Abstract
Epichloë fungal endophytes of cool season grasses are well-known to produce a range of alkaloids of benefit to the host. Some of these compounds are advantageous to agriculture due to qualities that promote pasture persistence (e.g., the loline class of alkaloids confer insect protection) while others are detrimental to the well-being of grazing livestock. The ergot alkaloids (e.g., ergovaline), produced in ryegrass and tall fescue associations, causes poor animal health in farming regions in many countries around the world and further study is required to improve our knowledge on this class of compounds. Here we present the application of a quantitative LC-MS/MS (liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry) method measuring eight ergot alkaloids (chanoclavine, agroclavine, elymoclavine, lysergol, lysergic acid, ergine, lysergyl-alanine, ergovaline) produced by endophyte infected grasses, to monitor levels in individual tillers from multiple plants of a single cultivar of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne cv. “Grasslands Samson”) infected with a common toxic endophyte strain (Epichloë festucae var. lolii). Monitoring the expression in individual tillers allows an estimation of the variability within a plant (between tillers) as well as between plants. The study showed that there is significant variation in the concentration of the ergot alkaloids between tillers of a single plant, at or exceeding the level of variation observed between individual plants of a population. This result emphasizes the fundamental importance of robust experimental design and sampling procedures when alkaloid expression assessment is required and these need to be rigorously tailored to the hypothesis being tested.
Highlights
Fungal endophytes of cool season grasses, the Epichloë “endophytes,” are well-known for their production of bioactive alkaloids and the benefits these compounds confer to their plant hosts (Bush et al, 1997; Kuldau and Bacon, 2008)
Aside from those alkaloids that protect the plant from insect herbivory (Breen, 1994), these endophytes produce alkaloid toxins active against mammalian herbivores (Schmidt and Osborn, 1993) such as the indole diterpene, lolitrem B and the ergot alkaloid, ergovaline
Created perennial ryegrass/endophyte associations, or novel associations, are a key factor in New Zealand’s agribusiness success (Johnson et al, 2013). This is due to the ability to create novel associations that are absent of the detrimental endophyte toxins and the associated animal ill-health while still possessing advantageous traits like insect deterrent compounds
Summary
Fungal endophytes of cool season grasses, the Epichloë “endophytes,” are well-known for their production of bioactive alkaloids and the benefits these compounds confer to their plant hosts (Bush et al, 1997; Kuldau and Bacon, 2008) Aside from those alkaloids that protect the plant from insect herbivory (Breen, 1994), these endophytes produce alkaloid toxins active against mammalian herbivores (Schmidt and Osborn, 1993) such as the indole diterpene, lolitrem B and the ergot alkaloid, ergovaline. Created perennial ryegrass/endophyte associations, or novel associations, are a key factor in New Zealand’s agribusiness success (Johnson et al, 2013) This is due to the ability to create novel associations that are absent of the detrimental endophyte toxins (most importantly lolitrem B) and the associated animal ill-health while still possessing advantageous traits like insect deterrent compounds (such as peramine). There has been (and continues to be) significant research into the effects of the ergot alkaloids (predominantly ergovaline) on animal health (Schmidt and Osborn, 1993), physiological response, mode of action, management practices that can mitigate animal health impacts, seasonal expression (Rogers et al, 2011), and distribution in planta (Spiering et al, 2002)
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