
• Microbial healthcare products

  2014cites this paper
• Biosynthetic Pathways of Ergot Alkaloids

  2014influential citation
• Biosynthesis of the ergot alkaloids.

  2014cites this paper
• Deletion and Gene Expression Analyses Define the Paxilline Biosynthetic Gene Cluster in Penicillium paxilli

  2013cites this paper
• Parasitic fungus Claviceps as a source for biotechnological production of ergot alkaloids.

  2013cites this paper
• Epichloë canadensis, a new interspecific epichloid hybrid symbiotic with Canada wildrye (Elymus canadensis)

  2012cites this paper
• Genome sequence of the insect pathogenic fungus Cordyceps militaris, a valued traditional chinese medicine

  2011cites this paper
• Ergot alkaloids: structure diversity, biosynthetic gene clusters and functional proof of biosynthetic genes.

  2011cites this paper
• Periglandula, a new fungal genus within the Clavicipitaceae and its association with Convolvulaceae

  2011influential citation