RFLP analysis of rRNA intergenic spacer regions of 23 isolates of the entomopathogenPaecilomyces farinosus

Abstract

Genetic relationships between 23 eastern Canadian isolates of the entomopathogen Paecilomyces farinosus (Holm ex S.F. Gray) Brown & Smith were investigated by comparison of DNA fragments produced by restriction enzyme digestion of polymerase chain reaction amplified ribosomal RNA intergenic spacer regions. The variation observed was limited to 40% or less of these regions. All P. farinosus isolates were very dissimilar to isolates of the entomopathogens Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill. and Paecilomyces fumosoroseus (Wize) Brown & Smith. Seventeen P. farinosus isolates from six different hosts and diverse habitats yielded identical or nearly identical results. Two groups, each with three isolates from two different hosts, were distinct from the main group of isolates. Each of the three P. farinosus groups included some isolates that produced synnemata and some that did not, indicating multiple evolutionary losses of the ability to produce this sporulation structure. We conclude that eastern Canadian P. farinosus, while genetically and phenotypically variable, is not composed largely of strains with strict ecological requirements. Key words: entomopathogenic fungus, population biology, RFLP, ribosomal RNA intergenic spacer.