Article
Microbiology
Ryland N. Spence, Walker Huso, Harley Edwards, Alexander Doan, Samantha Reese, Steven D. Harris, Ranjan Srivastava, Mark R. Marten
Summary: Septation in filamentous fungi, specifically the formation of cross-hyphal bulkheads, is critical for survival during cell wall stress. Deficiencies in septation make fungi more susceptible to cell wall-perturbing compounds, emphasizing the important role septa play in enabling resistance to these drugs.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Baijin Chang, Yanru Liu, Jingting Hu, Zhishu Tang, Zhidong Qiu, Zhongxing Song, Ailing Jia, Yuru Zhang
Summary: This study investigated the key targets and metabolites of the antidepressant effect of B. chinense based on the cAMP signalling pathway. The results showed that B. chinense significantly improved the depression symptoms in rats, and its antidepressant effect is primarily achieved by regulating the cAMP metabolic pathway.
JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Kai Yin, Guobing Cui, Xinping Bi, Meiling Liang, Zhijian Hu, Yi Zhen Deng
Summary: This study identified the genes involved in polyamine biosynthesis in the sugarcane smut fungus. These genes play important roles in filamentous growth and pathogenic development of the fungus, possibly by collaborating with the cAMP-PKA signaling pathway to regulate intracellular redox homeostasis. The study provides insights into the regulatory mechanisms of S. scitamineum pathogenesis.
MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Cong Chen, Shanmin Yuan, Xiaohong Chen, Jiangping Xie, Zheng Wei
Summary: The molecular mechanism of Xihuang pill (XHP) in breast cancer (BC) was investigated using murine mammary carcinoma 4T1 cell xenografts. XHP inhibited BC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, induced pyroptosis, and activated the cAMP/PKA signalling pathway. Inhibiting the cAMP/PKA signalling pathway reversed the anti-cancer activity of XHP.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CANCER RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sandeep Kumar Barodia, Tuithung Sophronea, Pratibha Mehta Luthra
Summary: The study demonstrated that A(2A) receptors modulate IP3 levels to release cytoplasmic calcium via cAMP-dependent PKA, potentially opening new avenues in the therapy of neurodegenerative disorders.
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENERAL SUBJECTS
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Emi Kunitake, Ryota Uchida, Keisuke Asano, Kyoko Kanamaru, Makoto Kimura, Tetsuya Kimura, Tetsuo Kobayashi
Summary: This study revealed that cAMP signaling plays a major role in carbon catabolite repression (CCR) of hemicellulase gene expression in Aspergillus nidulans, independent from CreA.
Article
Mycology
Kinga Csillag, Tamas Emri, Drauzio E. N. Rangel, Istvan Pocsi
Summary: The azo dye Congo Red (CR) is commonly used to induce cell wall integrity stress in fungi. This toxic compound undergoes pH-dependent structural changes and can precipitate at low pH, affecting its toxicity. The growth of Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus niger was found to be affected by CR in a pH-dependent manner. Buffering the solutions at pH above 5 is recommended for studying the antifungal effect of CR, while lower pH is suggested for decolorization of CR solutions.
Article
Entomology
Liliana Toth, Peter Poor, Attila ordog, Gyorgyi Varadi, Attila Farkas, Csaba Papp, Gabor Bende, Gabor K. Toth, Gabor Rakhely, Florentine Marx, Laszlo Galgoczy
Summary: Plant pathogenic fungi cause significant losses in crop production worldwide. Developing new strategies for plant and crop protection is crucial due to the resistance of these fungi to approved chemical fungicides. A study investigated the potential of using extracellular antifungal proteins (AFPs) and their peptide derivatives (PDs) as combinatorial biofungicides for plant and crop protection. The study found that the combination of AFPs and PDs can effectively inhibit the growth of various fungi and mitigate the symptoms of fungal infection on tomato plants.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Laura M. Henning, Ulla Simon, Amanmyrat Abdullayev, Bertram Schmidt, Carsten Pohl, Tamara Nunez Guitar, Cekdar Vakifahmetoglu, Vera Meyer, Maged F. Bekheet, Aleksander Gurlo
Summary: In this study, lab-cultivated mycelia and naturally grown fruiting bodies of Fomes fomentarius were investigated as biosorbents for the removal of organic dyes. The chemical and microstructural differences were revealed, showing the superiority of lab-cultivated mycelia. The results suggest that F. fomentarius can be considered as an attractive biosorbent in industrial wastewater treatment.
Article
Microbiology
Kustrim Cerimi, Udo Jaeckel, Vera Meyer, Ugarit Daher, Jessica Reinert, Stefanie Klar
Summary: This article surveys existing in vitro exposure systems and lung models to understand the potential toxic effects of microbial volatile organic compounds (mVOCs) on human health. The advantages and disadvantages of different systems and models are compared, and the limitations of mVOC fingerprinting are discussed. It is expected that adequate models of the human respiratory tract and its response to mVOCs will soon be developed with the latest advancements in the field.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Henri Muller, Lars Barthel, Stefan Schmideder, Tabea Schuetze, Vera Meyer, Heiko Briesen
Summary: This study presents a high-throughput image analysis pipeline based on stereomicroscopy to comprehensively assess the developmental program of filamentous fungi in submerged conditions. By tracking spore agglomeration and pellet formation, culture heterogeneities and pellet breakage can be quantified.
BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Claudia Feurstein, Vera Meyer, Sascha Jung
Summary: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising alternatives to antibiotics to fight multidrug-resistant microorganisms, but there are still limited predictions about their structure-activity relationships and common properties across different taxonomic groups. The current study reveals the structural diversity of AMPs in different taxonomic groups, which will assist in future peptide screens in unexplored microorganisms.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Jeanett Holzknecht, Sandrine Dubrac, Sarah Hedtrich, Laszlo Galgoczy, Florentine Marx
Summary: Candida albicans is a common opportunistic fungal pathogen in humans, causing superficial skin and mucosal infections as well as life-threatening systemic infections. To combat emerging drug resistance, there is an urgent need to identify new antifungal compounds with novel mechanisms of action. In this study, small cationic antifungal proteins from filamentous fungi show promise as next-generation antifungals for topical application, demonstrating efficacy against cutaneous C. albicans infection in a 3D skin model.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Anant Kakar, Luis Enrique Sastre-Velasquez, Michael Hess, Laszlo Galgoczy, Csaba Papp, Jeanett Holzknecht, Alessandra Romanelli, Gyorgyi Varadi, Nermina Malanovic, Florentine Marx
Summary: This study reveals the mechanism of action of TB_KKG6K on the membrane of C. albicans. The peptide compromises membrane function and enters the cells, resulting in rapid fungal cell death. This provides strong support for TB_KKG6K as a future anti-Candida therapeutic.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Dennis To, Anant Kakar, Gergely Kali, Richard Wibel, Patrick Knoll, Florentine Marx, Andreas Bernkop-Schnuerch
Summary: The study demonstrates the improved biofilm eradication of aminoglycosides by incorporating imine derivatives into self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS). The iminated aminoglycosides successfully formed nanoemulsions with antimicrobial efficacy while maintaining their antimicrobial potency. Compared to native aminoglycosides, the combination of iminated aminoglycosides with SEDDS exhibited superior anti-biofilm properties.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Csilla Szebenyi, Yiyou Gu, Teclegiorgis Gebremariam, Sandor Kocsube, Sandor Kiss-Vetrab, Oliver Jager, Roland Patai, Krisztina Spisak, Rita Sinka, Ulrike Binder, Monika Homa, Csaba Vagvolgyi, Ashraf S. Ibrahim, Gabor Nagy, Tamas Papp
Summary: Mucormycosis is an invasive fungal infection caused by certain members of the fungal order of Mucorales. The frequency of systemic mucormycosis has been increasing, mainly because of increasing numbers of susceptible patients. Moreover, Mucorales display intrinsic resistance to the majority of routinely used antifungal agents, which limits the number of possible therapeutic options.
Article
Plant Sciences
Gyorgyi Varadi, Gyula Batta, Laszlo Galgoczy, Dorottya Hajdu, Adam Fizil, Andras Czajlik, Mate Viragh, Zoltan Kele, Vera Meyer, Sascha Jung, Florentine Marx, Gabor K. Toth
Summary: Emerging fungal infections call for new and improved antifungal agents and therapies. AFP, a protein derived from Aspergillus giganteus, shows promise as it selectively inhibits the growth of filamentous fungi. This study successfully prepared the reduced form of AFP using native chemical ligation, and confirmed the interlocking disulfide topology (abcdabcd) that was previously assumed. By designing a semi-orthogonal thiol protection method, only 6 out of 105 possible disulfide isomers were formed, and one of them proved to be identical to the native protein. This approach allows for the synthesis of AFP variants with higher antifungal activity for further structure-activity relationship studies.
JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Henri Mueller, Charlotte Deffur, Stefan Schmideder, Lars Barthel, Tiaan Friedrich, Lukas Mirlach, Joerg U. Hammel, Vera Meyer, Heiko Briesen
Summary: Filamentous fungi are capable of producing a wide range of biotechnological compounds. By utilizing synchrotron radiation-based X-ray microtomography, we were able to obtain highly resolved 3D micro-morphological analysis of submerged cultivated fungal pellets. This analysis provided detailed information about the number and density of spores, tips, branching points, and hyphae, thereby allowing us to monitor the growth of these fungal pellets in great detail for the first time.
BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zeynep Burcu Akkus-Dagdeviren, Ahmad Saleh, Cristina Schoepf, Martyna Truszkowska, Doris Bratschun-Khan, Andrea Furst, Anna Seybold, Martin Offterdinger, Florentine Marx, Andreas Bernkop-Schnuerch
Summary: PAF-polyphosphate (PP) nanoparticles (PAF-PP NPs) were obtained through ionic gelation and characterized for their size, distribution, and zeta potential. Biocompatibility and safety were evaluated through in vitro cell viability and hemolysis studies. Enzymatic degradation and response of NPs to phosphatase stimuli were investigated. Diffusion and antifungal activity of PAF and PAF-PP NPs against C. albicans biofilm were analyzed through fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and colony forming unit determination.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Stella Marie Koch, Carsten Freidank-Pohl, Oliver Siontas, Marta Cortesao, Afonso Mota, Katharina Runzheimer, Sascha Jung, Katarina Rebrosova, Martin Siler, Ralf Moeller, Vera Meyer
Summary: In this study, fungal pyomelanin (Pyo(Fun)) was successfully produced in Aspergillus niger through inducible overproduction. Characterization using spectroscopic methods confirmed the presence of Pyo(Fun), and the DPPH-assay demonstrated its strong antioxidant properties. Pyo(Fun) exhibited a highly protective effect against non-ionizing radiation, surpassing the efficacy of a synthetically produced control pyomelanin.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Timothy C. Cairns, Tom de Kanter, Xiaomei Z. Zheng, Ping Zheng, Jibin Sun, Vera Meyer
Summary: In this study, the researchers predicted six morphology and productivity associated 'morphogenes' that impact total secreted protein in A. niger using gene coexpression network data. They found that radial growth rate and heat stress tolerance were positively correlated with protein titres, while submerged pellet diameter and cell wall integrity were negatively associated with productivity. This study identified potential genetic targets for maximizing protein titres and provided chassis strains with controllable macromorphologies for pilot fermentation studies.
BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS
(2023)