Monilia and Monilinia : In silico genetic analysis of plant pathogenic fungi

Abstract

Species of phytopathogenic fungi Monilia [J. Hill, 1751] and Monilinia [E.E. Honey, 1936] of the phylum Ascomycota have two host plant families of stone- and pome fruit trees of Rosaceae; and bushes of Ericaceae (e.g., blueberry, cranberry, heather, etc.). They infect both plants, and human (i.e., moniliasis). Due to the lack of sexual developmental stage (i.e., imperfect fungi; anamorphic fungi) the species of the order Moniliales spread by vegetative spores (i.e., conidia) and not by sexual (i.e., meiotic) ascospores. Here we report in silico data mining carried out by analyses of DNA, RNA, and protein sequences to reveal genetic distances in -and-among Monilia and Monilinia species. Sequences of the (+)ssRNA genomes of mitoviruses, which hyper parasitize the fungi cells, which parasitize the plant cells, during the ecocycles, are also analyzed. Genome size analysis of Monilinia were found to be between 30-55 x 106 bp; the cytochrome-b (cytb) genes (1543 bp of mtDNA); the transcribed cytb-mRNAs; the translated cytb proteins (381-391 aa); and the (+)ssRNA genomes of mitoviruses have showed that Botrytis cinerea (‘grey mold’) has the closest molecular similarity to Monilia and Monilinia clade (‘brown rot’). The cladogram of transcribed cytb-mRNAs (1175 nt) grouped Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi in a distinct clade, which indicate a far genetic linkage. The application of mitovirus-infected hypovirulent phytopathogenic fungi for plant protection (i.e., virocontrol / biocontrol) is discussed.