[Intestinal fungal diversity of sub-adult giant panda].
OBJECTIVE
The fungi diversity in the guts of five sub-adult giant pandas was analyzed.


METHODS
We analyzed the fungal internal transcribed spacer sequences (ITS) using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). ITS regions were amplified with fungal universal primers to construct ITS clone libraries. The fingerprints were analyzed by restriction fragment length polymorphism using the Hha I and Hae III enzymes. The cloned PCR products were analyzed by sequencing and diversities were demonstrated by phylogenetic tree.


RESULTS
The gut fungi of 5 sub-adult giant pandas were mainly composed of Ascomycota (average of 46.24%), Basidiomycota ( average of 15.79%), unclassified (average of 29.14%), uncultured fungus (average of 8.83% ). Ascomycota was mainly composed of Saccharomycetes (average of 63.74%) and Dothideomycetes ( average of 35.91%); Basidiomycota was mainly composed of Tremellomycetes (average of 65.80%) and Microbotryomycetes (average of 33.15%). Four classes were mainly composed of Candida and Debaryomyces; Pleosporales and Myriangium; Cystofilobasidium and Trichosporon; Leucosporidium, and Leucosporidiella, whereas the proportions were different for each sample.


CONCLUSIONS
Fungal flora existing in the intestines of sub-adult giant pandas expand our knowledge on the structure of the giant panda gut microbes and also help us to further study whether fungal flora can help giant pandas digest high-fiber foods.
Shengquan
S
Ai
Zhijun
Z
Zhong
Guangneng
G
Peng
Chengdong
C
Wang
Yongjiu
Y
Luo
Tingmei
T
He
Wuyang
W
Gu
Caiwu
C
Li
Gangshi
G
Li
Honglin
H
Wu
Xuehan
X
Liu
Yu
Y
Xia
Yanhong
Y
Liu
Xiaoxiao
X
Zhou
D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D005260:Female; D005658:Fungi / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D064307:Microbiota; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D001503:Ursidae / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology*