Ima Fungus最新文献

Prior to physical contact, ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi can regulate plant root growth and ramification by emitting volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, the underlying mechanisms of these VOC effects, as well as the key signaling molecules within the VOC blends, are largely unknown. Under sterile conditions, we studied the effects of the SuillusbovinusVOCs on the root growth of Pinusmassoniana or Arabidopsisthaliana before physical contact. Exogenously added auxin inhibitors and auxin-related mutants were used to explore the role of auxin in the promotion of plant root development by S.bovinusVOCs. S.bovinusVOCs stimulated host P.massoniana and non-host A.thaliana lateral root formation (LRF). Although these effects were independent of the host, they exhibited a symbiotic fungal-specific feature. Sesquiterpenes (SQTs) were the main S.bovinus VOC component that promoted LRF in plants. Two SQTs, α-humulene and β-cedrene, utilized different auxin pathways to promote plant root growth but did not affect the formation of an ECM symbiotic relationship between P.massoniana and S.bovinus. These findings enhance our understanding of the role played by SQTs in the signal recognition mechanism during the ECM presymbiotic stage and their role in promoting plant growth.

The genus Pseudogymnoascus includes several species frequently isolated from extreme environments worldwide, including cold environments such as Antarctica. This study describes three new species of Pseudogymnoascus-P.russus sp. nov., P.irelandiae sp. nov., and P.ramosus sp. nov.-isolated from Antarctic soils. These species represent the first Pseudogymnoascus taxa to be formally described from Antarctic soil samples, expanding our understanding of fungal biodiversity in this extreme environment. Microscopic descriptions of asexual structures from living cultures, along with measurements of cultural characteristics and growth on various media types at different temperatures, identify three distinct new species. In addition, phylogenetic analyses based on five gene regions (ITS, LSU, MCM7, RPB2, TEF1) and whole-genome proteomes place these new species within three distinct previously described clades: P.irelandiae in clade K, P.ramosus in clade Q, and P.russus in clade B. These results provide further evidence of the extensive undescribed diversity of Pseudogymnoascus in high-latitude soils. This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on Antarctic mycology and the broader ecology of psychrophilic and psychrotolerant fungi.

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis is integral to sustainable agriculture and enhances plant resilience to abiotic and biotic stressors. Through their symbiotic association with plant roots, AM improves nutrient and water uptake, activates antioxidant defenses, and facilitates hormonal regulation, contributing to improved plant health and productivity. Plants release strigolactones, which trigger AM spore germination and hyphal branching, a process regulated by genes, such as D27, CCD7, CCD8, and MAX1. AM recognition by plants is mediated by receptor-like kinases (RLKs) and LysM domains, leading to the formation of arbuscules that optimize nutrient exchange. Hormonal regulation plays a pivotal role in this symbiosis; cytokinins enhance AM colonization, auxins support arbuscule formation, and brassinosteroids regulate root growth. Other hormones, such as salicylic acid, gibberellins, ethylene, jasmonic acid, and abscisic acid, also influence AM colonization and stress responses, further bolstering plant resilience. In addition to plant health, AM enhances soil health by improving microbial diversity, soil structure, nutrient cycling, and carbon sequestration. This symbiosis supports soil pH regulation and pathogen suppression, offering a sustainable alternative to chemical fertilizers and improving soil fertility. To maximize AM 's potential of AM in agriculture, future research should focus on refining inoculation strategies, enhancing compatibility with different crops, and assessing the long-term ecological and economic benefits. Optimizing AM applications is critical for improving agricultural resilience, food security, and sustainable farming practices.

Based on molecular and morphological evidence the new subfamily Pseudobaeosporoideae of the Tricholomataceae is established within the Tricholomatineae for accommodating the unique features of Pseudobaeospora such as gymnocarpic mycenoid/collybioid habit, small-sized spores with thick and dextrinoid wall, and presence of crassobasidia. Twenty-six Pseudobaeospora collections corresponding to eleven species (five types) were newly sequenced. Collections morphologically attributable to P.oligophylla (type of the genus) or to P.pillodii are here sequenced for the first time: accordingly, P.oligophylla is considered as a posterior synonym of P.pillodii. Quélet's original plate is selected as a lectotype for Collybiapillodii and a French collection as its epitype collection. Pseudobaeosporadeceptiva is described as a new species from Italy very close to P.pillodii from which it differs mainly by bigger spores and SSU and LSU rDNA sequences. The presence of P.pyrifera in Italy is documented for the first time and P.mutabilis is reduced to its later synonym. A neotype is established for P.jamonii which is here proved to be an independent species. Finally, a critical review of the characters used for interspecific distinctions in Pseudobaeospora was provided.

Arabica coffee (Coffeaarabica) is the most cultured and popular coffee bean in today's world. Yunnan Province is well known as China's largest arabica coffee cultivation region. Fungi represent an important group of microorganisms associated with coffee, profoundly influencing its yield and quality. In this study, twelve fungal collections growing on dead and decaying twigs of coffee were collected and isolated to systematically document microfungi associated with coffee plants in Yunnan Province. Ten novel species, each representing a unique family within Pleosporales, were identified and introduced, based on comprehensive morphological analyses and multigene phylogenetic studies. The ten new species belong to the families Bambusicolaceae, Didymellaceae, Didymosphaeriaceae, Longiostiolaceae, Lophiostomataceae, Massarinaceae, Neomassariaceae, Occultibambusaceae, Roussoellaceae and Thyridariaceae with each family containing one new species. Macro- and micro-characteristics, descriptions and phylogenetic trees indicating the placement of the new taxa are provided. In addition, pairwise homoplasy index (PHI) test results and morphological comparisons between the new species and closely-related taxa are given. This study also establishes a comprehensive global inventory of saprobic fungi associated with coffee, which is intended to help researchers and professionals worldwide with practical information. This research enhances the understanding of coffee-associated fungal diversity in China and underscores the importance of introducing new saprobic fungal taxa related to coffee.

Natural product discovery from fungi for drug development and description of novel chemistry has been a tremendous success. This success is expected to accelerate even further, owing to the advent of sophisticated technical advances of technical advances that recently led to the discovery of an unparalleled biodiversity in the fungal kingdom. This review aims to give an overview on i) important secondary metabolite-derived drugs or drug leads, ii) discuss the analytical and strategic framework of how natural product discovery and drug lead identification transformed from earlier days to the present, iii) how knowledge of fungal biology and biodiversity facilitates the discovery of new compounds, and iv) point out endeavors in understanding fungal secondary metabolite chemistry in order to systematically explore fungal genomes by utilizing synthetic biology. An outlook is given, underlining the necessity for a collaborative and cooperative scenario to harness the full potential of the fungal secondary metabolome.

Fusarium species, recognised as global priority pathogens, frequently induce severe diseases in crops; however, certain species exhibit alternative symbiotic lifestyles and are either non-pathogenic or endophytic. In this study, we characterised the mutualistic relationship between the eFp isolate of F.pseudograminearum and five poplar species, resulting in formation root structures reminiscent of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) symbiosis. This functional symbiosis is evidenced by enhanced plant growth, reciprocal nutrient exchange, improved nitrogen and phosphorus uptake and upregulation of root sugar transporter gene expression (PtSweet1). Comparative and population genomics confirmed that eFp maintains a structurally similar genome, but exhibits significant divergence from ten conspecific pathogenic isolates. Notably, eFp enhanced the growth of diverse plant lineages (Oryza, Arabidopsis, Pinus and non-vascular liverworts), indicating a near-complete loss of virulence. Although this specialised symbiosis has only been established in vitro, it holds significant value in elucidating the evolutionary track from endophytic to mycorrhizal associations.

Diaporthales is a significant fungal order comprising species that predominantly inhabit plant tissues, being pathogens, endophytes, and saprobes. Recent studies have uncovered extensive species diversity across various hosts, utilizing both morphological characteristics and molecular phylogenetic analyses. In this study, samples of leaf spots and branch cankers were collected from China, and fungal isolations were established. Species identification was conducted using a phylogenetic approach based on combined sequence data from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, large subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU), the DNA-directed RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (rpb2), and translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1) genes, together with morphological observations. As a result, the novel genus Tiania is proposed, with three newly described species: T.chinensis, T.lithocarpicola, and T.quercicola. These species are validated by pairwise homoplasy index (PHI) analysis, ensuring robust support for their distinction. This study explores the rare family Diaporthostomataceae, providing the first descriptions of their anamorphic forms. By offering detailed morphological and molecular data, this research lays a foundation for future taxonomic and systematic studies of the Diaporthales.

Pleosporales, the largest order in Dothideomycetes, has a broad host range and inhabits host plants as epiphytes, endophytes, parasites and saprophytes. Trematosphaeriaceae is a monophyletic family in Pleosporales, composed of species of deviated ecological background and morphological traits. In this study, we described a new fungal taxon under Trematosphaeriaceae, based on root endophytic fungi recovered from the desert plant Gymnocarposprzewalskii in Gansu Province, China. The taxon is characterised by simple, aseptate conidia and pycnidia in unusually small sizes. Multilocus phylogenetic analysis, based on ITS, LSU, SSU and TEF sequences and a morphology study indicated that the taxon represented a new genus within the Trematosphaeriaceae and was named Nigromargaritatarda. Intriguingly, an intron of 355 bp in length located at site 453 on the ribosomal SSU gene was detected in one strain of N.tarda. Sequence analysis and phylogenetic analysis indicated that the intron belongs to an intron position class (Pcl) restricted to Pleosporales. Phylogeny affiliated distribution of this Pcl was confined at the genus or lower level, suggesting a horizontal transmission pattern of this Pcl. This study established a new genus in Trematosphaeriaceae and depicted the spread features of a less-documented Pcl amongst Pleosporales families with high resolution, which promotes our understanding of the origin and transmission mechanism of such mobile genetic elements.

In this study, the complete mitogenomes of three Diaporthe species (Diaportheeres ZM79-3, D.phaseolorum ZM33-4 and Diaporthe sp. ZM41-5) were sequenced, assembled and compared with the other three previously sequenced Diaporthe mitogenomes (D.caulivora VNIIKR SE Dcaul3, D.longicolla MSPL 10-6 and D.sojae VNIIKR SE Dps12). The six Diaporthe mitogenomes were found to be circular DNA molecules, with lengths ranging from 53,646 bp to 108,865 bp. The mitogenomes of the six Diaporthe species mainly comprised the same set of 15 core protein-coding genes (PCGs), two rRNAs, and a certain number of tRNAs and unidentified open reading frames (ORFs). The PCG length, AT skew and GC skew showed large variability among the 15 PCGs in the six mitogenomes. The nad1 gene had the least K2P genetic distance of the 15 core PCGs among the 13 Diaporthales species, indicating that this gene was highly conserved. The Ka/Ks values for all 15 core PCGs were < 1, suggesting that these genes were all subject to purifying selection. Comparative mitogenome analysis showed that introns contributed the most to the size variation of Diaporthe mitogenomes. Frequent intron loss/gain events were detected to have occurred in the cox1 gene during the evolution of the Diaporthales mitogenomes. Although the mitogenomes of 13 species from Diaporthales had undergone large-scale gene rearrangements, six mitogenomes of Diaporthe species had identical gene arrangements. Phylogenetic analysis based on combined mitochondrial gene datasets showed that the six Diaporthe species formed well-supported topologies. To our knowledge, this study is the first report on the mitogenomes of D.phaseolorum ZM33-4 and Diaporthe sp. ZM41-5, as well as the first comparison of mitogenomes among Diaporthe species. Our findings will further promote investigations of the genetics, evolution and phylogeny of the Diaporthe species.