Mycology最新文献

Fungal pathogens pose significant and increasing threats to public health. Each year, over a billion people are infected by fungal pathogens, directly contributing to millions of deaths. To overcome the challenge of fungal threat, in 2022, World Health Organization (WHO) issued a Fungal Priority Pathogens List (FPPL) aimed at strengthening international response, promoting research, and enhancing policy intervention development. Over the past four decades, China has made tremendous progress in advancing our knowledge of fungal infections. Here, we review research trends and recent progress in China on fungal pathogens on the WHO FPPL, with an emphasis on four critical pathogens: Cryptococcus neoformans, Candidozyma auris, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Candida albicans since 2022. In addition, we describe national policies and strategic measures aimed at large-scale prevention and control of fungal infections. Our bibliometric analyses of articles published by Chinese researchers from 1983 to 2024 in the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC, English-language) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI, Chinese-language) revealed increasing number of peer-reviewed publications on human fungal pathogens in both databases up to 2008 when the number in the CKNI database dropped and remained relatively flat since while that in the WOSCC database continued to increase, reflecting the strategic emphasis by Chinese institutions and funding agencies on achieving greater international visibility, academic impact, and integration within the global scientific community. In both databases, the four critical priority pathogens accounted for > 45% of the studies and the progresses made by Chinese researchers since 2022 on them are described here. A shared challenge for treating all fungal infections is the emergence and spread of antifungal resistance. We highlight antifungal resistance, tolerance, and persistence, and describe recent developments in antifungal drug pipelines, including those in China. Beyond scientific breakthroughs, China has been making coordinated prevention efforts and robust policy measures. However, significant challenges remain in understanding pathogen population dynamics and host-pathogen interactions; in developing and deploying rapid, sensitive, specific, and cost-effective diagnosis; in designing geographic region-specific and personalized prevention and treatments; and in alleviating the growing burden of antifungal resistance.

The forma specialis concept has been a cornerstone in Fusarium phytopathology for 85 years, classifying pathogens based on host specificity. However, its validity as a natural and practical framework has been increasingly questioned. In this study, we critically re-evaluate the forma specialis concept through an extensive survey of Fusarium wilt diseases across 37 crop hosts from 23 provinces of China. Through multi-locus phylogenetic analyses, morphological assessments, and pathogenicity tests on 659 strains isolated from 171 diseased samples, we identified 46 Fusarium species, including seven newly described taxa, and uncovered extensive cross-host pathogenicity, with up to 21 species associated with the same wilt disease. In addition, 57% of samples exhibited multiple species co-infections, revealing significant inconsistencies with the forma specialis framework. These findings challenge the long-standing paradigm of host specificity in Fusarium pathogens and advocate for a shift of perspective to a "pathobiome" framework, where disease dynamics are largely driven by community-level interactions rather than single-pathogen relationships. Applying these conceptual advances to Fusarium wilt research could fundamentally transform our comprehension of host-pathogen relationships and facilitate the development of more ecologically sustainable disease management approaches.

Fungi have been recognised as a prolific source of structurally unique secondary metabolites with promising pharmacological properties. This review comprehensively summarises the chemical architectures, bioactivities, and research strategies for new fungal-derived natural products, focusing on representative studies published in 2024. A total of 907 novel fungal-derived compounds are systematically cataloged (isomers are also contained in the total count), including 284 polyketides, 362 terpenoids, 28 steroids, 108 alkaloids, 75 peptides, and 50 glycosides, while highlighting cutting-edge methodologies such as metabolomics-guided discovery platforms and biosynthetic pathway engineering. By establishing connections between chemical novelty and therapeutic value, this review not only provides strategic guidance for fungal chemical diversity exploration but also illuminates their transformative potential in overcoming drug discovery bottlenecks.

In this study, we isolated 633 Trichoderma strains from 15 forest types across six climate zones. Our findings revealed that species diversity was highly underestimated, with 239 isolates identified as new species based on ITS, rpb2, and tef1 sequences. In tropical and subtropical regions, the mean values for the haplotype Chao1 richness index and the Shannon-Weiner diversity index are 73 and 3, respectively, significantly higher than those in temperate regions. Trichoderma cf. taiwanense was the most widely distributed, followed by T. asperellum, rather than widely reported T. harzianum. The maximum entropy model was used to analyse the effects of climatic factors on distribution of T. cf. taiwanense and T. asperellum, and showed that precipitation in the warmest quarter was the most important factor influencing their distribution. T. cf. taiwanense zj625y demonstrated significantly higher antagonistic ability, outperforming the other tested Trichoderma species. The genomic characteristics of T. cf. taiwanense were firstly revealed with 36.49 Mbp in size and contained 17 genes of β-1,3-glucanase and 24 genes of chitinase genes. Additionally, the activities of endochitinase, endo-1,3(4)-β-glucanase, and metallopeptidase were highly expressed in culture. Metabolomic analysis further identified specific substances produced by T. cf. taiwanense zj625y, such as ergothioneine, (3-carboxypropyl) trimethylammonium cation, NG-dimethyl-L-arginine (ADMA), N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, stearic acid, tyramine, citrate, L-leucine, and acetylcarnitine, which contribute to its potential antagonism and environmental adaptability.

The genus Trichoderma plays a vital role in agriculture by promoting plant growth, enhancing nutrient uptake, and protecting crops from pathogens through biocontrol mechanisms. This can be largely attributed to its production of diverse secondary metabolites (SMs), including epidithiodiketopiperazines (ETPs). Our previous study has reported the complex biosynthesis of α, β'-disulfide bridged ETPs, in which TdaH and TdaG are highly conserved in catalyzing C6'-O-methylation and C4, C5-epoxidation, respectively. Here we proved the functional diversification of ETP methylation and oxidation by TdaH and TdaG towards eleven pathogenic fungi, including Fusarium, Aspergillus, and Botrytis species. Elimination of C6'-O-methylation and C4, C5-epoxidation reduced the antagonistic effects of Trichoderma hypoxylon against various pathogenic fungi. However, each deletion mutant showed varying antagonistic effects against different pathogenic fungi. Our results highlight the importance of ETP structural diversity in T. hypoxylon's ecological adaptation and biocontrol potential, offering insights into developing enhanced antifungal agents against plant pathogens.

Cryptococcus neoformans, an opportunistic fungal pathogen, poses significant health risks by causing severe meningitis in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent individuals. In this study, we identified the vacuolar protein sorting-associated protein Vps17, a crucial Retromer complex component, in C. neoformans. Sequence analysis revealed that Cryptococcus Vps17 contains a PX and a BAR domain, classifying it within a conserved family of SNX proteins interacting with inositol phosphate. Expression pattern analysis indicated that the VPS17 gene is active throughout all developmental stages of C. neoformans, with Vps17 localised on vesicles and unaffected by external stressors. Deletion of the VPS17 gene resulted in reduced fungal capsule size and increased sensitivity to various stressors like SDS, NaCl, and KCl, highlighting its role in maintaining cell membrane integrity. Significantly, the absence of Vps17 hindered sexual reproduction, preventing basidiospore formation and meiosis following nuclear fusion. In a murine systemic infection model, the virulence of the vps17Δ mutant was significantly reduced. Our findings suggest that Vps17 plays a vital role in regulating sexual reproduction and pathogenicity in C. neoformans by influencing the expression of numerous related genes.

Two new pairs of chlorinated orsellinic aldehyde enantiomers acresorcinols A and B (1a/1b and 2a/2b), and three orsellinic aldehydes, acresorcinols C-E (3-5) were discovered from the extract of the deep-sea-derived fungus Acremonium sclerotigenum LW14. Their structures, including absolute configurations, were experimentally elucidated by spectroscopic analysis, NMR calculations with DP4+ probability analysis, and ECD calculations. Compounds 1 and 2 exemplify the first reported chlorinated orsellinic aldehydes, characterised by a distinctive 6/5-5 tricyclic core structure with a bridged framework. Acresorcinol C (3) was a rare carbon-bridged resorcinol dimer via a methylene bridge. The bioassay results showed that all compounds exhibited antifungal activities against Cryptococcus gattii 3271G1 at 32 μg/mL. Compounds 1-3 showed antifungal effects against C. gattii 3271G1, displaying MIC values of 8, 16, and 16 µg/mL, respectively.

Alternative polyadenylation (APA) has been implicated in regulating transcriptome diversity and gene expression by significantly altering mRNA abundance, stability, localisation, and translation. Understanding the comprehensive landscape of APA can provide valuable insights into the complexity of gene regulation. In this review, we first outline the critical factors and mechanisms for the selection of PAS. Then, we summarise the experimental as well as the bioinformatic technologies for studying APA. In addition, we review and discuss current studies on fungi, aiming to highlight the role of APA in various biological processes, including growth and development, metabolism, responses to stress, and potential contribution towards virulence during host infection. Finally, we propose key questions along with perspectives for future research on APA in fungi. With more in-depth studies like comparative transcriptomic analyses, genome-wide poly(A) site mapping throughout the fungal kingdom, additional signatures and functions of APA will be uncovered, and its diverse roles will gradually come into focus.

The unique ecological environment and minimal human interference in Medog County endow it with abundant and distinctive macrofungi resources. But in the past, there have been few research reports on the investigation of macrofungi in Medog County. In this study, we systematically investigated macrofungi in forests of different altitudinal gradients in Medog County and collected some specimens, especially those growing on wood. Morphology and phylogenetic analysis were used to study the specimens which could not be identified as species. Phylogenetic analysis was based on DNA sequences including the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS) and the large subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (nLSU). Based on morphological characterisation and molecular data, this study identified 192 macrofungi species in the Basidiomycota and Ascomycota from Medog County, belonging to 15 orders, 62 families, and 123 genera. Among these species, 12 new species belong to eight genera, four families within Marasmiineae were recognised, viz. Collybiopsis incarnatus, C. medogensis, C. salmonea, C. submenehune, Crustomyces subisabellinus, Gymnopus subfoetidus, Marasmiellus medogensis, M. subgregarius, Marasmius medogensis, Mycetinis rhododendri, Oudemansiella nivea, and Pusillomyces tropicalis. Basidiomata and microscopic structure diagrams and detailed morphological descriptions of the novel species are provided.