This article provides morphological descriptions and illustrations of microfungi associated with the invasive weed,
Chromolaena odorata
, which were mainly collected in northern Thailand. ...Seventy-seven taxa distributed in ten orders, 23 families (of which Neomassarinaceae is new), 12 new genera (
Chromolaenicola
,
Chromolaenomyces
,
Longiappendispora
,
Pseudocapulatispora
,
Murichromolaenicola
,
Neoophiobolus
,
Paraleptospora
,
Pseudoroussoella
,
Pseudostaurosphaeria
,
Pseudothyridariella
,
Setoarthopyrenia
,
Xenoroussoella
), 47 new species (
Aplosporella chromolaenae
,
Arthrinium chromolaenae
,
Chromolaenicola chiangraiensis
,
C. lampangensis
,
C. nanensis
,
C. thailandensis
,
Chromolaenomyces appendiculatus
,
Diaporthe chromolaenae
,
Didymella chromolaenae
,
Dyfrolomyces chromolaenae
,
Leptospora chromolaenae
,
L. phraeana
,
Longiappendispora chromolaenae
,
Memnoniella chromolaenae
,
Montagnula chiangraiensis
,
M. chromolaenae
,
M. chromolaenicola
,
M. thailandica
,
Murichromolaenicola chiangraiensis
,
M. chromolaenae
,
Muyocopron chromolaenae
,
M. chromolaenicola
,
Neomassarina chromolaenae
,
Neoophiobolus chromolaenae
,
Neopyrenochaeta chiangraiensis
,
N. chromolaenae
,
N. thailandica
,
N. triseptatispora
,
Nigrograna chromolaenae
,
Nothophoma chromolaenae
,
Paraleptospora chromolaenae
,
P. chromolaenicola
,
Patellaria chromolaenae
,
Pseudocapulatispora longiappendiculata
,
Pseudoroussoella chromolaenae
,
Pseudostaurosphaeria chromolaenae
,
P. chromolaenicola
,
Pseudothyridariella chromolaenae
,
Pyrenochaetopsis chromolaenae
,
Rhytidhysteron chromolaenae
,
Setoarthopyrenia chromolaenae
,
Sphaeropsis chromolaenicola
,
Tremateia chiangraiensis
,
T. chromolaenae
,
T. thailandensis
,
Xenoroussoella triseptata
,
Yunnanensis chromolaenae
), 12 new host records, three new taxonomic combinations (
Chromolaenicola siamensis
,
Pseudoroussoella elaeicola
,
Pseudothyridariella mahakashae
), and two reference specimens (
Torula chromolaenae
,
T. fici
) are described and illustrated. Unlike some other hosts, e.g. bamboo (Poaceae) and Pandanaceae, the dominant group of fungi on Siam weed were Dothideomycetes. Only 15 species previously recorded from northern Thailand were found in this study. Most of the taxa are likely to have jumped hosts from surrounding plants and are unlikely to be a specialist to Siam weed. Most fungal families found on Siam weed had divergence estimates with stem ages in the Cretaceous, which coincided with the expected origin of the host family (Asteraceae). This further indicates that the species have jumped hosts, as it is unlikely that the taxa on the alien Siam weed came from the Americas with its host. They may, however, have jumped from other Asteraceae hosts. In a preliminary screening 40 (65%) of the 62 species tested showed antimicrobial activity and thus, the fungi associated with
C. odorata
may be promising sources of novel bioactive compound discovery. We provide a checklist of fungi associated with
C. odorata
based on the USDA Systematic Mycology and Microbiology Laboratory (SMML) database, relevant literature and our study. In total, 130 taxa (116 identified and 14 unidentified species) are distributed in 20 orders, 48 families, and 85 genera.
Pseudocercospora
is the most commonly encountered genus on Siam weed.
Short-read next generation sequencing (NGS) platforms can easily and quickly generate thousands to hundreds of thousands of sequences per sample. However, the limited length of these sequences can ...cause problems during fungal taxonomic identification. Here we validate the use of Pacbio sequencing, a long-read NGS method, for characterizing the fungal community (mycobiome) of
deadwood. We report the successful use of Pacbio sequencing to generate long-read sequences of the full-length (500-780 bp) fungal ITS regions of the
mycobiome. Our results show that the studied deadwood mycobiome is taxonomically and functionally diverse, with an average of 85 fungal OTUs representing five functional groups (animal endosymbionts, endophytes, mycoparasites, plant pathogens, and saprotrophs). Based on relative abundance data, Basidiomycota were the most frequently detected phyla (50% of total sequences), followed by unidentified phyla, and Ascomycota. However, based on presence/absence data, the most OTU-rich phyla were Ascomycota (58% of total OTUs, 72 OTUs) followed by Basidiomycota and unidentified phyla. The majority of fungal OTUs were identified as saprotrophs (70% of successfully function-assigned OTUs) followed by plant pathogens. Finally, we used phylogenetic analysis based on the full-length ITS sequences to confirm the species identification of 14/36 OTUs with high bootstrap support (99-100%). Based on the numbers of sequence reads obtained per sample, which ranged from 3,047 to 13,463, we conclude that Pacbio sequencing can be a powerful tool for characterizing moderate- and possibly high-complexity fungal communities.
Sordariomycetes is an earlier-introduced and one of the widely distributed class of Ascomycota. The class was initially classified based on morphology in having inoperculate and unitunicate asci. ...With the development of DNA based phylogenetic analysis, several undetermined or polyphyletic members of Sordariomycetes were reclassified. However, not all species belonging to this class have been sequenced and analyzed. There are a number of species, especially those old and poorly studied ones which have never been sequenced before and not even recollected again for further taxonomic verification. One of the main objective in this study is to revise and update the taxonomy of several well-known early and poorly studied species whose classification are still obscure. Herein, we re-examined the type materials and/or authentic specimens together to explore 74 relatively poorly-studied genera, which mainly belong to Boliniales, Calosphaeriales, Chaetosphaeriales, Jobellisiales, and Sordariales classified under Diaporthomycetidae and Sordariomycetidae. We provide descriptions, notes, figures and/or drawings and discussed their phylogenetic relationships. As a result, the monotypic Jobellisiales is transferred from Hypocreomycetidae to Diaporthomycetidae. Based on phylogenetic analysis, the polyphyletic Lasiosphaeriaceae is divided into five families, Bombardiaceae (
Apodospora
,
Bombardia
,
Bombardioidea
,
Fimetariella
and
Ramophialophora
), Lasiosphaeriaceae (
Anopodium
,
Bellojisia
,
Corylomyces
,
Lasiosphaeria
,
Mammaria
and
Zopfiella
), Lasiosphaeridaceae (
Lasiosphaeris
), Strattoniaceae (
Strattonia
) and Zygospermellaceae (
Episternus
and
Zygospermella
). In addition, a new family Neoschizotheciaceae is established based on
Neoschizothecium
. Analysis of the type species of
Boothiella
,
Stellatospora
,
Sulcatistroma
and
Tengiomyces
placed them in Sordariaceae, Chaetomiaceae, Hypocreales and Coronophorales, respectively. We classify the genera lacking molecular data based on their morphology and expect them to be recollected; that is,
Kacosphaeria
in Calosphaeriales;
Arnium
,
Biconiosporella
,
Camptosphaeria
,
Diffractella
,
Emblemospora
,
Eosphaeria
,
Periamphispora
,
Synaptospora
and
Tripterosporella
in Sordariales;
Conidiotheca
in Sordariomycetes;
Copromyces
,
Effetia
,
Endophragmiella
and
Tulipispora
are accommodated in Ascomycota. Besides, we establish a new genus
Neoschizothecium
based on phylogenetic analysis. New combinations proposed:
Camaropella amorpha
,
Cam
.
microspora
,
Cam
.
plana
,
Cladorrhinum grandiusculum
,
Cla
.
leucotrichum
,
Cla
.
terricola
,
Cla
.
olerum
,
Helminthosphaeria plumbea
,
Immersiella hirta
,
Jugulospora minor
,
Lasiosphaeris arenicola
,
Neoschizothecium aloides
,
Neo
.
carpinicola
,
Neo
.
conicum
,
Neo
.
curvisporum
,
Neo
.
fimbriatum
,
Neo
.
glutinans
,
Neo
.
inaequale
,
Neo
.
minicaudum
,
Neo
.
selenosporum
,
Neo
.
tetrasporum
,
Neurospora autosteira
,
Podospora brunnescens
,
P
.
flexuosa
,
P
.
jamaicensis
,
P
.
hamata
,
P
.
macrospora
,
P
.
spinosa
,
Strattonia petrogale
and
Triangularia microsclerotigena
,
T
.
nannopodalis
,
T
.
praecox
,
T
.
samala
,
T
.
tarvisina
,
T
.
unicaudata
,
T
.
yaeyamensis
. New epithets are proposed for
Apiorhynchostoma apiosporum
and
Podospora dacryoidea
.
Fungi are an understudied resource possessing huge potential for developing products that can greatly improve human well-being. In the current paper, we highlight some important discoveries and ...developments in applied mycology and interdisciplinary Life Science research. These examples concern recently introduced drugs for the treatment of infections and neurological diseases; application of –OMICS techniques and genetic tools in medical mycology and the regulation of mycotoxin production; as well as some highlights of mushroom cultivaton in Asia. Examples for new diagnostic tools in medical mycology and the exploitation of new candidates for therapeutic drugs, are also given. In addition, two entries illustrating the latest developments in the use of fungi for biodegradation and fungal biomaterial production are provided. Some other areas where there have been and/or will be significant developments are also included. It is our hope that this paper will help realise the importance of fungi as a potential industrial resource and see the next two decades bring forward many new fungal and fungus-derived products.
In the pursuit of discovering new active metabolites from helicosporous hyphomycetes, rice fermentation products of
Neohelicosporium griseum
were examined. Eight compounds were isolated from this ...saprophytic fungus, namely vertixanthone (
1
), diaportheone A (
2
), 1,3,6,8-tetrahydroxyanthraquinone (
3
), lecanoric acid (
4
), decarboxycitrinone (
5
), 6,8-dihydroxy-4-hydroxymethyl-3,5-dimethyl-isochromen-1-one (
6
), decarboxyhydroxycitrinone (
7
), and ergosterin (
8
). The 1D and 2D NMR characteristics of compound
1
in DMSO-
d
6
were detailed for the first time. Antimicrobial testing indicated that compounds
1
–
4
exhibited moderate activity against
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
, with compound
3
also showing weak activity against
Staphylococcus aureus
. In-vitro cytotoxicity assays revealed that compounds
1
,
3
, and
4
displayed cytotoxic activity against HELA cell lines, with respective IC
50
values of 30.8, 13.7, and 14.1 µM. Compounds
1
,
3
, and
4
also showed significant cytotoxicity against A549 cell lines, with respective IC
50
values of 24.7, 7.4, and 10.3 µM.
The genus Apiospora is known as a cosmopolitan genus, found across various substrates. In this study, four Apiospora taxa were obtained from the decaying stems of bamboo and maize in northern ...Thailand. Apiospora collections were compared with known species based on the morphological characteristics and the DNA sequence data of internal transcribed spacer (ITS), the partial large subunit nuclear rDNA (LSU), the translation elongation factor 1-alpha gene (TEF1-α) and beta-tubulins (TUB2). Apiospora chiangraiense sp. nov. and two new host records (Ap. intestini and Ap. rasikravindra) are introduced here based on the morphological characteristics and multi-locus analyses. Additionally, thirteen species previously identified as Arthrinium are introduced as new combinations in Apiospora, viz., Ap. acutiapica, Ap. bambusicola, Ap. biserialis, Ap. cordylines, Ap. cyclobalanopsidis, Ap. euphorbiae, Ap. gelatinosa, Ap. locuta-pollinis, Ap. minutispora, Ap. pseudorasikravindrae, Ap. septate, Ap. setariae and Ap. sorghi.
Herbal teas, including Camellia sinensis (black and green teas), are popular beverages with health benefits for consumers worldwide. These products are prepared from natural materials of different ...plant parts containing antioxidant properties and vitamins. The aim of this study was to investigate fungal contaminants and their ability to produce ochratoxin A (OTA) in herbal tea samples. Seven herbal teas were obtained from local markets in Chiang Rai, northern Thailand. Samples were incubated on potato dextrose agar (PDA), and the growing mycelia were isolated into a pure culture. The cultures were identified via both morphology and molecular analysis to confirm species identification. The identified species were subjected to OTA analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a fluorescence detector. Ochratoxin A was produced by Aspergillus chevalieri and A. niger, isolated from seven herbal tea samples (black tea, green tea, bael fruit, goji berry, jasmine, lavender, and rose). This finding raises concerns about the safety of herbal tea and should be investigated further for potential health implications.
Fungi have evolved diverse strategies to acquire nutrients as endophytes, saprobes, symbionts, or pathogens. Appressoria have been intensively studied due to their importance in attaching and ...breaching the host surface. These specialized infection structures have evolved into various morpho-types: proto-appressoria, hyaline appressoria, melanized (dark) appressoria, and compound appressoria. In this review, we discuss the differences in the formation, differentiation, and function of appressoria among fungi with diverse life strategies. Using DNA sequence information, LSU, 5.8S, SSU and
rpb2
gene fragments, we reconstructed the ancestral states for appressorial types in the main phyla of fungi and fungus-like organisms and found that the hyaline appressoria was the most ancestral form. Our analysis estimated proto-appressoria diversification during the Mesozoic period (92–239 million years ago), however, its origin remains inconclusive. Our data suggest that these hyaline appressoria diversified into melanized or compound appressoria, with evidence of adaptive radiation.
During an ongoing research survey of saprobic fungi in Thailand, four coelomycetous strains were isolated from decaying leaves in Chiang Mai and Phitsanulok Provinces. Morphological characteristics ...demonstrated that these taxa are typical of Cytospora in forming multi-loculate, entostromatic conidiomata, branched or unbranched conidiophores, with enteroblastic, phialidic conidiogenous cells and hyaline, allantoid, aseptate conidia. Multiloci phylogeny of ITS, LSU, ACT, RPB2, TEF1-α and TUB2 confirmed these taxa are distinct new species in Cytospora in Cytosporaceae (Diaporthales, Sordariomycetes), viz., Cytospora chiangmaiensis, C. phitsanulokensis and C. shoreae. Cytospora chiangmaiensis has a close phylogenetic relationship with C. shoreae, while C. phitsanulokensis is sister to C. acaciae. These three novel species were also preliminary screened for their antagonistic activity against five plant pathogenic fungi: Colletotrichumfructicola, Co. siamense, Co. artocarpicola, Co. viniferum and Fusarium sambucinum. Cytospora shoreae and C. phitsanulokensis showed >60% inhibition against Co. viniferum and F. sambucinum, while C. chiangmaiensis had moderate inhibition activity against all pathogens.
Species within Tetraplosphaeriaceae have been frequently documented in recent years with the extensive investigations of microfungi along a latitudinal gradient from north to south in the ...Asian/Australian region. Both bamboo substrates and freshwater habitats serve as extensive reservoirs, hosting a rich diversity of fungi that exhibit broad geographical distributions. The most common fungi in these two environments are generally distributed in distinct families. However, our statistics have revealed an intriguingly distinct preference of Tetraplosphaeriaceae species for inhabiting both bamboo substrates and freshwater habitats. The genera
(100%) and
(100%) exhibit a strong preference, followed by
(71%) and
(67%). Our taxonomic and phylogenetic study of microfungi in southern China have identified four additional novel species, viz.,
sp. nov.,
sp. nov.,
sp. nov., and
sp. nov. from bamboo substrates and freshwater habitats. In addition,
has previously been documented from freshwater habitats in Thailand; however, we have once again isolated this species from decaying bamboo substrates in Guangdong, China. The new findings substantiate our hypothesis that the preference of Tetraplosphaeriaceae species for colonizing bamboo substrates and freshwater habitats will be more evident through more extensive investigations conducted in such environments.
PDF
