Diversity and community structure of endophytic fungi from liquorice plants

In the present study, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) was employed to analyze the community structure and diversity of endophytic fungi of Glycyrrhiza inflate and G. glabra plants in Tarim basin, Xinjiang.The results showed that diversity and community structure of endophytic fungi of Liquorice were different either in different species or in different tissue of the same species. The diversity of endophytic fungi was richest in root (B1) of G. inflate and lowest in the fruit of G. glabra. Twenty five gel bands were purified and sequenced which belonged to eleven genera, including Acremonium, Metarhizium, Metacordyceps, Fusarium, Alternaria, Cladosporium, Leotiomycetes, Sarocladium, Pseudogymnoascus, Aspergillus. Alternaria was dominant genera accounting for 32% of all sequences. All of the results revealed there was high diversity of endophytic fungi in the plant tissues of Liquorice and there was abundant endophytic fungi resource in Liquorice of Tarim basin, Xinjiang.