Study of three interesting Amanita species from Thailand: Morphology, multiple-gene phylogeny and toxin analysis

PLoS One. 2017 Aug 2;12(8):e0182131. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0182131. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Amanita ballerina and A. brunneitoxicaria spp. nov. are introduced from Thailand. Amanita fuligineoides is also reported for the first time from Thailand, increasing the known distribution of this taxon. Together, those findings support our view that many taxa are yet to be discovered in the region. While both morphological characters and a multiple-gene phylogeny clearly place A. brunneitoxicaria and A. fuligineoides in sect. Phalloideae (Fr.) Quél., the placement of A. ballerina is problematic. On the one hand, the morphology of A. ballerina shows clear affinities with stirps Limbatula of sect. Lepidella. On the other hand, in a multiple-gene phylogeny including taxa of all sections in subg. Lepidella, A. ballerina and two other species, including A. zangii, form a well-supported clade sister to the Phalloideae sensu Bas 1969, which include the lethal "death caps" and "destroying angels". Together, the A. ballerina-A. zangii clade and the Phalloideae sensu Bas 1969 also form a well-supported clade. We therefore screened for two of the most notorious toxins by HPLC-MS analysis of methanolic extracts from the basidiomata. Interestingly, neither α-amanitin nor phalloidin was found in A. ballerina, whereas Amanita fuligineoides was confirmed to contain both α-amanitin and phalloidin, and A. brunneitoxicaria contained only α-amanitin. Together with unique morphological characteristics, the position in the phylogeny indicates that A. ballerina is either an important link in the evolution of the deadly Amanita sect. Phalloideae species, or a member of a new section also including A. zangii.

MeSH terms

  • Alpha-Amanitin / isolation & purification
  • Amanita / classification*
  • Amanita / genetics
  • Amanita / metabolism
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • DNA, Fungal / analysis*
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Mycotoxins / classification
  • Mycotoxins / isolation & purification*
  • Phalloidine / isolation & purification
  • Phylogeny
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Thailand

Substances

  • Alpha-Amanitin
  • DNA, Fungal
  • Mycotoxins
  • Phalloidine

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Thai Royal Golden Ph.D. Jubilee-Industry (RGJ) program, Thailand (URL: rgj.trf.or.th/main/home/) Grant number Ph.D./0072/2553 in 4.S.M.F./53/A.2 to BT; National Science Foundation, USA (URL: www.nsf.gov) Grant number DEB-1050292 to SLM; National Research Council of Thailand (URL: en.nrct.go.th) Grant number RTA-5880006 to SL and OR and Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique, Belgium (URL: fnrs.be) Grant number: 2014/V 3/5/215 - IB/MF to OR. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.