Mycology最新文献

Sugarcane smut, caused by Sporisorium scitamineum, poses a significant global threat, leading to substantial economic losses. The pathogenic process involves haploid spores engaging in sexual mating to produce diploid mycelia, which then initiates the disease by penetrating sugarcane tissues. Targeting the mating process has thus emerged as the Achilles' heel in controlling sugarcane smut. In this study, we isolated a fungus designated as P-6 from a bryophyte, which impeded the mycelia formation of S. scitamineum. Phylogenetic and morphological analyses classified the strain P-6 within the genus Paramyrothecum. Through ethyl acetate extraction, subsequent separation, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis, we identified the active compound responsible for inhibiting the mating process as verrucarin A (Ver-A). Specifically, Ver-A inhibited the sexual mating of S. scitamineum by modulating the gene expression of loci a and b. Greenhouse pot experiments underscored the efficacy of strain P-6's fermentation products in reducing the incidence of sugarcane smut. These findings lay a robust groundwork for the development and application of P-6 as a novel biocontrol strain against sugarcane smut.

More than 600 Chinese specimens of Armillaria were identified by mating tests, Genealogical Concordance Phylogenetic Species Recognition (GCPSR), and comparison of morphological characteristics. Sixteen Chinese Biological Species (CBS) of Armillaria were identified by 30,340 mate pair combinations. Fifteen Chinese Phylogenetic Species (CPS) were recognised based on Independent Evolutionary Lineage (IEL) recognition and concatenated six-gene analysis (actin, h3h, hisps, LSU rDNA, rpb1, and tef1α). All the biological species and phylogenetic species were identical and possessed the same species boundary, except for CBS K (A. mellea) and CBS G (A. mellea ssp. nipponica) which were the same phylogenetic species. On the basis of CBS and CPS, eight new species of Armillaria in China were distinguished using macro and micro morphology, and they are described as A. algida, A. amygdalispora, A. bruneocystidia, A. luteopileata, A. pungentisquamosa, A. sinensis, A. tibetica, and A. violacea. This study indicates that the GCPSR approach provides the same resolution as mating tests in identification of Armillaria species.

CAP (cysteine-rich secretory proteins, antigen5, pathogenesis-related proteins) superfamily proteins are widely distributed, can be subdivided into 11 subfamilies, and form a unique branch in fungi, named PRY proteins. Verticillium dahliae is a soil-borne fungal pathogen of vascular plants that causes plant Verticillium wilt. However, the roles of CAP superfamily proteins in this fungus is unclear. Here, four CAP superfamily members with a conserved domain were identified in V. dahliae: VdPRY1, VdPRY2, VdPRY3, and VdPRY4. VdPRY1 and VdPRY3 were found to be key in suppressing plant immune responses. Moreover, these four members are highly expressed during early infection of cotton by V. dahliae. Deleting VdPRY1, VdPRY2, or VdPRY3 reduced the fungus's ability to cause disease, but VdPRY4 deletion did not affect virulence. Deletion of any of four members did not impact fungal growth or carbon source use. Yeast two-hybrid experiments suggest that these proteins may function through interactions with each other. This investigation has, for the initial time, elucidated the pivotal roles of V. dahliae CAP superfamily proteins in inhibiting plant immunity and exerting virulence during interaction with the host plant.

Myxomycetes play crucial ecological roles, yet their species diversity, distribution, and taxonomic relationships remain poorly understood. In this study, we examined 104 specimens from 19 provinces in China. Through morphological analysis, we identified a group of species with reduced lime formation, a feature typically associated with the Physaraceae, but with key morphological similarities to the Diderma. A comprehensive phylogenetic analysis was conducted using three genes (nSSU, EF-1α, and COI), resulting in a dataset of 452 sequences from 116 species. Notably, we identified a distinct clade within Didymiaceae containing species with fewer lime knots, a trait traditionally linked to Physaraceae. This clade, designated as the new genus Neodiderma, was phylogenetically positioned as a sister group to Diderma, potentially representing a transitional group between Didymiaceae and Physaraceae, supported by both morphological and molecular evidence. Eleven new species - N. macrosporum, N. pseudobisporum, N. verrucocapillitium, N. rigidocapillitium, N. rufum, Physarum guangxiense, P. subviride, P. nigritum, P. biyangense, P. neoovoideum, and P. jilinense - were identified from China, and their phylogenetic positions were analysed. Additionally, N. spumarioides (formerly Diderma spumarioides) was recombined. The new and recombined species were formally described and illustrated, and a key to the sections and species of Neodiderma and Physarum was provided.

Spf1 is an important P-type ATPase in Candida albicans, which functions as an endoplasmic reticulum calcium pump to maintain calcium homoeostasis. The deficiency of Spf1 attenuates the virulence of C. albicans. However, its impact on immune response remains to be investigated. This study discovered that deletion of SPF1 resulted in a reduction of endoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane contacts, an important structure mediating material and information exchange. This effect was attributed to the reduced plasma membrane localisation of the crucial endoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane tethering proteins Ist2 and Tcb1/3. The reduction of the contacts led to a decrease in secretion of the virulence factors phospholipase, secreted aspartyl protease (SAP), candidalysin, and the cell wall-anchored protein Hwp1 during infection. Immunofluorescence staining and quantitative PCR assays further showed that the SPF1 deletion led to a remarkable decrease in the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, suggesting the alleviation of the fungus-induced inflammatory response. Ultimately, the regulatory role of Spf1 in immune response significantly weakened the infectivity of C. albicans, and increased the survival rate of the hosts. This finding elucidated the role of fungal calcium pump-governed endoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane contacts in regulation of immune response. It also makes it possible to regulate the host's immune response via control of SPF1 expression and functions, providing a theoretical basis for treating fungal infections.

Marine fungi are promising sources of bioactive natural products. The harsh marine conditions favour the production of natural products with unique structures and functions. The different classes of bioactive metabolites produced by these marine fungi can exhibit cytotoxic, apoptotic, anti-proliferative, antiangiogenic, and autophagy inducing effects on a plethora of cancer cell lines. This review, based on research articles that have been published from 2002 to 2023, provides a concise overview of the anticancer properties of metabolites from marine Aspergillus fungal species. A total of 204 papers are reviewed and 208 most active cytotoxic molecules are reported from Aspergillus. The source as well as the growth medium utilised for the production of cytotoxic metabolites are listed. The mechanism of action of some compounds, which could be used as potential drugs, is also reported. These fungi, under optimal growth conditions, have immense potential as anticancer agents, produce novel metabolites with specific structures that can kill a panel of human cancer cells. However, there is a dire need for more clinical trials and understanding of the mechanisms of action of pharmacologically active constituent. Research should also target how to improve culture methods and perform clinical research on human subjects with more scientific reproducibility.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a toxic secondary metabolite produced by the Aspergillus species which can contaminate various food products. This study analysed the transcriptome of the Aspergillus westerdijkiae fc-1 strain under NaCl concentrations of 0, 20, and 100 g/L using RNA-Seq technology to examine gene transcriptional changes linked to osmotic stress and OTA production. Significant changes were observed in metabolic-pathways associated with carbohydrates, cellular communication, and hydrolase activity under 20 g/L NaCl. The HOG1 gene, associated with osmotic pressure regulation was down-regulated by 78.06%. In contrast, OTA biosynthesis genes otaA, otaB, and otaC were up-regulated by 3.26 fold, 1.99 fold, and 2.06 fold, respectively. Conversely, the otaD gene was down-regulated by 43.50%. At 100 g/L NaCl, pathways related to ion transport, peptide metabolism, ribosomal function, and transmembrane transporter protein activities were significantly up-regulated. The HOG1 gene was up-regulated by 28.32% and OTA biosynthesis genes otaA, otaB, otaC, and otaD showed up-regulation of 27.06%, 36.80%, 19.59%, and 5.72 fold, respectively. The study highlights the role of metabolic pathways in osmotic stress regulation and the correlations between HOG1 expression and OTA biosynthesis genes, providing insights for developing strategies to prevent OTA contamination in food.

The cactophilic yeasts, Sporopachydermia species, are intrinsic resistance to echinocandins. We report the first case of fungemia caused by S. lactativora in China. Sporopachydermia lactativora could colonise and infect multiple animal tissues and could represent a new emerging fungal pathogen of humans and should not be ignored in clinical settings.

The species of Ramaria are coralloid-fungi with intricately branched and vividly coloured basidiomata. There are many studies on the genus Ramaria in China, but molecular phylogenetic analysis is rarely employed. In this study, we performed a multigene phylogenetic analysis to identify Ramaria species in Shanxi Province of northern China. Phylogenetic analyses based on four loci, the internal transcribed spacer region of nuclear ribosomal DNA (ITS), the nuclear large subunit ribosomal DNA (nrLSU), ATPase subunit 6 (atp6), and mitochondrial small subunit ribosomal DNA (mtSSU), revealed 13 Ramaria species from our collections. Combined with morphological examinations, 12 of them were identified as new species, plus a new report to China. The thirteen species were described and illustrated in this paper.

Four new lactones, including hypomonacid A (1) and hypomonone A-C (4-6), as well as nine known polyketide analogues (2-3 and 7-13) were obtained from endophytic fungus Hypomontagnella sp. TX-09 derived from Santalum album. Their planar structures were extensively established by analysing HRESIMS and NMR spectroscopic data. Stereochemistry of new compounds was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis and modified Mosher's method in combination with quantum-chemical ECD calculation. In addition, compounds 1 and 2 showed anti-inflammatory activity by inhibition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NO production in RAW264.7 cells at 50 μmol/L without cytotoxicity. Among them, compound 1 inhibited the production of LPS-stimulated inflammation in mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cells by suppressing the expression of iNOS, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6.