Transcriptional regulation has important roles in various biological processes (e.g., development and metabolism) in filamentous fungi. However, regulatory interactions between transcription factors ...(TFs) and their target genes in these species have only been described in different forms by primary scientific literature, which limits the integrated analysis of these data. Here, we extensively curated the reported transcriptional regulatory interactions in
and
. For each interaction, the identifiers of involved proteins or genes were unified, and the types of supporting experiments were recorded. Then, transcriptional regulatory networks were reconstructed from the interactions supported by classical low-throughput experiments. Analysis of the networks revealed the presence of hub targets regulated by multiple TFs and network motifs of other structures (e.g., regulatory loops). Comparison of the regulatory interactions between the two species identified 33 conserved interactions supported by classical experiments in both species, most of which are involved in the regulation of metabolic genes. We anticipate the curated data would serve as a catalog for the studies of transcriptional regulation in filamentous fungi.
Despite recent advances in down-stream processing, production of microalgae remains substantially limited because of economical reasons. Harvesting and dewatering are the most energy-intensive ...processing steps in their production and contribute 20-30% of total operational cost. Bio-flocculation of microalgae by co-cultivation with filamentous fungi relies on the development of large structures that facilitate cost effective harvesting. A yet unknown filamentous fungus was isolated as a contaminant from a microalgal culture and identified as Isaria fumosorosea. Blastospores production was optimized in minimal medium and the development of pellets, possibly lichens, was followed when co-cultured with Chlorella sorokiniana under strict autotrophic conditions. Stable pellets (1-2mm) formed rapidly at pH 7-8, clearing the medium of free algal cells. Biomass was harvested with large inexpensive filters, generating wet slurry suitable for hydrothermal gasification. Nutrient rich brine from the aqueous phase of hydrothermal gasification supported growth of the fungus and may increase the process sustainability.
This study investigated the effects of long-term soil fertilization on the composition and potential for phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) cycling of bacterial communities associated with hyphae of the ...P-solubilizing fungus
Using a baiting approach, hyphosphere bacterial communities were recovered from three soils that had received long-term amendment in the field with mineral or mineral plus organic fertilizers.
hyphae recruited bacterial communities with a decreased diversity and an increased abundance of
relative to what was observed in soil communities. As core bacterial taxa,
and
spp. were present in all hyphosphere samples irrespective of soil fertilization. However, the type of fertilization showed significant impacts on the diversity, composition, and distinctive taxa/operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of hyphosphere communities. The soil factors P (Olsen method), exchangeable Mg, exchangeable K, and pH were important for shaping soil and hyphosphere bacterial community compositions. An increased relative abundance of organic P metabolism genes was found in hyphosphere communities from soil that had not received P fertilizers, which could indicate P limitation near the fungal hyphae. Additionally,
hyphae recruited bacterial communities with a higher abundance of N fixation genes than found in soil communities, which might imply a role of hyphosphere communities for fungal N nutrition. Furthermore, the relative abundances of denitrification genes were greater in several hyphosphere communities, indicating an at least partly anoxic microenvironment with a high carbon-to-N ratio around the hyphae. In conclusion, soil fertilization legacy shapes
hyphosphere microbiomes and their functional potential related to P and N cycling.
P-solubilizing
strains are introduced as biofertilizers to agricultural soils to improve plant P nutrition. Currently, little is known about the ecology of these biofertilizers, including their interactions with other soil microorganisms. This study shows that communities dominated by
and
colonize
hyphae in soil and that the compositions of these communities depend on the soil conditions. The potential of these communities for N and organic P cycling is generally higher than that of soil communities. The high potential for organic P metabolism might complement the ability of the fungus to solubilize inorganic P, and it points to the hyphosphere as a hot spot for P metabolism. Furthermore, the high potential for N fixation could indicate that
recruits bacteria that are able to improve its N nutrition. Hence, this community study identifies functional groups relevant for the future optimization of next-generation biofertilizer consortia for applications in soil.
•Oxygen is crucial for lovastatin biosynthesis by Aspergillus terreus.•In macroscopic pellets insufficient amount of oxygen is transferred to the cells.•Due to talc microparticles microscopic pellets ...are formed in the bioreactor.•Optimum talc concentration for lovastatin formation in the batch bioreactor exists.•Microparticles enhance lovastatin formation the most in the fed-batch bioreactor.
Microparticle-enhanced cultivation (MPEC) was used in the bioreactor cultivation of lovastatin-producing Aspergillus terreus ATCC 20542. Increasing oxygen saturation of the broth increased lovastatin titer but more important was pellet morphology, in that oxygen reached the fungal cells better in smaller and looser pellets. Thus, we changed pellet size adding 10μm talc microparticles to the preculture. This resulted in 3.5-fold higher lovastatin titer in the subsequent production culture, compared to the control runs (without microparticles), reaching 250mgl−1 in the best continuous fed-batch run. The significant increase of lovastatin titer and low cost of microparticles makes MPEC cultivation for lovastatin production an attractive alternative.
Leathery mycelium materials, made from the vegetative part of filamentous fungi, have garnered significant interest in recent years due to their great potential of providing environmentally ...sustainable alternatives to animal- and plastic-based leathers. In this systematic patent review, we provide an in-depth overview of the fabrication methods for mycelium materials as leather substitutes recently described in patents. This overview includes strategies for fungal biomass generation and industrial developments in the sector. We discuss the use of various fungal species, plasticizers, crosslinking agents, and post-processing techniques, thereby highlighting potential gaps in scientific knowledge and identifying opportunities, challenges, and concerns in the field. Our analysis suggests that mycelium materials have significant potential for commercialization, with a growing number of companies betting on this new class of biomaterials. However, we also reveal the need for further scientific research to fully understand the properties of these materials and to unlock potential applications. Overall, this patent review delineates the current state of the art in leathery mycelium materials.
Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight intact cell mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF ICMS) is coming of age for the identification and characterization of fungi. The procedure has been ...used extensively with bacteria. UV-absorbing matrices function as energy mediators that transfer the absorbed photoenergy from an irradiation source to the surrounding sample molecules, resulting in minimum fragmentation. A surprisingly high number of fungal groups have been studied: (i) the terverticillate penicillia, (ii) aflatoxigenic, black and other aspergilli, (iii) Fusarium, (iv) Trichoderma, (iv) wood rotting fungi (e.g. Serpula lacrymans) and (v) dermatophytes. The technique has been suggested for optimizing quality control of fungal Chinese medicines (e.g. Cordyceps). MALDI-TOF ICMS offers advantages over PCR. The method is now used in taxonomic assessments (e.g. Trichoderma) as distinct from only strain characterization. Low and high molecular mass natural products (e.g. peptaibols) can be analysed. The procedure is rapid and requires minimal pretreatment. However, issues of reproducibility need to be addressed further in terms of strains of species tested and between run variability. More studies into the capabilities of MALDI-TOF ICMS to identify fungi are required.
is an agricultural mold that causes disease in rice, resulting in devastating crop losses. Since rice is a world-wide staple food crop, infection by
poses a serious global food security threat. ...Fungicides, including azole antifungals, are used to prevent and combat
plant infections. The target of azoles is CYP51, an enzyme localized on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and required for fungal ergosterol biosynthesis. However, many basic drug-pathogen interactions, such as how the azole gets past the fungal cell wall and plasma membrane, and is transported to the ER, are not understood. In addition, reduced intracellular accumulation of antifungals has consistently been observed as a drug resistance mechanism in many fungal species. Studying the basic biology of drug-pathogen interactions may elucidate uncharacterized mechanisms of drug resistance and susceptibility in
and potentially other related fungal pathogens. We characterized intracellular accumulation of azole drugs in
using a radioactively labeled fluconazole uptake assay to gain insight on whether azoles enter the cell by passive diffusion, active transport, or facilitated diffusion. We show that azole accumulation is not ATP-dependent, nor does it rely on a pH-dependent process. Instead there is evidence for azole drug uptake in
by a facilitated diffusion mechanism. The uptake system is specific for azole or azole-like compounds and can be modulated depending on cell phase and growth media. In addition, we found that co-treatment of
with 'repurposed' clorgyline and radio-labeled fluconazole prevented energy-dependent efflux of fluconazole, resulting in an increased intracellular concentration of fluconazole in the fungal cell.
Fungal spore killers are a class of selfish genetic elements that positively bias their own inheritance by killing non-inheriting gametes following meiosis. As killing takes place specifically within ...the developing fungal ascus, a tissue which is experimentally difficult to isolate, our understanding of the mechanisms underlying spore killers are limited. In particular, how these loci kill other spores within the fungal ascus is largely unknown. Here, we overcome these experimental barriers by developing model systems in 2 evolutionary distant organisms, Escherichia coli (bacterium) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast), similar to previous approaches taken to examine the
spore killers. Using these systems, we show that the Podospora anserina spore killer protein SPOK1 enacts killing through targeting DNA.
Natural gene drives have shaped the genomes of many eukaryotes and recently have been considered for applications to control undesirable species. In fungi, these loci are called spore killers. Despite their importance in evolutionary processes and possible applications, our understanding of how they enact killing is limited. We show that the spore killer protein Spok1, which has homologues throughout the fungal tree of life, acts via DNA disruption. Spok1 is only the second spore killer locus in which the cellular target of killing has been identified and is the first known to target DNA. We also show that the DNA disrupting activity of Spok1 is functional in both bacteria and yeast suggesting a highly conserved mode of action.
Three important strains of
grown in complete and minimal media for specified period (72 h, 120 h and 168 h) under submerged fermentation conditions were investigated for their potential ...antioxidants/secondary metabolite production. All mycelial extracts demonstrated effective antioxidant activities in terms of β-carotene/linoleic acid bleaching, radical scavenging, reduction of metal ions and chelating abilities against ferrous ions. Different extraction methods and solvent systems affected the recovery yield and antioxidant activities of the extracts significantly (
≤ 0.05). Ethanolic extracts were found to be rich source of antioxidant components and subsequently more effective in antioxidant properties. Fermentation period and media used also significantly affected (
≤ 0.05) the antioxidant production and the resulting antioxidant properties. The (ethanolic) extracts of all the strains from late exponential growth phase (120 h) showed highest antioxidant production with topmost reducing, chelating and radical scavenging capabilities. Strain MC277.49 was found to be the highest producer of antioxidants followed by MC108.16 and WJ11. Phenolic compounds were detected significantly in higher (
≤ 0.05) amount succeeded by the condensed tannins and flavonoids. Total phenol content of each extract was attributed to overall antioxidant capacity. Submerged fermentation with nutritional stress conditions were found to be excellent way of producing surplus amount of natural antioxidants/secondary metabolites with their vast potential commercial application in food and pharmaceutical industries.
The use of fungi for the production of commercial products is ancient, but it has increased rapidly over the last 50 years. Fungi are morphologically complex organisms, differing in structure at ...different times in their life cycle, differing in form between surface and submerged growth, differing also with the nature of the growth medium and physical environment. Many genes and physiological mechanisms are involved in the process of morphogenesis. In submerged culture, a large number of factors contribute to the development of any particular morphological form. Factors affecting morphology include the type and concentration of carbon substrate, levels of nitrogen and phosphate, trace minerals, dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide, pH and temperature. Physical factors affecting morphology include fermenter geometry, agitation systems, rheology and the culture modes, whether batch, fed-batch or continuous. In many cases, particular morphological forms achieve maximum performance. It is a very difficult task to deduce unequivocal general relationships between process variables, product formation and fungal morphology since too many parameters influence these interrelationships and the role of many of them is still not fully understood.
The use of automatic image analysis systems during the last decade proved an invaluable tool for characterizing complex mycelial morphologies, physiological states and relationships between morphology and productivity. Quantified morphological information can be used to build morphologically structured models of predictive value. The mathematical modeling of the growth and process performance has led to improved design and operation of mycelial fermentations and has improved the ability of scientists to translate laboratory observations into commercial practice. However, it is still necessary to develop improved and new experimental techniques for understanding phenomena such as the mechanisms of mycelial fragmentation and non-destructive measurement of concentration profiles in mycelial aggregates. This would allow the establishment of a process control on a physiological basis. This review is focused on the factors influencing the fungal morphology and metabolite production in submerged culture.
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