First report of Triticale leaf rust caused by in Canada.

Triticale (× Triticosecale), was initially produced by crossing wheat (Triticum) with rye (Secale). Although still a minor crop in Canada, triticale grain is used both as human food (in bread, pastry products, and the brewing industry) and as livestock feed (Larter 2015). In September 2023 typical leaf rust samples were observed and collected in winter Triticale at Lacombe, Alberta.

Optimizing an integrated biovigilance toolbox to study the spatial distribution and dynamic changes of airborne mycobiota, with a focus on cereal rust fungi in western Canada.

In the face of evolving agricultural practices and climate change, tools towards an integrated biovigilance platform to combat crop diseases, spore sampling, DNA diagnostics and predictive trajectory modelling were optimized. These tools revealed microbial dynamics and were validated by monitoring cereal rust fungal pathogens affecting wheat, oats, barley and rye across four growing seasons (2015-2018) in British Columbia and during the 2018 season in southern Alberta. ITS2 metabarcoding revealed disparity in aeromycobiota diversity and compositional structure across the Canadian Rocky Mountains, suggesting a barrier effect on air flow and pathogen dispersal.

DNA barcode sequencing discovered the aecial host of .

The telial stage of was described in 2012 from a single specimen collected in China (DAOM 240982). This species is the closest relative of but differs in telial morphology on their grass hosts and in DNA sequences. As part of a DNA-barcoding project for rust herbarium specimens, collections of the aecial stage of on were processed.

Genetic time traveling: sequencing old herbarium specimens, including the oldest herbarium specimen sequenced from kingdom Fungi, reveals the population structure of an agriculturally significant rust.

Sequencing herbarium specimens can be instrumental in answering ecological, evolutionary, and taxonomic inquiries. We developed a protocol for sequencing herbarium specimens of rust fungi (Pucciniales) and proceeded to sequence specimens ranging from 4 to 211 yr old from five different genera. We then obtained sequences from an economically important biological control agent, Puccinia suaveolens, to highlight the potential of sequencing herbarium specimens in an ecological sense and to evaluate the following hypotheses: (1) The population structure of a plant pathogen changes over time, and (2) introduced pathogens are more diverse in their native range.

Four In Silico Designed and Validated qPCR Assays to Detect and Discriminate and , Individually or as a Complex.

Several fungi classified in the genus are well-known to infect grass species including wheat (). is a highly unwanted wheat pathogen causing Karnal bunt, subject to quarantine regulations in many countries. Historically, suspected Karnal bunt infections were identified by morphology, a labour-intensive process to rule out other tuberculate-spored species that may be found as contaminants in grain shipments, and the closely-related pathogen on ryegrass ().

Towards Improved Detection and Identification of Rust Fungal Pathogens in Environmental Samples Using a Metabarcoding Approach.

The dispersion of fungal inocula such as the airborne spores of rust fungi (Pucciniales) can be monitored through metabarcoding of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of the rRNA gene in environmental DNAs. This method is largely dependent on a high-quality reference database (refDB) and primers with proper taxonomic coverage and specificity. For this study, a curated ITS2 reference database (named CR-ITS2-refDB) comprising representatives of the major cereal rust fungi and phylogenetically related species was compiled.

Taxonomic revision of based on multi-gene DNA sequences, host preferences and morphology.

A taxonomic revision of the hitherto monotypic genus was conducted incorporating multi-gene sequence analyses, host preference data and morphological criteria. The sequenced loci included rDNA ITS, partial chitin synthase gene (1), as well as fragments of two unnamed orthologous genes (, ). The combined evidence led to a reassessment and a new neotypification of s.

Development and evaluation of a target enrichment bait set for phylogenetic analysis of oomycetes.

Target enrichment is a term that encompasses multiple related approaches where desired genomic regions are captured by molecular baits, leaving behind redundant or non-target regions in the genome, followed by amplification and next-generation sequencing of those captured regions. A molecular bait set was developed based on 426 single-copy, oomycete-specific orthologs and 3 barcoding genes. The bait set was tested on 27 oomycete samples (belonging to the Saprolegniales, Albuginales, and Peronosporales) derived from live and herbarium specimens, as well as control samples of true fungi and plants.

Genome sequencing and comparison of five species to identify candidate genes for the detection of regulated species infecting wheat.

species cause diseases on grass hosts with some causing bunt diseases on wheat (). Two of the four species infecting wheat have restricted distributions globally and are subject to quarantine regulations to prevent their spread to new areas. causes Karnal bunt and is regulated by many countries while the non-regulated is morphologically similar and very closely related phylogenetically, but infects ryegrass () and not wheat.

Novel multi-target compounds in the quest for new chemotherapies against Alzheimer's disease: An experimental and theoretical study.

The lack of any effective therapy along with the aging world population anticipates a growth of the worldwide incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) to more than 100 million cases by 2050. Accumulation of extracellular amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, intracellular tangles in the brain, and formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are the major hallmarks of the disease. In the amyloidogenic process, a β-secretase, known as BACE 1, plays a fundamental role in the production of Aβ fragments, and therefore, inhibition of such enzymes represents a major strategy for the rational design of anti-AD drugs.

Assessing Performance of Spore Samplers in Monitoring Aeromycobiota and Fungal Plant Pathogen Diversity in Canada.

Spore samplers are widely used in pathogen surveillance but not so much for monitoring the composition of aeromycobiota. In Canada, a nationwide spore-sampling network (AeroNet) was established as a pilot project to assess fungal community composition in air and rain samples collected using three different spore samplers in the summers of 2010 and 2011. Metabarcodes of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) were exhaustively characterized for three of the network sites, in British Columbia (BC), Québec (QC), and Prince Edward Island (PEI), to compare performance of the samplers.

Rust fungi on Panicum.

Rusts are economically important diseases of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and other Paniceae grasses. Phylogenetic analyses based on sequences of the nuc rDNA 5.8S internal transcribed spacer 2 region (ITS2), partial 28S region, and intergenic spacer region (IGS) of nuc rDNA showed that species of rust fungi infecting switchgrass are closely related within Puccinia.

Finding needles in haystacks: linking scientific names, reference specimens and molecular data for Fungi.

DNA phylogenetic comparisons have shown that morphology-based species recognition often underestimates fungal diversity. Therefore, the need for accurate DNA sequence data, tied to both correct taxonomic names and clearly annotated specimen data, has never been greater. Furthermore, the growing number of molecular ecology and microbiome projects using high-throughput sequencing require fast and effective methods for en masse species assignments.

Molecular Phylogenetic Relationships of the Brown Leaf Rust Fungi on Wheat, Rye, and Other Grasses.

The classification of brown leaf rust fungi (Puccinia recondita complex and allied species) on wheat (Triticum aestivum), rye (Secale cereale), and other grasses in the family Poaceae has experienced a long history of controversy and uncertainty due to the reduced morphological characteristics available for taxonomy and difficulty of conducting interfertility experiments. However, because these are pathogens on important crops, it is important to clarify the species delimitations reflecting the natural lineages. In this study, phylogenetic analyses were conducted with DNA sequence data from the ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer region and elongation factor 1-α to elucidate this species complex.

Molecular characterization of reptile pathogens currently known as members of the chrysosporium anamorph of Nannizziopsis vriesii complex and relationship with some human-associated isolates.

In recent years, the Chrysosporium anamorph of Nannizziopsis vriesii (CANV), Chrysosporium guarroi, Chrysosporium ophiodiicola, and Chrysosporium species have been reported as the causes of dermal or deep lesions in reptiles. These infections are contagious and often fatal and affect both captive and wild animals. Forty-nine CANV isolates from reptiles and six isolates from human sources were compared with N.

Puccinia chunjii, a close relative of the cereal stem rusts revealed by molecular phylogeny and morphological study.

A rust specimen with macroscopic similarities to the cereal stem rusts was collected on Elymus sp. from Gansu province, China. Phylogenetic analyses of ITS and COI DNA sequences indicated the fungus was closely related but distinct as a strongly supported sister taxon to the Puccinia graminis species complex.

Taxonomic study of stripe rust, Puccinia striiformis sensu lato, based on molecular and morphological evidence.

Phylogenetic analyses of ITS and β-tubulin DNA sequences for 30 Puccinia striiformis specimens from wide geographic and host ranges revealed four strongly supported monophyletic lineages. Based on comparisons of morphological characteristics, and after consideration of previous classifications, the lineages were recognized as P. striiformis sensu stricto, Puccinia pseudostriiformis, Puccinia striiformoides and one new species, Puccinia gansensis.

A multigene phylogeny of the Dothideomycetes using four nuclear loci.

We present an expanded multigene phylogeny of the Dothideomycetes. The final data matrix consisted of four loci (nuc SSU rDNA, nuc LSU rDNA, TEF1, RPB2) for 96 taxa, representing five of the seven orders in the current classification of Dothideomycetes and several outgroup taxa representative of the major clades in the Pezizomycotina. The resulting phylogeny differentiated two main dothideomycete lineages comprising the pseudoparaphysate Pleosporales and aparaphysate Dothideales.

Reconstructing the early evolution of Fungi using a six-gene phylogeny.

The ancestors of fungi are believed to be simple aquatic forms with flagellated spores, similar to members of the extant phylum Chytridiomycota (chytrids). Current classifications assume that chytrids form an early-diverging clade within the kingdom Fungi and imply a single loss of the spore flagellum, leading to the diversification of terrestrial fungi. Here we develop phylogenetic hypotheses for Fungi using data from six gene regions and nearly 200 species.

User satisfaction with a constipation service: a comparative audit.

Chronic constipation in children affects their quality of life and can have far reaching consequences, causing low self-esteem in children and family conflict (McGinley 2001). A review of outcomes following the establishment of a new constipation service showed significant improvements in outcomes and in the level of support provided to families. To obtain a more in depth picture of effectiveness, quantitative findings were supplemented with the views of 16 children and families who use the service.

False-positive Histoplasma capsulatum Gen-Probe chemiluminescent test result caused by a Chrysosporium species.

We describe a case in which the Histoplasma capsulatum AccuProbe test displayed cross-reactivity with a respiratory isolate thought to be Histoplasma but not morphologically consistent with H. capsulatum. The isolate was later identified as the Chrysosporium anamorph of Nannizziopsis vriesii by sequence analysis and phenotypic data.

Assembling the fungal tree of life: progress, classification, and evolution of subcellular traits.

Based on an overview of progress in molecular systematics of the true fungi (Fungi/Eumycota) since 1990, little overlap was found among single-locus data matrices, which explains why no large-scale multilocus phylogenetic analysis had been undertaken to reveal deep relationships among fungi. As part of the project "Assembling the Fungal Tree of Life" (AFTOL), results of four Bayesian analyses are reported with complementary bootstrap assessment of phylogenetic confidence based on (1) a combined two-locus data set (nucSSU and nucLSU rDNA) with 558 species representing all traditionally recognized fungal phyla (Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Chytridiomycota, Zygomycota) and the Glomeromycota, (2) a combined three-locus data set (nucSSU, nucLSU, and mitSSU rDNA) with 236 species, (3) a combined three-locus data set (nucSSU, nucLSU rDNA, and RPB2) with 157 species, and (4) a combined four-locus data set (nucSSU, nucLSU, mitSSU rDNA, and RPB2) with 103 species. Because of the lack of complementarity among single-locus data sets, the last three analyses included only members of the Ascomycota and Basidiomycota.