Phylogenetic analysis of endophytic pestalotiopsis species from ethnopharmaceutically important medicinal trees

The phylogenetic diversity in 30 endophytic Pestalotiopsis strains and two Bartalinia robillardoides strains isolated from the medicinal plants Azadirachta indica, Holarrhena antidysenterica, Terminalia arjuna and T. chebula were analyzed using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) restriction fragment length polymorphism (ITS-RFLP) and sequence analysis of the ITS region of ribosomal DNA (rDNA). The amplified rDNA fragment length ranged from 548-607 bp. rDNA ITS sequence analysis provided greater resolution for distinguishing isolates of Pestalotiopsis than ITS-RFLP analysis with five restriction enzymes Alu I, Hae III, Ava II, Hpa II and Taq I. The ITS-RFLP profiles were highly distinctive for P. virgatula and P. theae and also exhibited a high level of intraspecific polymorphism in strains of P. microspora. Endophytic and pathogenic Pestalotiopsis species clustered into distinct groups based oil analysis of ITS sequences. The clusters grouped irrespective of the host or parts of the trees or locations (Mysore, Srirangapatna, Nanjungud, Gopalswamy hills and Sullia) from which they were isolated. Further Studies on Pestaliotiopsis endophytes and the naming of species are suggested