Identification of yeast species from uncultivated soils by sequence analysis of the hypervariable D1/D2 domain of LSU–rDNA gene in Kermanshah province, Iran

Yeasts are a polyphyletic group of ascomycete and basidiomycete fungi characterized by having a unicellular growth phase and sexual stages that are not enclosed in fruiting bodies. An attempt was made to identify yeast species in uncultivated soils collected from different areas of Kermanshah province, Iran, by analyzing hypervariable D1/D2 domain of the large subunit (LSU) rDNA gene sequence and comparing the sequences with that available in NCBI database. In this study, 25 soil samples were analyzed and eight species including Rhodotorula toruloides (KP324973)*, Trichosporon coremiiforme (KP055040)*, Naganishia uzbekistanensis (KP324959), Candida catenulata (KP324968), C. paracilopsis (KP324965)*, C. boidinii (KP324 962)*, Lecythophora sp. (KP336745)* and Meyerozyma guilliermondii (KPKP324971, KP324978) were identified. Phylogenetic analysis based on D1/D2 regions allowed us to establish the precise taxonomic placement of each species. The Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicated that elevation, EC, pH, and clay were important environmental parameters influencing basidiomycete yeast distribution in uncultivated soils. In this study, the presence of eight species is confirmed that asterisk species are the new records for the mycobiota of Iran.