Biochemical Markers in Taxonomy of the Genus Fusarium

The amino acid, fatty acid and secondary metabolite profiles of 11 Fusarium were determined. Numerous amino acids including phospho serine, taurine, glycine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, carnosine, and arginine were detected in all the investigated Fusarium species. While aspartic acid, citrulline, valine, cystine, methionine, leucine, histidine and lysine were detected in some Fusarium species. Only leucine, tryptophan, serine, histidine and lysine were detected only in 1, 2, or 3 species. Lauric, myristic, palmitoleic, palmitic, heptadecanoic, oleic, stearic, linoleic, arachidic, and behenic were detected in all the investigated Fusarium species. However, caprylic, capric, tridecanoic, pentadecanoic, and linolenic were not detected in some of the Fusarium species. Among the three determined profiles, the secondary metabolite was the most useful profile, followed by amino acid profile that can be used for chemotaxonomy of the genus Fusarium. Many secondary metabolites were limited in distribution among the investigated species. Zearalenone, emodin, P-nitropropionic acid, monorden and wortmanin were detected only in certain species of Fusarium and could be considered as taxonomic markers for those species. However, using of a mixed profile of the amino acid, fatty acid and secondary metabolite will led to use more convenient chemotaxonomic markers.