Review
Microbiology
Nicolas Pedrini
Summary: Entomopathogenic fungi, such as Beauveria bassiana, produce toxic secondary metabolites that play a role in fungal invasion and immune suppression. The precise function of these metabolites is not well understood but they are typically associated with virulence. This review aims to summarize the available information on the expression of B. bassiana NRPS and PKS genes in different insects during infection, and their role as virulence factors, antimicrobials, or immunosuppressants in the context of fungus-insect interactions.
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.
Article
Microbiology
Ludan Deng, Maosheng Zhong, Yongqi Li, Guangzhao Hu, Changhao Zhang, Qingqing Peng, Zhizhen Zhang, Jiasong Fang, Xi Yu
Summary: Deep-sea fungi from the Mariana Trench were isolated and identified, with Aspergillus sydowii SYX6 showing excellent piezo-tolerance and bioactive compound production. High hydrostatic pressure affected the growth and sporulation of the fungus, and the bioactive compound diorcinol was purified and characterized. The expression of the biosynthetic gene associated with diorcinol production was regulated by high pressure.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Aileen Ute Geers, Mikael Lenz Strube, Mikkel Bentzon-Tilia
Summary: In this study, the researchers investigated the biosynthetic diversity encoded by divergent microbiomes from different ecosystems and the environmental parameters that drive this diversity. They found that microbiomes with rich and diverse bacterial communities displayed the highest biosynthetic potential. pH and salinity were significant positive factors correlated to the biosynthetic richness in soil and aquatic systems. The researchers were also able to predict the biosynthetic richness and identified grassland biomes as promising sites for the discovery of novel polyketides.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wachiraporn Toopaang, Kullyanee Panyawicha, Chettida Srisuksam, Wei-Chen Hsu, Ching-Chih Lin, Morakot Tanticharoen, Yu-Liang Yang, Alongkorn Amnuaykanjanasin
Summary: This study investigated the metabolite profiles of pks14 and pks15 gene overexpression strains in B. bassiana and compared them to their knockout strains using LC-MS/MS with GNPS. The results showed that pks14 and pks15 clusters interacted with biosynthetic clusters encoding insect-virulent metabolites and upregulated certain secondary metabolites. This suggests that pks14 and pks15 may be directly or indirectly associated with key pathways in insect pathogenesis of B. bassiana.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Aileen Ute Geers, Yannick Buijs, Mikael Lenz Strube, Lone Gram, Mikkel Bentzon-Tilia
Summary: As we approach the post-antibiotic era, the need for new antimicrobial compounds is urgent. Microorganisms have been a rich source of antibiotics, but the rediscovery of known antibiotics and the limited accessibility of most microorganisms in the environment have prompted the exploration of natural microbial communities using novel approaches. This review discusses how sequence-based analyses have revealed the abundant potential for secondary metabolite production in soil, marine, and host-associated microbiomes, with a focus on non-ribosomal peptides and polyketides. However, the complexity of natural microbiomes and the lack of standardized methodology pose challenges in comparing different biomes. Nevertheless, even commonly sampled microbiomes hold promise for discovering novel natural products, and the development of approaches to harness the vast biosynthetic diversity of natural microbiomes for the procurement of new antibiotics is discussed.
COMPUTATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Xuelian Bai, Yue Sheng, Zhenxing Tang, Jingyi Pan, Shigui Wang, Bin Tang, Ting Zhou, Lu'e Shi, Huawei Zhang
Summary: Polyketides, structurally diverse natural products derived from a chain of ketone and methylene groups, have gained attention from pharmaceutical researchers due to their wide range of biological properties. Aspergillus spp., one of the most common filamentous fungi, is known for its ability to produce therapeutic polyketide compounds. This review comprehensively summarizes the occurrences, chemical structures, bioactivities, and biosynthetic logics of Aspergillus-derived polyketides for the first time through extensive literature search and data analysis.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Jing Zhou, Hairong Zhang, Jing Ye, Xingxin Wu, Weiyi Wang, Houwen Lin, Xiaojun Yan, J. Enrico H. Lazaro, Tingting Wang, C. Benjamin Naman, Shan He
Summary: Two new polyketide natural products were isolated from a fungus derived from a deep-sea sponge, along with four known metabolites. One of the new compounds showed strong cytotoxicity against human acute lymphatic leukemia cells.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
David L. Niquille, Ines B. Folger, Sophie Basler, Donald Hilvert
Summary: This study demonstrates a minimally invasive strategy for efficient functionalization of NRPs on the pathway level through selective incorporation of different functional groups by single point mutations. The approach allows site-selective fluorescent labeling of NRPs and holds great potential for NRP isolation, molecular target elucidation, and combinatorial optimization of NRP therapeutics by combining synthetic biology with bioorthogonal chemistry.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Panpan Han, Aijin Ma, Yawei Ning, Zhou Chen, Yangliu Liu, Zhuo Liu, Siting Li, Yingmin Jia
Summary: A global gene mining strategy was used to evaluate bacterial genomes and it was found that certain bacteria, such as Bacillus subtilis group, Paenibacillus polymyxa, Brevibacillus laterosporus, and Brevibacillus brevis, have the potential to produce a larger number and greater variety of antimicrobial peptides. Specifically, brevilaterins from Brevibacillus laterosporus demonstrated exceptional antimicrobial activity against various microbial contaminations.
LWT-FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
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
Chemistry, Medicinal
Qingqing Peng, Yongqi Li, Jiasong Fang, Xi Yu
Summary: The study focuses on the isolation and characterization of hadal fungi, screening for potential strains with bioactive natural products. The results demonstrate the significant effects of chemical epigenetic modifiers on gene expression, production of secondary metabolites, and antimicrobial activity of hadal fungi. High hydrostatic pressure conditions also activate the production of new compounds in hadal fungi.
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.
Article
Microbiology
Swati Bijlani, Ceth Parker, Nitin K. Singh, Maria A. Sierra, Jonathan Foox, Clay C. C. Wang, Christopher E. Mason, Kasthuri Venkateswaran
Summary: Multiple strains of a novel yeast belonging to genus Naganishia were isolated from the International Space Station, exhibiting distinct morphological differences when grown under a combination of simulated microgravity and 5% CO2 conditions. Genomic analyses revealed a set of genes associated with Titan-like cell plasticity, indicating adaptation to microgravity and radiation.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Wei-Wen Sun, Chi-Ying Li, Yi-Ming Chiang, Tzu-Shyang Lin, Shauna Warren, Fang-Rong Chang, Clay C. C. Wang
Summary: Filamentous fungal secondary metabolites are important for their bioactive properties. Activation of silent gene clusters is an effective way to discover novel fungal secondary metabolites.
FUNGAL GENETICS AND BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Adriana Blachowicz, Jillian Romsdahl, Abby J. Chiang, Sawyer Masonjones, Markus Kalkum, Jason E. Stajich, Tamas Torok, Clay C. C. Wang, Kasthuri Venkateswaran
Summary: This study reports the genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic alterations in Aspergillus niger strain JSC-093350089 grown in a controlled experiment aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Results show that microgravity and enhanced irradiation triggered non-synonymous point mutations in specific regions of the genome, altered protein abundance, and changed the metabolite composition.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Bo Yuan, Nancy P. Keller, Berl R. Oakley, Jason E. Stajich, Clay C. C. Wang
Summary: This work established an in vitro CRISPR-Cas9 system in Aspergillus wentii and used it to activate silent biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) for secondary metabolites. By deleting the negative regulator mcrA, the production of 17 different secondary metabolites was observed. Further knockout experiments led to the discovery of new metabolites. This study demonstrates the utility of targeted gene editing and the importance of dual knockout for the discovery of additional secondary metabolites.
ACS CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Yi-Ming Chiang, Clay C. C. Wang, Tzu-Shyang Lin
Summary: Fungal natural products have a wide range of bioactivities, and the analysis of fungal genomes has shown that there is great potential for the production of undiscovered natural products. To tap into this resource, the use of genetically tractable fungi as hosts for total heterologous biosynthesis has become increasingly popular in recent years. This review summarizes the methods used to accomplish total heterologous biosynthesis of fungal natural products using Aspergillus nidulans as the host.
JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chris Rabot, Yuhao Chen, Swati Bijlani, Yi-Ming Chiang, C. Elizabeth Oakley, Berl R. Oakley, Travis J. Williams, Clay C. C. Wang
Summary: This article presents a novel chemical and biological approach for the rapid conversion of polyethylenes into structurally complex and pharmacologically active compounds. By engineering strains of the fungus Aspergillus nidulans, the authors have produced fungal secondary metabolites from the digestion products of polyethylenes, expanding the range of products to which polyethylenes can be upcycled.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Clay C. C. Wang, Travis J. Williams, Chris Rabot, Yuhao Chen, Shu-Yi Lin, Ben Miller, Yi-Ming Chiang, C. Elizabeth Oakley, Berl R. Oakley
Summary: Polystyrene (PS) is a commonly used plastic that is not frequently recycled. In this study, a scalable process was developed to convert PS into benzoic acid, which can then be biosynthetically upgraded into various secondary metabolites by engineered strains of the fungus Aspergillus nidulans. This approach expands the range of plastic-derived products and demonstrates the potential for utilizing PS waste in the production of valuable compounds.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Bo Yuan, Michelle F. Grau, Ramiro Mendonca Murata, Tamas Torok, Kasthuri Venkateswaran, Jason E. Stajich, Clay C. C. Wang
Summary: Aspergillus melleus IMV 01140, isolated from regions surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, produces neoaspergillic acid, which inhibits the growth of Candida albicans. However, large-scale production, isolation, and purification pose challenges.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Cory B. Jenkinson, Adam R. Podgorny, Cuncong Zhong, Berl R. Oakley
Summary: A new computer-assisted approach to resistance gene-directed genome mining is reported along with its use to identify fungal biosynthetic gene clusters that putatively produce proteasome and HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors.
JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zili Song, Shuang Zhou, Hongjiao Zhang, Nancy P. Keller, Berl R. Oakley, Xiao Liu, Wen-Bing Yin
Summary: Production of secondary metabolites in eukaryotic cells is regulated by a complex network. Researchers find that the interaction between RNA-binding protein CsdA and regulator RsdA coordinates fungal secondary metabolism. CsdA binds to a specific motif of RsdA's pre-mRNA to control its expression, revealing a mechanism for coordinating fungal secondary metabolism.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Elisa N. Stephens, Xiao-Nan Zhang, Albert T. Lam, Jiawei Li, Hua Pei, Stan G. Louie, Clay C. C. Wang, Yong Zhang
Summary: The article presents a novel ribose-functionalized NAD(+) with versatile activities that can serve as a general substrate for poly-ADP-ribose polymerases. The mono- and poly-ADP-ribosylated proteins derived from this molecule can be recognized by specific ADP-ribosylation readers, providing valuable insights into developing new probes for ADP-ribosylation.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Jonathan Lombardino, Swati Bijlani, Nitin K. Singh, Jason M. Wood, Richard Barker, Simon Gilroy, Clay C. C. Wang, Kasthuri Venkateswaran
Summary: The ongoing microbial tracking investigation of the International Space Station (ISS) has discovered Sphingomonas strains with biotechnological potential. These strains can promote plant growth and resist environmental stress, making them valuable for future space missions.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
