STEROID BIOTRANSFORMING STRAINS DESIGNATED COCHLIOBOLUS-LUNATUS M118 AND CURVULARIA-LUNATA AT46 ARE BOTH CURVULURIA-LUNATA VAR LUNATA

The two strains designated ''Cochliobolus lunatus m118'' (MUCL 38696) and ''Curvularia lunata AT46'' (MUCL 38697) are both important for pro duction of corticosteroids. The strain Cochliobolus lunatus m118 devel oped mycelium only; no conidia nor ascomata were observed Curvularia l unata AT46 produced some conidia on current growth media and condition s. We present for the first time the successful conidiation of ''m118' ' on the special growth media and light. Although the strains did not cross nor did with other MUCL Curvularia lunata strains, remaining bot h asexual, they produced identical conidiation on specific media and u nder near UV light. Both strains gave the same results with API ZYM 20 (Biomerieux) test and they hybridized well with a randomly cloned Coc hliobolus lunatus genomic probe. RAPD profiles with different primers showed some identical (species specific) markers and several nonidenti cal (strain specific) markers. Results demonstate that strains m118 an d AT46 which have been widely used in biochemical and molecular biolog y studies but did not have a documented taxonomical classification, ar e two non-compatible Curvularia lunata var. lunata strains.