Metabolites from fungi are a major source of natural small molecule drugs in addition to plants, while fungal derived terpenoids have been confirmed to have great potentials in many diseases. ...Aspergillus fungi are distributed in every corner of the earth, and their terpenoid metabolites exhibit promising diversity in term of both their chemistry and bioactivity. This review attempted to provide timely and comprehensive coverage of chemical, biosynthesis, and biological studies on terpenoids discovered from the genus Aspergillus, including mono-, sesqui-, di-, sester-, tri-, and meroterpenoids, in the last decade. The structural characteristics, biosynthesis, and pharmacological activities of 288 terpenoids were introduced.
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•288 terpenoids were discovered from the genus Aspergillus in the recent decade.•Mono-, sesqui-, di-, sester-, tri, and mero-terpenoids were included.•The biosynthesis of diverse terpenoids in Aspergillus was introduced.•Terpenoid metabolites from Aspergillus show various bioactivities with potential.
Aspergillus is an important fungal genus containing economically important species, as well as pathogenic species of animals and plants. Using eighteen fungal species of the genus Aspergillus, we ...conducted a comprehensive investigation of conserved genes and their evolution. This also allows us to investigate the selection pressure driving the adaptive evolution in the pathogenic species A. fumigatus. Among single-copy orthologs (SCOs) for A. fumigatus and the closely related species A. fischeri, we identified 122 versus 50 positively selected genes (PSGs), respectively. Moreover, twenty conserved genes of unknown function were established to be positively selected and thus important for adaption. A. fumigatus PSGs interacting with human host proteins show over-representation of adaptive, symbiosis-related, immunomodulatory and virulence-related pathways, such as the TGF-β pathway, insulin receptor signaling, IL1 pathway and interfering with phagosomal GTPase signaling. Additionally, among the virulence factor coding genes, secretory and membrane protein-coding genes in multi-copy gene families, 212 genes underwent positive selection and also suggest increased adaptation, such as fungal immune evasion mechanisms (aspf2), siderophore biosynthesis (sidD), fumarylalanine production (sidE), stress tolerance (atfA) and thermotolerance (sodA). These genes presumably contribute to host adaptation strategies. Genes for the biosynthesis of gliotoxin are shared among all the close relatives of A. fumigatus as an ancient defense mechanism. Positive selection plays a crucial role in the adaptive evolution of A. fumigatus. The genome-wide profile of PSGs provides valuable targets for further research on the mechanisms of immune evasion, antimycotic targeting and understanding fundamental virulence processes.
The importance of the influence of microorganisms on the health of humans and animals is beyond doubt. In recent decades, a large amount of data on the interaction of the flora with the elements of ...the immune system has been accumulated. Therefore, it is important to identify any hazardous factors that must be prevented or neutralized. One of such factors is the circulating flora of the premises, the organism of the animal, its virulence and resistance to antibacterial drugs. Bacteriological studies included bacteriological culture on the nutrient environment, their identification and the study of antibioticsensitivity. According to the results of bacteriological studies of milk samples, it was found that in 25% of the studied samples Staphylococcus aureus cultures were found in different concentrations. In 4 samples, Proteus vulgaris was detected. Bacteriological studies of vaginal exudate from the cows after calving have shown that they have Escherichia coli, Escherichia coli haemolitica, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus haemolyticus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterobacter cloacae, Proteus vulgaris, mold fungi of the Aspergillus spp. The studies of the exudate from the nasal passages and the mouthof the calves found that all the tested samples contained Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus spp., Klebsiella pnemoniae and Aspergillus and Candida fungi. The results of calf excrement studies revealed the presence of a number of microorganisms: Escherichia coli, Escherichia coli haemolitica, Proteus vulgaris, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterobacter cloacae and Enterobacter faecalis in different percentages. In determining the sensitivity of isolated cultures to antibacterial drugs, it has been established that Staphylococcus aureus cultures are sensitive to all antibiotics; Proteus vulgaris show resistance to ampicillin, amoxicillin; Escherichia coli haemolytica is resistant to ampicillin.
The chapter on genome plasticity of Aspergillus species focuses on the genome of various Aspergillus species. Aspergilli have an important impact on humankind, both beneficial and detrimental. On the ...one hand, some Aspergillus species are used industrially for the production or refinement of beverages, enzymes, food additives, or pharmaceuticals. The main genome features of fully sequenced Aspergillus genomes are summarized. The likelihood of finding genes belonging to these functional categories in the chromosomal center is six times higher than that of finding them within the subtelomeric regions. The function of most secondary metabolites in the producing organism is not known yet. As biologically active compounds they might protect the fungus against other soil inhabitants and may also contribute to weakening of the host immune system. Genes involved in the production of secondary metabolites are often organized in a cluster. Many of the clusters for biosynthesis of secondary metabolites contain regulatory genes. Secondary metabolite gene clusters are located predominantly in plasticity zones; in A. fumigatus only the DHN melanin biosynthesis cluster and the Pes‐1‐associated cluster are not part of a plasticity zone. In eukaryotes, intragenic tandem repeats (ITRs) are not equally distributed in protein‐encoding genes but tend to be biased to the end of the protein.
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