Transposase sequence analysis is an important technique used to detect the presence of transposable elements in a genome. Putative transposase sequence was analyzed in the genome of the phytopathogenic fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa, the causal agent of witches' broom disease of cocoa. Sequence comparisons of the predicted transposase peptide indicate a close relationship with the transposases from the elements of the Tc1-Mariner superfamily. The analysis of the distribution of transposase sequence was done by means of PCR and Southern blot techniques in different isolates of the fungus belonging to C-, L-, and S-biotypes and collected from various geographical areas. The distribution profile of the putative transposase sequence suggests the presence of polymorphic copies among the isolates from C-biotypes. The total DNA hybridization profile of each isolate was used to calculate genetic distance and group by the UPGMA method. C-biotype isolates colleted from of the Bahia showed two hybridization profiles for the transposase sequence. Thus the two different fingerprinting profiles for transposase sequence reported here by Southern analysis could also be correlated to the presence of two different genotypes in Bahia, Brazil.
Theobroma cacao; biotypes; DDE motif; genetic variability; transposon; Witches' broom
