Development of a PCR-based mating-type assay for Clavicipitaceae

This study developed a PCR-based mating-type assay for Clavicipitaceae. PCR primer sets for the mating-type genes MAT1-1-1 and MAT1-2-1 were designed based on the amino acid sequences of the conserved alpha and HMG boxes, respectively. The PCR-based mating-type assay could be applied for various clavicipitaceous genera (Balansia, Claviceps, Cordyceps and Epichloe). Most of the clavicipitaceous fungi possessed either MAT1-1-1 or MAT1-2-1, and were supposed to be heterothallic. Although the PCR products obtained by the mating-type assay were short, the phylogenctic trees of the mating-type genes gave better resolutions than that of 18S rDNA and agreed well to their econutritional modes. (C) 2004 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.