Review
Microbiology
Chunmiao Jiang, Gongbo Lv, Yayi Tu, Xiaojie Cheng, Yitian Duan, Bin Zeng, Bin He
Summary: Filamentous fungi have the ability to produce a wide variety of secondary metabolites, but research on industrially important secondary metabolites has been hindered by the lack of efficient genetic manipulation techniques. The emergence of CRISPR/Cas9 technology offers potential solutions to this issue, revolutionizing genetic research and enabling the discovery of new bioactive compounds in filamentous fungi.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Dan Xu, Mengyao Xue, Zhen Shen, Xiaowei Jia, Xuwen Hou, Daowan Lai, Ligang Zhou
Summary: Fungal phytotoxic secondary metabolites are toxic substances produced by fungi through biochemical reactions, with a high level of diversity in their properties. These metabolites are mainly isolated from phytopathogenic fungal species, with aromatic polyketides and sesquiterpenoids being the main phytotoxic compounds.
Review
Plant Sciences
Neveen Atta Elhamouly, Omar A. Hewedy, Amr Zaitoon, Angelica Miraples, Omnia T. Elshorbagy, Suzan Hussien, Amira El-Tahan, Deliang Peng
Summary: The global environment is influenced by various secondary metabolites, produced by plants and microorganisms, which have diverse chemical properties and play significant roles in plant disease control and growth promotion. Fungal secondary metabolites are particularly important in this regard.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Senhua Chen, Runlin Cai, Zhaoming Liu, Hui Cui, Zhigang She
Summary: This review summarizes the discoveries of new metabolites isolated from mangrove-associated fungi over the past thirty years, focusing on the bioactivity and unique chemical diversity of these natural products.
NATURAL PRODUCT REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Gurpreet Singh, Amit Kumar, M. K. Verma, Prasoon Gupta, Meenu Katoch
Summary: Endophytic fungi are an important source of bioactive compounds with complex chemical structures. In this study, the metabolome of the fungus M. phaseolina was investigated to discover novel compounds. The OSMAC approach was used to maximize the production of secondary metabolites. The addition of sodium valproate, an epigenetic modifier, influenced the metabolite profile of the fungus and led to the discovery of new compounds.
FOLIA MICROBIOLOGICA
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lu Yang, Guangwei Wu, Fanyue Meng, Huomiao Ran, Wenbing Yin, Wei Li, Xiaoqing Liu
Summary: The strategies of genetic dereplication and manipulation of epigenetic regulators have been found effective in discovering natural products with novel structures in filamentous fungi. In this study, a combination of genetic dereplication and manipulation of epigenetic regulators was used to discover a novel compound, pestaloficiol X, and other known compounds in the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici. The study also proposed a possible biosynthesis pathway for pestaloficiol X based on comparative analysis of homologous biosynthetic gene clusters. Additionally, the study explored the effects of the mutants on conidial development and response to oxidative stressors.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Humberto E. Ortega, Daniel Torres-Mendoza, Zuleima E. Caballero, Luis Cubilla-Rios
Summary: Endophytic fungi, despite being the least studied among microorganisms, have gained attention for their high biological diversity and production of novel bioactive compounds to protect host plants against stress. These compounds, such as alkaloids, peptides, and terpenoids, show significant biological activities that could be useful for medical applications.
Review
Infectious Diseases
Rafael Conrado, Tainah Colombo Gomes, Gabriella Sales Calaco Roque, Ana Olivia De Souza
Summary: This review discusses the importance of microorganisms as sources of natural compounds, particularly in pharmaceutical applications, and presents examples of bioactive secondary metabolites produced by fungi with pharmacological effects.
Review
Microbiology
Zihan Gong, Song Zhang, Jun Liu
Summary: Metabolites produced by filamentous fungi are widely used in the food and drug industries. The morphological engineering of filamentous fungi has led to the application of various biotechnologies to enhance the production of target metabolites during submerged fermentation. Disrupting chitin biosynthesis can modify cell growth and mycelial morphology, and regulate metabolite biosynthesis. This review provides a comprehensive coverage of chitin biosynthesis in filamentous fungi and its relationship with cell growth and metabolism, aiming to increase awareness and provide insights into the application of morphological engineering to enhance metabolite production during submerged fermentation.
Review
Microbiology
Rosario Nicoletti, Anna Andolfi, Andrea Becchimanzi, Maria Michela Salvatore
Summary: Due to their widespread occurrence, fungi in the genus Penicillium are commonly found in association with insects. This symbiotic interaction has been investigated to explore their potential for ecofriendly pest control strategies. The assumption is that Penicillium species, known for producing bioactive secondary metabolites, may have entomopathogenic properties. This review paper examines the properties and potential applications of compounds from Penicillium fungi in insect pest management.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Levy Tenorio Sousa Domingos, Raquel dos Santos Martins, Leonardo Melo de Lima, Angela Michelato Ghizelini, Antonio Ferreira-Pereira, Fernando Cotinguiba
Summary: Aspergillus unguis is a fungal species found in soils and marine environments, with a variety of compounds and biological activities. Despite the extensive research on its compounds and activities, there is still great potential for further studies on A. unguis, such as metabolic induction for new compound production and determination of new biological activities.
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Yaodong Ning, Yao Xu, Binghua Jiao, Xiaoling Lu
Summary: In recent years, new breakthroughs have been made in the study of fungal secondary metabolites (SMs) with the rapid development of gene sequencing technology and bioinformatics. Methods like gene knockout and heterologous expression have been widely used and achieved good effects in the study of fungal SM biosynthesis. This review summarizes the representative studies on the biosynthesis of fungal SMs by gene knockout and heterologous expression in the last three years and briefly discusses the techniques and methods used. The future prospects of synthetic biology in this research background are also proposed.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Michaela Harcarova, Pavel Nad, Martina Proskovcova
Summary: This article provides an overview of the occurrence, toxicity and physicochemical properties of Aspergillus mycotoxins, highlighting their hidden threat to animal and human health.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Youdan Zhang, Xiaochen Zhang, Jieming Zhang, Shaukat Ali, Jianhui Wu
Summary: This study reveals significant differences in secondary metabolite profiles between an entomopathogenic fungus isolated from the wild and those exposed to spaceflight conditions. The findings support the use of space mutation as a tool for developing fungal strains with increased toxicity/virulence against target insect hosts.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yuanwei Liu, Kishneth Palaniveloo, Siti Aisyah Alias, Jaya Seelan Sathiya Seelan
Summary: Soft corals host a variety of marine fungi that produce chemically diverse, bioactive secondary metabolites, with terpenoids and indole alkaloids being the most common. Research has shown that these symbiotic relationships hold significant potential for future studies.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Mamdouh Nabil Samy, Geraldine Le Goff, Philippe Lopes, Katerina Georgousaki, Sentiljana Gumeni, Celso Almeida, Victor Gonzalez-Menendez, Olga Genilloud, Ioannis P. Trougakos, Nikolas Fokialakis, Jamal Ouazzani
Summary: Three known compounds were isolated from Virgaria nigra CF-231658, with compound 2 displaying the most potent activity in inhibiting elastase at a concentration of 5 μM. The structures of the compounds were elucidated through spectroscopic analyses, and their abilities to inhibit the enzyme activity were examined using normal human diploid fibroblasts.
NATURAL PRODUCT RESEARCH
(2022)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Angela Pinheiro, Daryna Piontkivska, Patricia Sequeira, Tiago M. Martins, Cristina Silva Pereira
TRENDS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Angela Vidal-Verdu, Esther Molina-Menor, Leila Satari, Javier Pascual, Juli Pereto, Manuel Porcar
Summary: A novel Gram-negative, aerobic, motile, rod-shaped, grey bacterium named Maritalea mediter-ranea was isolated from plastic debris in the shallow waters of the Mediterranean Sea (Valencia, Spain). This bacterium is catalase-and oxidase-positive and can grow under mesophilic, neutrophilic, and halophilic conditions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Frederick Boye Annang, Guiomar Perez-Moreno, Cristina Bosch-Navarrete, Victor Gonzalez-Menendez, Jesus Martin, Thomas A. A. Mackenzie, Maria C. C. Ramos, Luis M. M. Ruiz-Perez, Olga Genilloud, Dolores Gonzalez-Pacanowska, Francisca Vicente, Fernando Reyes
Summary: Memnoniella is a fungal genus that produces a variety of biologically active compounds. A specific extract from Memnoniella dichroa CF-080171 showed potent activity against Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 and Trypanosoma cruzi Tulahuen parasites. Eight new meroterpenoids with varying potencies were isolated from the extract, and compounds 1, 2, and 4 exhibited strong antiparasitic activity against the mentioned parasites and cytotoxic activity against HepG2 cells.
Article
Microbiology
Marina Sanchez-Hidalgo, Maria Jesus Garcia, Ignacio Gonzalez, Daniel Oves-Costales, Olga Genilloud
Summary: In this study, a strain of Kribbella sp. CA-293567 was found to produce sandramycin and kribbellichelins A-B, which are new secondary metabolites. The complete genome sequencing and in silico identification of biosynthetic gene clusters were performed, focusing on the pathways encoding these compounds. A comparative analysis of the biosynthetic potential of 38 publicly available genomes from Kribbella strains was also presented.
Article
Microbiology
Javier Pascual, Javier Mira Otal, Daniel Torrent-Silla, Manuel Porcar, Cristina Vilanova, Fernando Vivancos Cuadras
Summary: This study assessed the impact of a mouthwash formulated with o-cymen-5-ol and zinc chloride on the oral microbiome. The results showed that the mouthwash selectively targeted potential oral pathogens while preserving the integrity of the rest of the microbiome. This is a valuable alternative to classical antimicrobial agents.
JOURNAL OF ORAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ramon I. Santamaria, Ana Martinez-Carrasco, Jose R. Tormo, Jesus Martin, Olga Genilloud, Fernando Reyes, Margarita Diaz
Summary: The co-culturing of microorganisms is a well-known strategy to study microbial interactions in the laboratory. In this study, the effects of the interaction between nine Streptomyces species and predator bacteria Myxococcus xanthus were investigated. It was found that certain Streptomyces species induce mound formation of M. xanthus on complex media. Moreover, the study identified siderophores produced by S. griseus and molecules produced by S. peucetius that affect the behavior of M. xanthus.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Andrea Bagan, Sergio Rodriguez-Arevalo, Teresa Taboada-Jara, Christian Grinan-Ferre, Merce Pallas, Iria Brocos-Mosquera, Luis F. Callado, Jose A. Morales-Garcia, Belen Perez, Caridad Diaz, Rosario Fernandez-Godino, Olga Genilloud, Milan Beljkas, Slavica Oljacic, Katarina Nikolic, Carmen Escolano
Summary: This study aims to find molecular entities that modulate imidazoline I-2 receptors (I-2-IRs) as potential therapeutic targets for Alzheimer's disease. The findings demonstrate that the new I-2-IR ligands have beneficial effects in neuroprotection, anti-inflammation, and improvement of cognitive impairment, suggesting their potential as a promising therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative diseases.
Article
Microbiology
Ignacio Fernandez-Pastor, Victor Gonzalez-Menendez, Kevin Martinez Andrade, Rachel Serrano, Thomas A. Mackenzie, Guillermo Benitez, Manuel Casares-Porcel, Olga Genilloud, Fernando Reyes
Summary: In this study, six species of lichens from gypsum areas in southern Spain were tested for their potential as sources of new antifungal metabolites. Three lichen extracts showed antifungal activity, and ten metabolites were identified, including a new derivative. These metabolites exhibited broad-spectrum antifungal activity against various phytopathogenic fungi.
Article
Microbiology
Rachel Serrano, Victor Gonzalez-Menendez, Jose R. Tormo, Olga Genilloud
Summary: This paper aims to develop and validate a high-throughput screening platform for evaluating the antifungal potential of chemicals and natural products against four important plant pathogens. The optimal assay conditions were determined through several experiments, and the platform was validated using known antifungal agents and microbial natural product extracts.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Bruno Perlatti, Gerald F. Bills, Masao Ohashi, Yi Tang, Yalong Zhang, Eun Bin Go
Summary: The biosynthesis of the antifungals AS2077715 and funiculosin involves a five-enzyme cascade that allows the conversion of a hydroxyphenyl-containing precursor into an unusual all-cis cyclopentanetetraol moiety. The cascade includes a multifunctional flavin-dependent monooxygenase and a repurposed O-methyltransferase.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)