Application of Texture Measures to Study Effect of B Chromosomes on the 3D Architecture of Plant Chromatin

Background: Supernumerary chromosomes (B) comprise optional complement to basic (A) chromosome set. The presence of B-chromosomes may significantly reduce plant vigor and fertility. Potentially active genes constitute only small fraction of DNA of these chromosomes indicating that these effects are mediated by epigenetic mechanisms. One example is down-regulation of rDNA genes and condensation of their respective chromatin regions (demonstrated in squashed preparations using 2D microscopy). It may be postulated that the presence of B chromosomes leads to more extensive changes of local chromatin structure. Verification of hypothesis requires studying 3D spatial architecture of intact nuclei in tissue. Results: An image processing algorithm was developed and applied for isolation (from the confocal datasets) of regions corresponding to single nuclei. The nuclei were segmented using iterative global thresholding followed by growing and merging of regions belonging to different nuclei. The result of segmentation was verified by a human observer. Chromatin architecture was characterized quantitatively using global fluorescence intensity distribution measures (mean, variance) and local intensity distribution parameters (haraclick features, wavelet energy, run- length features). The sets of parameters corresponding to populations of nuclei with different number of B-chromo- somes were subjected to discriminate analysis. The distinct parameters were then correlated with depth in tissue at which a given nucleus was positioned. Conclusions: Combination of light microscopy with dedicated image processing and analysis framework made it possible to study chromatin architecture in nuclei containing various number of B chromosomes. These data indicate that alterations of 3D chromatin distribution occur globally in the interphase nuclei in the presence of Bs. The changes occur at the spatial scale comparable with the resolution limit of light microscopy and at larger distances.

Mission impossible completed:unlocking the nomenclature of the largest and most complicated subgenus of Cortinarius,Telamonia

So far approximately 144,000 species of fungi have been named but sequences of the majority of them do not exist in the public databases.Therefore,the quality and coverage of public barcode databases is a bottleneck that hinders the study of fungi.Cortinarius is the largest genus of Agaricales with thousands of species world-wide.The most diverse subgenus in Cortinarius is Telamonia and its species have been considered one of the most taxonomically challenging in the Agaricales.Its high diversity combined with convergent,similar appearing taxa have earned it a reputation of being an impossible group to study.In this study a total of 746 specimens,including 482 type specimens representing 184 species were sequenced.Also,a significant number of old types were successfully sequenced,105 type specimens were over 50 years old and 18 type specimens over 100 years old.Altogether,20 epi-or neotypes are proposed for recently commonly used older names.Our study doubles the number of reliable DNA-barcodes of species of C.subgenus Telamonia in the public sequence data-bases.This is also the first extensive phylogenetic study of the subgenus.A majority of the sections and species are shown in a phylogenetic context for the first time.Our study shows that nomenclatural problems,even in difficult groups like C.subgenus Telamonia,can be solved and consequently identification of species based on ITS barcodes becomes an easy task even for non-experts of the genus.

Notes,outline and divergence times of Basidiomycota

The Basidiomycota constitutes a major phylum of the kingdom Fungi and is second in species numbers to the Ascomycota.The present work provides an overview of all validly published,currently used basidiomycete genera to date in a single document.An outline of all genera of Basidiomycota is provided,which includes 1928 currently used genera names,with 1263 synonyms,which are distributed in 241 families,68 orders,18 classes and four subphyla.We provide brief notes for each accepted genus including information on classification,number of accepted species,type species,life mode,habitat,distribution,and sequence information.Furthermore,three phylogenetic analyses with combined LSU,SSU,5.8s,rpb1,rpb2,and ef1 datasets for the subphyla Agaricomycotina,Pucciniomycotina and Ustilaginomycotina are conducted,respectively.Divergence time estimates are provided to the family level with 632 species from 62 orders,168 families and 605 genera.Our study indicates that the divergence times of the subphyla in Basidiomycota are 406-430 Mya,classes are 211-383 Mya,and orders are 99-323 Mya,which are largely consistent with previous studies.In this study,all phylogenetically supported families were dated,with the families of Agaricomycotina diverging from 27-178 Mya,Pucciniomycotina from 85-222 Mya,and Ustilaginomycotina from 79-177 Mya.Divergence times as additional criterion in ranking provide additional evidence to resolve taxonomic problems in the Basidiomycota taxonomic system,and also provide a better understanding of their phylogeny and evolution.

Pseudoclitocybaceae fam. nov. (Agaricales, Tricholomatineae), a new arrangement at family, genus and species level

A new classification of several clitocyboid taxa is here proposed to accommodate results from multigenic phylogenetic inference.The analysis of ITS rDNA as well as a combined dataset including 18S and 28S rDNA,tef1 and rpb2 data,support significantly a shared monophyletic origin of the genera Pseudoclitocybe,Musumecia and Pogonoloma,and the species Clitocybe alexandri and C.harperi.The new family Pseudoclitocybaceae is here proposed to name this clade,characterized by the presence of loop-like clamp connections in most species,absence of cystidia,and parallel hymenophoral trama with broad,cylindrical hyphae with intracellular granulations.The new genera Clitopaxillus and Harmajaea are proposed to accommodate the type species C.alexandri and H.harperi,as well as the combination H.wellsiae.In addition,two new species are described:C.fibulatus has a differential distribution of clamp connections in the basidiome,while H.guldeniae is,by now,an exclusively European taxon with brownish pileus,somewhat decurrent gills,ovoid spores and basidia longer than those of H.harperi.Finally,the species concept within Pseudoclitocybe and Pogonoloma is discussed and descriptions of the most representative species are provided.

Fungal diversity notes 367-490:taxonomic and phylogenetic contributions to fungal taxa

This is a continuity of a series of taxonomic papers where materials are examined,described and novel combinations are proposed where necessary to improve our traditional species concepts and provide updates on their classification.In addition to extensive morphological descriptions and appropriate asexual and sexual connections,DNA sequence data are also analysed from concatenated datasets(rDNA,TEF-a,RBP2 and b-Tubulin)to infer phylogenetic relationships and substantiate systematic position of taxa within appropriate ranks.Wherever new species or combinations are being proposed,we apply an integrative approach(morphological and molecular data as well as ecological features wherever applicable).Notes on 125 fungal taxa are compiled in this paper,including eight new genera,101 new species,two new combinations,one neotype,four reference specimens,new host or distribution records for eight species and one alternative morphs.The new genera introduced in this paper are Alloarthopyrenia,Arundellina,Camarosporioides,Neomassaria,Neomassarina,Neotruncatella,Paracapsulospora and Pseudophaeosphaeria.The new species are Alfaria spartii,Alloarthopyrenia italica,Anthostomella ravenna,An.thailandica,Arthrinium paraphaeospermum,Arundellina typhae,Aspergillus koreanus,Asterina cynometrae,Bertiella ellipsoidea,Blastophorum aquaticum,Cainia globosa,Camarosporioides phragmitis,Ceramothyrium menglunense,Chaetosphaeronema achilleae,Chlamydotubeufia helicospora,Ciliochorella phanericola,Clavulinopsis aurantiaca,Colletotrichum insertae,Comoclathris italica,Coronophora myricoides,Cortinarius fulvescentoideus,Co.nymphatus,Co.pseudobulliardioides,Co.tenuifulvescens,Cunninghamella gigacellularis,Cyathus pyristriatus,Cytospora cotini,Dematiopleospora alliariae,De.cirsii,Diaporthe aseana,Di.garethjonesii,Distoseptispora multiseptata,Dis.tectonae,Dis.tectonigena,Dothiora buxi,Emericellopsis persica,Gloniopsis calami,Helicoma guttulatum,Helvella floriforma,H.oblongispora,Hermatomyces subiculosa,Juncaceicola italica,Lactarius dirkii,Lentithecium unicellulare,Le.voraginesporum,Leptosphaeria cirsii,Leptosphaeria irregularis,Leptospora galii,Le.thailandica,Lindgomyces pseudomadisonensis,Lophiotrema bambusae,Lo.fallopiae,Meliola citri-maximae,Minimelanolocus submersus,Montagnula cirsii,Mortierella fluviae,Muriphaeosphaeria ambrosiae,Neodidymelliopsis ranunculi,Neomassaria fabacearum,Neomassarina thailandica,Neomicrosphaeropsis cytisi,Neo.cytisinus,Neo.minima,Neopestalotiopsis cocoe¨s,Neopestalotiopsis musae,Neoroussoella lenispora,Neotorula submersa,Neotruncatella endophytica,Nodulosphaeria italica,Occultibambusa aquatica,Oc.chiangraiensis,Ophiocordyceps hemisphaerica,Op.lacrimoidis,Paracapsulospora metroxyli,Pestalotiopsis sequoiae,Peziza fruticosa,Pleurotrema thailandica,Poaceicola arundinis,Polyporus mangshanensis,Pseudocoleophoma typhicola,Pseudodictyosporium thailandica,Pseudophaeosphaeria rubi,Purpureocillium sodanum,Ramariopsis atlantica,Rhodocybe griseoaurantia,Rh.indica,Rh.luteobrunnea,Russula indoalba,Ru.pseudoamoenicolor,Sporidesmium aquaticivaginatum,Sp.olivaceoconidium,Sp.pyriformatum,Stagonospora forlicesenensis,Stagonosporopsis centaureae,Terriera thailandica,Tremateia arundicola,Tr.guiyangensis,Trichomerium bambusae,Tubeufia hyalospora,Tu.roseohelicospora and Wojnowicia italica.New combinations are given for Hermatomyces mirum and Pallidocercospora thailandica.A neotype is proposed for Cortinarius fulvescens.Reference specimens are given for Aquaphila albicans,Leptospora rubella,Platychora ulmi and Meliola pseudosasae,while new host or distribution records are provided for Diaporthe eres,Di.siamensis,Di.foeniculina,Dothiorella iranica,Do.sarmentorum,Do.vidmadera,Helvella tinta and Vaginatispora fuckelii,with full taxonomic details.An asexual state is also reported for the first time in Neoacanthostigma septoconstrictum.This paper contributes to a more comprehensive update and improved identification of many ascomycetes and basiodiomycetes.

Fungal diversity notes 1277-1386:taxonomic and phylogenetic contributions to fungal taxa

This is the twelfth contribution to the Fungal Diversity Notes series on fungal taxonomy,based on materials collected from many countries which were examined and described using the methods of morphology,anatomy,and strain culture,combined with DNA sequence analyses.110 taxa are described and illustrated,including five new genera,92 new species,eight new combinations and other taxonomic contributions(one new sequenced species,one new host and three new records)which are accommodated in 40 families and 1 incertae sedis in Dothideomycetes.The new genera are Amyloceraceomyces,Catenuliconidia,Hansenopezia,Ionopezia and Magnopulchromyces.The new species are Amyloceraceomyces angustisporus,Amylocorticium ellipsosporum,Arthrinium sorghi,Catenuliconidia uniseptata,Clavulina sphaeropedunculata,Colletotrichum parthenocissicola,Coniothyrium triseptatum,Cortinarius indorusseus,C.paurigarhwalensis,C.sinensis,C.subsanguineus,C.xiaojinensis,Diaporthe pimpinel-lae,Dictyosporella guizhouensis,Diplodia torilicola,Fuscoporia marquesiana,F.semiarida,Hansenopezia decora,Helicoarcta-tus thailandicus,Hirsutella hongheensis,Humidicutis brunneovinacea,Lentaria gossypina,L.variabilis,Lycoperdon lahorense,L.pseudocurtisii,Magnopulchromyces scorpiophorus,Moelleriella gracilispora,Neodevriesia manglicola,Neodidymelliopsis salvia,N.urticae,Neoroussoella magnoliae,Neottiella gigaspora,Ophiosphaerella chiangraiensis,Phaeotremella yunnanensis,Podosphaera yulii,Rigidoporus juniperinus,Rhodofomitopsis pseudofeei,Russula benghalensis,Scleroramularia vermispora,Scytinopogon minisporus,Sporormurispora paulsenii,Thaxteriellopsis obliqus,Tomentella asiae-orientalis,T.atrobadia,T.atrocastanea,T.aureomarginata,T.brevis,T.brunneoflava,T.brunneogrisea,T.capitatocystidiata,T.changbaiensis,T.citri-nocystidiata,T.coffeae,T.conclusa,T.cystidiata,T.dimidiata,T.duplexa,T.efibulata,T.efibulis,T.farinosa,T.flavidobadia,T.fuscocrustosa,T.fuscofarinosa,T.fuscogranulosa,T.fuscopelliculosa,T.globospora,T.gloeocystidiata,T.griseocastanea,T.griseofusca,T.griseomarginata,T.inconspicua,T.incrustata,T.interrupta,T.liaoningensis,T.longiaculeifera,T.longiechinuli,T.megaspora,T.olivacea,T.olivaceobrunnea,T.pallidobrunnea,T.pallidomarginata,T.parvispora,T.pertenuis,T.qingyuanensis,T.segregata,T.separata,T.stipitata,T.storea,Trichoderma ceratophylletum,Tyromyces minutulus,Umbelopsis heterosporus and Xylolentia reniformis.The new combinations are Antrodiella descendena,Chloridium macrocladum,Hansenopezia retrocurvata,Rhodofomitopsis monomitica,Rh.oleracea,Fuscoporia licnoides,F.scruposa and Ionopezia gerardii.A new sequenced species(Graphis supracola),one new host(Aplosporella prunicola)and three new geographical records(Golovinomyces monardae,Paradictyoarthrinium diffractum and Prosthemium betulinum),are reported.