Journal of Fungi最新文献

Tuber aestivum is a key truffle species with significant ecological and economic value. Despite its importance, plantation success can be influenced by soil pH, host plants, and undesired fungi. This study examines how soil pH and host plants influence mycorrhization trends in T. aestivum plantations across six plant species in eight Hungarian settlements, using root sampling and DNA analysis to assess plantations at three and six years of age. Tuber aestivum achieved over 30% mycorrhization, with Carpinus betulus showing the highest levels. DNA analysis identified eight undesired mycorrhizal fungi, with Suillus spp. (42.9%) and Scleroderma spp. (31.4%) being the most prevalent. The study found that T. aestivum preferred a soil pH of around 7.6, while undesired fungi thrived in slightly acidic conditions. Additionally, soil pH significantly and positively influenced T. aestivum mycorrhization; however, factors such as plantation age also contributed to mycorrhization trends. While mycorrhization by undesired fungi decreased with higher soil pH, it increased as plantations matured from three to six years. These findings highlight the need for the effective management of soil pH and the control of undesired fungi to optimize T. aestivum mycorrhization, emphasizing the importance of targeted strategies and further research for sustainable truffle cultivation.

In an extensive fungal investigation conducted in southern China, a large number of fungal strains were isolated by collecting and treating diseased and decayed leaves. Using internal transcribed spacer regions (ITSs) sequence data for a BLAST search to screen for suspected strains of Daldinia, followed by phylogenetic analysis using internal transcribed spacer regions, partial sequences of the large subunit of the rDNA (LSU), RNA polymerase II (rpb2), and beta tubulin (tub2) sequence data, combined with morphological characteristics of anamorphic species, ninety-four strains of Daldinia were identified. Furthermore, their geographical distribution and host specificity of the genus were thoroughly analyzed and summarized. Additionally, seven new anamorphic species of the genus Daldinia were also detected, Daldinia ehretiae sp. nov., D. jianfengensis sp. nov., D. ledongensis sp. nov., D. menghaiensis sp. nov., D. rhododendri sp. nov., D. spatholobi sp. nov., and D. thunbergiae sp. nov.

Trichoderma species have been reported as masters in producing cellulolytic enzymes for the biodegradation of lignocellulolytic biomass and biocontrol agents against plant pathogens and pests. In our previous study, a novel Trichoderma strain LZ117, which shows potent capability in cellulase production, was isolated. Herein, we conducted multilocus phylogenetic analyses based on DNA barcodes and performed time-scaled phylogenomic analyses using the whole genome sequences of the strain, annotated by integrating transcriptome data. Our results suggest that this strain represents a new species closely related to T. atrobrunneum (Harzianum clade). Genes encoding carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes), transporters, and secondary metabolites were annotated and predicted secretome in Trichoderma sp. LZ117 was also presented. Furthermore, genetic manipulation of this strain was successfully achieved using PEG-mediated protoplast transformation. A putative transporter gene encoding maltose permease (Mal1) was overexpressed, which proved that this transporter does not affect cellulase production. Moreover, overexpressing the native Cre1 homolog in LZ117 demonstrated a more pronounced impact of glucose-caused carbon catabolite repression (CCR), suggesting the importance of Cre1-mediated CCR in cellulase production of Trichoderma sp. LZ117. The results of this study will benefit further exploration of the strain LZ117 and related species for their applications in bioproduction.

Limited antifungal treatment options and drug resistance require innovative approaches to effectively combat fungal infections. Combination therapy is a promising strategy that addresses these pressing issues by concurrently targeting multiple cellular sites. The drug targets usually selected for combination therapy are from different cellular pathways with the goals of increasing treatment options and reducing development of resistance. However, some circumstances can prevent the implementation of combination therapy in clinical practice. These could include the increased risk of adverse effects, drug interactions, and even the promotion of drug resistance. Furthermore, robust clinical evidence supporting the superiority of combination therapy over monotherapy is limited and underscores the need for further research. Despite these challenges, synergies detected with different antifungal classes, such as the azoles and echinocandins, suggest that treatment strategies can be optimized by better understanding the underlying mechanisms. This review provides an overview of multi-targeting combination strategies with a primary focus on Candidozyma auris infections.

The Caribbean continues to have high HIV prevalence globally with concurrently high mortality rates due to opportunistic Infections. This study addresses the prevalence of histoplasmosis and cryptococcosis among patients living with advanced HIV disease (AHD) in Trinidad and Tobago, focusing on the implementation of antigen-based diagnostic assays. Conducted as a cross-sectional survey across five HIV treatment sites, 199 participants with advanced HIV disease were enrolled between July 2022 and September 2023. Diagnostic testing was performed using the Clarus Histoplasma Galactomannan Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA), and the Immy CrAg^® LFA Cryptococcal Antigen Lateral Flow Assay on urine and blood samples, respectively. Results revealed that 14.6% of participants were found to be co-infected with either histoplasmosis or cryptococcosis, with histoplasmosis being more prevalent (10.5%) than cryptococcosis (4.0%). The study found no significant demographic differences between newly diagnosed and previously diagnosed participants. However, a lower median CD4 count was associated with a higher risk of fungal opportunistic infections. The findings underscore the critical role of systematic use of fungal antigen-based diagnostic assays among patients with AHD to improve the timely diagnosis and treatment of fungal infections among people living with HIV in resource-limited settings and to improve patient outcomes and survival.

Characterization of fungal spider pathogens lags far behind their insect counterparts. In addition, little to nothing is known concerning the ecological reservoir and/or fungal entomopathogen community surrounding infection sites. Five infected spider cadavers were identified in the neo-tropical climate of north-central Florida, USA, from three of which viable cultures were obtained. Multi-locus molecular phylogenetic and morphological characterization identified one isolate as a new Gibellula species, here named, Gibellula floridensis, and the other isolates highly similar to Parengyodontium album. The fungal entomopathogen community surrounding infected spiders was sampled at different habitats/trophic levels, including soil, leaf litter, leaf, and twig, and analyzed using ITS amplicon sequencing. These data revealed broad but differential distribution of insect-pathogenic fungi between habitats and variation between sites, with members of genera belonging to Metarhizium and Metacordyceps from Clavicipitaceae, Purpureocillium and Polycephalomyces from Ophiocordyceps, and Akanthomyces and Simplicillium from Cordycipitaceae predominating. However, no sequences corresponding to Gibellula or Parengyodontium, even at the genera levels, could be detected. Potential explanations for these findings are discussed. These data highlight novel discovery of fungal spider pathogens and open the broader question regarding the environmental distribution and ecological niches of such host-specific pathogens.

Dermatophytoses are infectious skin diseases of public health importance because of their transmissibility and high prevalence, especially among children. This is the first study aiming to estimate and report the burden of dermatophytoses on school-age children on the island of Santiago in Cape Verde, an African country that is an archipelago. A total of 249 students attending the afternoon shift of three elementary schools in the city of Achada Igreja were examined. Of these, 60 had suspected lesions of dermatophyte infection. However, from the samples collected from these 60 students, including hair, nails, and skin scrapings, only 18 dermatophyte isolates were obtained, corresponding to a point prevalence of 7.2%. Morphological species identification demonstrated three different species: Trichophyton soudanense, Trichophyton rubrum, and Trichophyton violaceum; re-identification by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1 and 2 regions of ribosomal DNA, and the 5.8S rDNA encoding gene (ITS-5.8S region), revealed T. soudanense as the most prevalent species, with only one case of T. rubrum. This is the first epidemiological data describing dermatophytoses and dermatophytes in Cape Verde among school-age children on one of the archipelago islands. It reinforces the need of using culture and accurate identification methodologies when gathering epidemiological data on dermatophytoses.

Litter decomposition is a crucial biochemical process regulated by microbial activities in the forest ecosystem. However, the dynamic response of the fungal community during litter decomposition to vegetation changes is not well understood. Here, we investigated the litter decomposition rate, extracellular enzyme activities, fungal community, and nutrient cycling-related genes in leaf and twig litters over a three-year decomposition period in a pure Liquidamabar formosana forest and a mixed L. formosana/Pinus thunbergii forest. The result showed that during the three-year decomposition, twig litter in the mixed forest decomposed faster than that in the pure forest. In both leaf litter and twig litter, β-cellobiosidase and N-acetyl-glucosamidase exhibited higher activities in the mixed forest, whereas phosphatase, β-glucosidase, and β-xylosidase were higher in the pure forest. The fungal α-diversity were higher in both litters in the pure forest compared to the mixed forest, with leaf litter showing higher α-diversity than twig litter. Fungal species richness and α-diversity within leaf litter increased as decomposition progressed. Within leaf litter, Basidiomycota dominated in the mixed forest, while Ascomycota dominated in the pure forest. Funguild analysis revealed that Symbiotroph and ectomycorrhizal fungi were more abundant in the mixed forest compared to the pure forest. In the third-year decomposition, genes related to phosphorus cycling were most abundant in both forests, with the pure forest having a higher abundance of cex and gcd genes. Fungal community structure, predicted functional structure, and gene composition differed between the two forest types and between the two litter types. Notably, the fungal functional community structure during the first-year decomposition was distinct from that in the subsequent two years. These findings suggest that dominant tree species, litter quality, and decomposition time all significantly influence litter decomposition by attracting different fungal communities, thereby affecting the entire decomposition process.

Fusarium head blight (FHB), primarily caused by Fusarium graminearum, is a devastating crop disease that leads to significant declines in wheat yield and quality worldwide. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are found to play significant functions in various biological processes, but their regulatory functions in the sexual reproduction and pathogenicity of F. graminearum have not been studied extensively. This study identified an antisense lncRNA, named lncRsn, located in the transcription initiation site region between the 5'-flanking gene FgSna and the 3'-flanking gene FgPta. A deletion mutant of lncRsn (ΔlncRsn) was constructed through homologous recombination. ΔlncRsn exhibited huge reductions in pathogen and sexual reproduction. Additionally, the deletion of lncRsn disrupted the biosynthesis of deoxynivalenol (DON) and impaired the formation of infection structures. RT-qPCR analysis reveals that lncRsn may negatively regulate the transcription of the target gene FgSna. This study found that lncRsn plays an important role in sexual and asexual reproduction, pathogenicity, virulence, osmotic stress, and cell wall integrity (CWI) in F. graminearum. Further characterization of pathogenesis-related genes and the reaction between lncRsn and protein-coding genes will aid in developing novel approaches for controlling F. graminearum diseases.

Mikania micrantha is one of the most threatening invasive plant species in the world. Its invasion has greatly reduced the species diversity of the invaded areas. The development of fungal herbicides using phytopathogenic fungi has attracted considerable attention in recent years. In this study, a tissue isolation method was used to isolate and screen the strain SWFU-MM002 with strong pathogenicity to M. micrantha leaves from naturally occurring M. micrantha. Through morphological observation, ITS, GAPDH, and Alta-1 gene sequence homology, we compare and construct a phylogenetic tree to determine their taxonomic status. In addition, the biological characteristics of strain SWFU-MM002 were studied. The results showed that, combined with morphological and molecular biology identification, the strain was identified as Alternaria gossypina; biological characteristic research showed that the optimal medium for the growth of mycelium of this strain is PDA medium. At the optimal temperature of 27 °C and pH between 6 and 10, the mycelium can grow well. The best carbon and nitrogen sources are maltose and peptone, respectively. Analysing the infection process under a light microscope showed that SWFU-MM002 mycelia invaded the leaf tissue through stomata and colonized, eventually causing damage to the host. This is the first report of leaf spot of M. micrantha caused by A. gossypina. This study can lay a solid foundation for the development of A. gossypina as a control agent for M. micrantha.