Decomposition of lignin‐rich wood by fungi drives nutrient recycling in woodland ecosystems. Fluctuating abiotic conditions are known to promote the functioning of ecological communities and ...ecosystems. In the context of wood decay, fluctuating temperature increases decomposition rates. Metabolomics, in tandem with other ‘omics tools, can highlight the metabolic processes affected by experimental treatments, even in the absence of genome sequences and annotations. Globally, natural wood decay communities are dominated by the phylum Basidiomycota. We examined the metabolic responses of Mucidula mucida, a dominant constituent of pioneer communities in beech branches in British woodlands, and Exidia glandulosa, a stress‐selected constituent of the same communities, in response to constant and diurnally cycling temperature.
We applied untargeted metabolomics and proteomics to beech wood blocks, colonised by M. mucida or E. glandulosa and exposed to either diurnally cycling (mean 15 ± 10°C) or constant (15°C) temperature, in a fully factorial design.
Metabolites and proteins linked to lignin breakdown, the citric acid cycle, pentose phosphate pathway, carbohydrate metabolism, fatty acid metabolism and protein biosynthesis and turnover were under‐enriched in fluctuating, compared to stable temperatures, in the generalist M. mucida. Conversely, E. glandulosa showed little differential response to the experimental treatments.
Synthesis. By demonstrating temperature‐dependant metabolic signatures related to nutrient acquisition in a generalist wood decay fungus, we provide new insights into how abiotic conditions can affect community‐mediated decomposition and carbon turnover in forests. We show that mechanisms underpinning important biogeochemical processes can be highlighted using untargeted metabolomics and proteomics in the absence of well‐annotated genomes.
Primary decay fungi in wood exposed to either stable (15°C) or diurnally cycling temperature regime (5–25°C; 10°C change every 6 hr) exhibit different proteomic and metabolic responses depending on whether they are characterised as stress adapted (Exidia glandulosa) or not (Mucidula mucida). E. glandulosa's consistent expression of proteins and metabolites between incubation regimes contrasted with M. mucida's more variable response under cycling incubation temperature.
The world’s ten most feared fungi Hyde, Kevin D.; Al-Hatmi, Abdullah M. S.; Andersen, Birgitte ...
Fungal diversity,
11/2018, Letnik:
93, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
An account is provided of the world’s ten most feared fungi. Within areas of interest, we have organized the entries in the order of concern. We put four human pathogens first as this is of concern ...to most people. This is followed by fungi producing mycotoxins that are highly harmful for humans;
Aspergillus flavus
, the main producer of aflatoxins, was used as an example. Problems due to indoor air fungi may also directly affect our health and we use
Stachybotrys chartarum
as an example. Not everyone collects and eats edible mushrooms. However, fatalities caused by mushroom intoxications often make news headlines and therefore we include one of the most poisonous of all mushrooms,
Amanita phalloides
, as an example. We then move on to the fungi that damage our dwellings causing serious anxiety by rotting our timber structures and flooring.
Serpula lacrymans
, which causes dry rot is an excellent example. The next example serves to represent all plant and forest pathogens. Here we chose
Austropuccinia psidii
as it is causing devastating effects in Australia and will probably do likewise in New Zealand. Finally, we chose an important amphibian pathogen which is causing serious declines in the numbers of frogs and other amphibians worldwide. Although we target the top ten most feared fungi, numerous others are causing serious concern to human health, plant production, forestry, other animals and our factories and dwellings. By highlighting ten feared fungi as an example, we aim to promote public awareness of the cost and importance of fungi.
The genus Metarhizium is composed of entomopathogenic fungal biological control agents (BCAs) used for invertebrate pest control. The phylogenetic relationships of species within this genus are still ...under scrutiny as several cryptic species can be found. In this work, the mitochondrial (mt) genome of Metarhizium brunneum ARSEF 4556 was fully sequenced and a comparative genome analysis was conducted with 7 other available mt genomes, belonging to 5 Metarhizium species: M. anisopliae, M. brunneum, M. robertsii, M. guizhouense and M. majus. Results showed that Metarhizium demonstrates greater conserved stability than other fungal mt genomes. Furthermore, this analysis located 7 diverse regions in both intergenic domains and gene fragments which were ideal for species/strain discrimination. The sequencing of these regions revealed several SNPs among 38 strains tested, 11 of which were uncharacterized. Single gene phylogenies presented variable results which may be used further for intra-species discrimination. Phylogenetic trees based on the concatenation of mt domains and the nuclear ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region showed discrimination of the species studied and allowed the identification of uncharacterized strains. These were mostly placed within species M. anisopliae and M. brunneum. Five strains clustered together in a clade related to M. brunneum, suggesting that they comprise a cryptic species.
•Comparative mt genome analysis of 5 Metarhizium species presented few differences.•Differences were exploited for species/strain identification with excellent results.•A cryptic species closely related to M. brunnem was found.
Agaricus bisporus is a commercial mushroom crop susceptible to a disease caused by a complex of viruses known collectively as mushroom virus X (MVX). Symptoms of MVX include bare patches and mushroom ...cap discolouration (browning) in the fruiting bodies, phenotypes associated with the viruses AbV6 and AbV16, respectively. Limited understanding exists of the localisation and mobilisation of these viruses within the mycelium of A. bisporus. To this end, a non-destructive fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) method was developed for in situ targeting of AbV6 and AbV16 in A. bisporus mycelium. An MVX strain associated with the bare patch disease phenotype revealed predominantly high signal towards the growing edges of cultures when probed for AbV6, with a ‘halo-effect’ of high signal intensity around putative vacuoles. An MVX strain associated with the browning disease phenotype showed high signal intensities within reticulating networks of hyphae in a highly compartmentalised manner when probed for AbV16. Localisation of the two viruses in MVX-infected cultures appears independent, as both viruses were found in completely discrete areas of the mycelium in differential patterns. FISH detected low level presence of the two viruses, AbV6 and AbV16 in a number of cultures which had tested negative for the viruses by RT-PCR. This suggests that FISH may be more sensitive at detecting viruses at low levels than molecular methods. This study demonstrates that FISH is a powerful tool in the field of mycovirology.
•The technique FISH was used to target viruses within the mycelium of Agaricus bisporus.•Hyphae was cultured, permeabilised and hybridised with FISH probes on a single platform for fluorescence microscopy.•Two distinct viruses from the MVX complex were localised within different areas of the mycelium of A. bisporus strains.•Low levels of virus were detected within non-MVX strain hyphae and high levels were observed in MVX strain hyphae.
Background
The benefit of chemotherapy for surgically resected intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) remains poorly defined. The present study sought to determine the survival impact of chemotherapy ...for surgically resected ICC.
Methods
Patients with non-metastatic ICC who underwent surgery were identified from the National Cancer Database (1998–2011) and stratified by receipt of chemotherapy. Survival outcomes were analyzed following propensity score modeling using the greedy matching algorithm.
Results
A total of 2751 patients were identified (median age 64 years); 985 (35.8 %) received chemotherapy. Younger age, advanced tumor stage, R1/R2 surgical margins, and lymph node metastasis were all independently associated with receipt of chemotherapy (
p
< 0.05). Following propensity score matching, advanced tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, poorly differentiated tumors, and R1/R2 surgical margins were associated with poorer overall survival (OS) (
p
< 0.05). Median OS comparing patients who received chemotherapy compared with surgery alone was 23 versus 20 months (
p
= 0.09). However, when stratified by lymph node status, chemotherapy demonstrated a significant improvement in median OS among N1 patients (19.8 vs. 10.7 months;
p
< 0.001). In contrast, patients with N0 disease derived no benefit from chemotherapy (29.4 vs. 29 months;
p
= 0.33). Additional tumor characteristics associated with improved survival with chemotherapy included T3/T4 tumors (21.3 vs. 15.6 months;
p
< 0.001) and R1/R2 surgical margins (19.5 vs. 11.6 months;
p
= 0.006).
Conclusion
The use of chemotherapy was associated with a survival benefit only for ICC patients with nodal metastasis, advanced tumor stage, or an inadequate surgical resection. Chemotherapy for resected ICC should be strongly considered for tumors harboring high-risk features.
Our aim was to generate and prove the concept of "smart" plants to monitor plant phosphorus (P) status in Arabidopsis. Smart plants can be genetically engineered by transformation with a construct ...containing the promoter of a gene up-regulated specifically by P starvation in an accessible tissue upstream of a marker gene such as β-glucuronidase (GUS). First, using microarrays, we identified genes whose expression changed more than 2.5-fold in shoots of plants growing hydroponically when P, but not N or K, was withheld from the nutrient solution. The transient changes in gene expression occurring immediately (4 h) after P withdrawal were highly variable, and many nonspecific, shock-induced genes were up-regulated during this period. However, two common putative cis-regulatory elements (a PHO-like element and a TATA box-like element) were present significantly more often in the promoters of genes whose expression increased 4 h after the withdrawal of P compared with their general occurrence in the promoters of all genes represented on the microarray. Surprisingly, the expression of only four genes differed between shoots of P-starved and -replete plants 28 h after P was withdrawn. This lull in differential gene expression preceded the differential expression of a new group of 61 genes 100 h after withdrawing P. A literature survey indicated that the expression of many of these "late" genes responded specifically to P starvation. Shoots had reduced P after 100 h, but growth was unaffected. The expression of SQD1, a gene involved in the synthesis of sulfolipids, responded specifically to P starvation and was increased 100 h after withdrawing P. Leaves of Arabidopsis bearing a SQD1::GUS construct showed increased GUS activity after P withdrawal, which was detectable before P starvation limited growth. Hence, smart plants can monitor plant P status. Transferring this technology to crops would allow precision management of P fertilization, thereby maintaining yields while reducing costs, conserving natural resources, and preventing pollution.
Minimally invasive parathyroidectomy using intraoperative parathyroid hormone monitoring remains the standard approach to the majority of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. This study ...demonstrates that individual patient characteristics do not affect existing criteria for intraoperative parathyroid hormone monitoring.
To identify patient characteristics, such as age, sex, race, body mass index (BMI), and renal function, that may affect existing criteria for intraoperative parathyroid hormone (IOPTH) levels during minimally invasive parathyroidectomy.
Retrospective review of a prospectively collected parathyroid database populated from August 2005 to April 2011.
Academic medical center.
Three hundred six patients with sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism who underwent initial parathyroidectomy between August 2005 and April 2011.
All patients underwent minimally invasive parathyroidectomy with complete IOPTH information.
Individual IOPTH kinetic profiles were fitted with an exponential decay curve and individual IOPTH half-lives were determined. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the association between patient demographics or laboratory data and IOPTH half-life.
Mean age of the cohort was 60 years, 78.4% were female, 90.2% were white, and median BMI was 28.3. Overall, median IOPTH half-life was 3 minutes, 9 seconds. On univariate analysis, there was no association between IOPTH half-life and patient age, renal function, or preoperative serum calcium or parathyroid hormone levels. Age, BMI, and an age × BMI interaction were included in the final multivariate median regression analysis; race, sex, and glomerular filtration rate were not predictors of IOPTH half-life. The IOPTH half-life increased with increasing BMI, an effect that diminished with increasing age and was negligible after age 55 years (P = .001).
Body mass index, especially in younger patients, may have a role in the IOPTH half-life of patients undergoing parathyroidectomy. However, the differences in half-life are relatively small and the clinical implications are likely not significant. Current IOPTH criteria can continue to be applied to all patients undergoing parathyroidectomy for sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism.
The terrestrial carbon cycle is largely driven by photosynthetic plants and decomposer organisms that process biomass to CO2. In forest ecosystems, the decomposers are predominantly wood decay fungi, ...and the response of community structure and activity to increasing global temperatures is likely critical to forest biogeochemical processes. Metabolic products can drive community structure and substrate utilisation, and the role of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), as well as extracellular enzymes, are of particular interest. Pair-wise interactions of a community of basidiomycetes were made under 3 different microclimate conditions that mimic fluctuations in local climate conditions, and the outcome of interactions was assessed in terms of: (1) which fungus won the confrontation or whether it was a draw (deadlock); (2) the production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and enzyme activities; and (3) the rate of decomposition. While substrate utilisation and exploitation in terms of decomposition was not affected, community response to changing temperature was underpinned by altered outcomes of interactions and changes to territory occupation, which were reflected by changes in VOC production and extracellular enzyme activity. This study underlines the importance of understanding the impact of community structure on carbon cycling in forest ecosystems under a changing climate.
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•Metarhizium VOCs, 1-octen-3-ol and 3 octanone, influence behaviour of EPN.•High doses of 1-octen-3-ol and 3 octanone repel or kill EPN infective juveniles.•Metarhizium volatiles ...reduce EPN infectivity of insect hosts.•Metarhizium VOCs immobilise or kill insects.•Volatiles affect reproduction of EPN inside host.
The entomopathogenic fungus (EPF) Metarhizium brunneum occupies the same ecological niche as entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN), with both competing for insects as a food source in the rhizosphere. Interactions between these biocontrol agents can be antagonistic or synergistic. To better understand these interactions, this study focussed on investigating the effect of M. brunneum volatile organic compounds (VOCs), 1-octen-3-ol and 3-octanone, on EPN survival and behaviour. These VOCs proved to be highly toxic to the infective juveniles (IJs) of the EPN Steinernema carpocapsae, Steinernema feltiae and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora with mortality being dose dependent. Chemotaxis studies of H. bacteriophora IJs in Pluronic F127 gel revealed significant preference for the VOCs compared with controls for all tested concentrations. The VOCs also impacted on the test insects in a dose-dependent manner with 3-octanone being more toxic to Galleria mellonella, Cydia splendana and Curculio elephas larvae than 1-octen-3-ol. Mortality of C. splendana and G. mellonella larvae was significantly higher when exposed to relatively high doses (>25%) of 3-octanone. Lower doses of 3-octanone and 1-octen-3-ol immobilised test insects, which recovered after exposure to fresh air for 2 hrs. In depth studies on H. bacteriophora showed that exposure of IJs to > 10% concentration of 3-octanone or 1-octen-3-ol negatively affected infectivity whereas exposure to lower doses (0.1%, 0.01%) had no effect. The VOCs affected IJs, reducing penetration efficacy and the number of generations inside G. mellonella but they failed to inhibit the bacterial symbiont, Photorhabdus kayaii. The ecological significance of VOCs and how they could influence EPF-EPN insect interactions is discussed.
Purpose
To investigate nuclear estrogen receptor α (ERα) and progesterone receptor (PR) immunohistochemistry (IHC) patterns in the stroma surrounding invasive carcinoma and assess associations with ...clinicopathologic features.
Methods
A retrospective database search (1/2017–12/2020) identified breast core biopsies with invasive carcinoma. ERα/PR IHC expression in invasive carcinoma and stromal cells was categorized visually as positive (> 10%), low positive (1–10%) or negative (< 1%). Tumors were divided into 4 subtypes by IHC: Luminal, Luminal HER2, HER2 enriched, and triple negative. Clinicopathologic features associated (univariate
p
-value < 0.15) with ERα/PR stromal expression were investigated further using stepwise multivariable logistic regression.
Results
Of 1512 biopsies, 1278 had accessible IHC. 55.6% (711/1278) and 10.4% (133/1274) of cases showed cancer-associated stromal fibroblast expression of ERα and PR, respectively. Stromal ER positivity was significantly associated with use of the Ventana (with SP1 clone) versus Leica (with 6F11 clone) platform and in cases with Luminal cancer subtype. PR stromal expression was significantly associated with Luminal subtype, obesity, and younger age.
Conclusions
Expression of ERα and PR in breast cancer-associated stroma showed associations that suggest both biologic and analytic influence. Reproducible expression patterns may inform expansion of ERα/PR guidelines for the assessment of internal controls.
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