Endophytic fungal DNA, the source of contamination in spruce needle DNA

  1. F. J. Camacho1,
  2. D. S. Gernandt1,
  3. A. Liston1,
  4. J. K. Stone1,
  5. A. S. Klein2

Article first published online: 31 OCT 2003

DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-294X.1997.00266.x

Issue

Molecular Ecology

Molecular Ecology

Volume 6, Issue 10, pages 983–987, October 1997

Additional Information

How to Cite

Camacho, F. J., Gernandt, D. S., Liston, A., Stone, J. K. and Klein, A. S. (1997), Endophytic fungal DNA, the source of contamination in spruce needle DNA. Molecular Ecology, 6: 983–987. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-294X.1997.00266.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Oregon State University, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA,

  2. 2

    University of New Hampshire, Program in Genetics and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Durham, NH 03824, USA

* F. J. Camacho Fax: +1-541-737-3573. E-mail: camachof@bcc.orst.edu

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 31 OCT 2003
  2. Article first published online: 31 OCT 2003

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Keywords:

  • fungal endophytes;
  • DNA contamination;
  • Hormonema dematioides;
  • Aureobasidium pullulans;
  • Rhizosphaera kalkhoffii;
  • Picea

DNA isolated and amplified from higher plants may originate from symbiotic microbes occupying plant tissues. A recent report on the phylogeny of Picea contained sequence data that upon later analysis proved to originate from filamentous ascomycetes. Isolates of endophytic fungi from Picea foliage collected from the same location as the original samples were examined to identify the source of the contaminating DNA. The ITS region of isolates was screened by Southern blotting using an oligonucleotide probe homologous to a unique portion of the reported ‘spruce’ sequences. This study identifies a DNA sequence originally attributed to Picea engelmannii (Engelmann spruce) as Hormonema dematioides, a ubiquitous foliar endophyte of conifers. Infections of plants by endophytic fungi are common and their presence is not revealed by external symptoms. Plant molecular researchers should be aware of the potential for this type of DNA contamination.

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