Exploration of unique relation among industrial fungi by statistical analysis

AbstractThis work was carried out to explore the relation among thermophilic cellulolytic fungi, which are of industrialimportance. There was no report found about the genetic relationship of fungi, which are used to produce industrial enzymes.So the aim of the study was to observe the similarity among different cellulolytic fungi on genetic level, which will providethe background to understand the correlation among cellulase producing systems of these fungi. Eleven (11) fungi werestudied for genetic diversity using the Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) a PCR based molecular marker system.In this regard twenty universal decamers used for RAPD resulted in 1527 numbers of bands observed during comparison ofall wild strains. Maximum polymorphism was generated with GLA-07. Average numbers of bands per 20 primers were 65-72.An Interesting feature of the study was the similarity of Humicola insolens with Torula thermophile, more than with theother members of the Humicola family. This genetic pattern affects the physical structure of the fungi. Spores of Torulathermophila are more related to Humicola insolens than to its own family. Similarity between the two was found to be 57.8%,whereas between Humicola lanuginosa (Thermomysis lanuginosus) and Humicola grisea it was 57.3%. Apart from this,similarity between Talaromyces dupontii and Rhizomucor pusillus was 51.5%. Least similarity was found in Rhizomucorpusillus and Humicola grisea, which was 18.7% and Chaetomium thermophile and Sporotrichum thermophile, which was18.3%. Genetic similarity matrix was constructed on the basis of Nei and Li’s index.Keywords: genetic diversity, cellulolytic fungi, DNA fingerprinting, RAPDSongklanakarin J. Sci. Technol.34 (6), 607-613, Nov. - Dec. 20121. IntroductionThe fungi constitute a most fascinating group oforganisms exhibiting great diversity in form, structure, habit,life history and mode of nutritional and mycelial tropic stage,which adequately distinguish the fungi as separate kingdom(Hawksworth et al., 1983). Microbial sources such as fungiare well recognized to produce a wide variety of chemicalstructures, several of which are most valuable pharmaceuti-cals, agrochemicals and industrial products such as enzymes.The world of fungi provides a fascinating and almost endlesssource of biological diversity, which is a rich source for ex-ploitation. Fungi interact with their hosts, and also withabiotic variables in the environment (Manoharachary et al.,2005).Thermophilic fungi are a small assemblage in mycotathat have a minimum temperature of growth at or above 20°Cand a maximum temperature of growth extending up to 60 to62°C. As the only representatives of eukaryotic organismsthat can grow at temperatures above 45°C, the thermophilicfungi are valuable experimental systems for investigation ofmechanisms that allow growth at moderately high tempera-ture yet limit their growth beyond 60 to 62°C (Cooney andEmerson, 1964).The properties of their enzymes show differences notonly among species but also among strains of the same spe-cies. Genes of thermophilic fungi encoding lipase, protease,xylanase, and cellulase have been cloned and over expressedin heterologous fungi, and pure crystalline proteins havebeen obtained for elucidation of the mechanisms of their