Mycologia

Mycologia

Published by Taylor & Francis

Online ISSN: 1557-2536

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Print ISSN: 0027-5514

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79 reads in the past 30 days

Figure 1. The partners of the multicomplex interactions. a. Maximum likelyhood (ML) phylogenetic tree of ITS gene region of the mycobiont compared with other Teloschistaceae including Xanthoria parietina as outgroup. b. Photography of "Caloplaca santessoniana" in the Coastal Range of the Atacama Desert. c. ML phylogenetic tree of the concatenated gene regions rbcL and partial 18S rDNA of the green algal photobiont belonging to the genus Trebouxia rooted to Chlorella sorokiniana. d, e. Microscopic cross-sections of the lichen showing the photobionts of the genus Trebouxia that have a single slightly fringed chloroplast with a central pyrenoid. f, g. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the sectioned lichen thallus depicting the needle-like pattern typical for algae cell walls of the genus Trebouxia. h. ML phylogenetic tree of the ITS gene region of the lichenicolous fungus belonging to the genus Didymocyrtis including other members of this genus rooted to Plaeosphaeria lycopodina. Given are the hosts of the fungi and their locations. i. Close-up of the lichenicolous fungus on agar showing the mesh-like, rose-colored hyphae. j. Photograph of the isolated lichenicolous fungus of the genus Didymocyrtis sp. on Sabouraud (2% glucose, chloramphenicol) agar.
Figure 4. Illustration of lichen cross-section indicating consequences of infection with the lichenicolous fungus Didymocyrtis sp. on "Caloplaca santessoniana" ad int. A. Noninfected state of the lichen. B. The lichen shows signs of infections. C, D. Cross-section inserts showing the lichen structure including a medulla made of an unstructured, dense hyphal network formed by the mycobiont from which directed, parallel hyphae reach out vertically that form a fungal stack. This fungal stack confines an algal stack made of the green algal photobiont Trebouxia sp. that can be recognized by the needle-like pattern of the cell wall and its lobed chloroplast. The cortex is formed by dense hyphae that contain and also excrete the UV-protection, orange pigment parietin. c. In the intact lichen, the sugar ribitol is synthesized by the photobiont and is taken up by the mycobiont, which uses it as a precursor for parietin, which is stored in the cortex-forming hyphae in two forms in equal amounts: the intracellular parietin and the extracellular, crystalline parietin. d. Hyphae of the lichenicolous fungus Didymocyrtis sp. (pink) stretch out from the cortex, along the fungal stacks toward the photobiont stacks where they interact with the photobiont cells. Upon this contact, the photobiont cells die off, and as a consequence the photobiont cells turn brown and the chloroplast shrivels. As the algae decease, ribitol and therewith parietin synthesis is interrupted. This leads to a decrease in extracellular crystalline parietin and a brown coloration of the cortex and upper thallus layer of the lichen while the medulla remains intact. Further, the cortex layer becomes brittle and wrinkled with depressions that reach into the medulla. This increases the surface of the lichen thallus, allowing invasion of the lichen thallus by additional lichenicolous fungi by spores that adhere to the wrinkled surface. For the same reason, dust and mineral trapping is increased, which allows the mycobiont hyphae of the intact medulla and also those of the lichenicolous fungus to take up mineral compounds and nutrients from these dust particles. The increased surface of the thallus also increases the evapotranspiration of the lichen and decreases its water holding capacity, which can have negative effects for the photosynthetic performance also of connected noninfected parts of the lichen. Figure created by Frederik Spindler; edits conducted in Biorender.
The dark side of orange: Multiorganismic continuum dynamics within a lichen of the Atacama Desert The dark side of orange: Multiorganismic continuum dynamics within a lichen of the Atacama Desert

November 2023

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Molecular insights into fungal diversity reveal three novel species of Leucocoprinus from southern Punjab, Pakistan

June 2024

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364 Reads

Three novel species of the genus Leucocoprinus, named Lc. cinnamomeodiscus, Lc. dahranwalanus, and Lc. iqbalii, are described from unexplored regions of southern Punjab, Pakistan, based on comprehensive analyses of morphoanatomical characteristics and molecular phylogenetic data. We provide illustrations of freshly collected basidiomata and detailed line drawings highlighting key anatomical features. The molecular phylogenetic analyses, which are based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and combined ITS-28S sequences, consistently position these newly described species within the genus Leucocoprinus. Additionally, this study also introduces new taxonomic combinations for previously reported Leucoagaricus species.

Aims and scope


Publishes recent international research in mycology, focusing on the biology of fungi and emphasizing subjects such as molecular biology and plant pathology.

  • International in coverage, Mycologia presents recent advances in mycology, emphasizing all aspects of the biology of Fungi and fungus-like organisms, including Lichens, Oomycetes and Slime Molds.
  • The Journal emphasizes subjects including applied biology, biochemistry, cell biology, development, ecology, evolution, genetics, genomics, molecular biology, morphology, new techniques, animal or plant pathology, phylogenetics, physiology, aspects of secondary metabolism, systematics, and ultrastructure.
  • In addition to research articles, reviews and short notes, Mycologia also includes invited papers based on presentations from the Annual Conference of the Mycological Society of America, such as Karling Lectures or Presidential Addresses.
  • Scientists, regulators and workers in the agriculture, biodiversity, biotechnology, medical and pharmaceutical sectors around the world benefit from the research published in Mycologia.
  • The research can be used to further educational research programs, and …

For a full list of the subject areas this journal covers, please visit the journal website.

Recent articles


The biosynthesis and impacts of cytokinins on growth of the oyster mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus
  • Article

November 2024

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4 Reads

Nourhene Grich

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Thuan Huynh

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Anna Kisiala

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R. J. Neil Emery



A new species of Diacheopsis (Myxomycetes) and a new habitat for myxomycetes

November 2024

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43 Reads

We describe a new species, Diacheopsis resinae (Myxomycetes), collected from a microhabitat new for myxomycetes: stem wounds of coniferous trees (Norway spruce) where the resin is overgrown with a community of resinicolous fungi. The 80 known collections come from the Vosges (France), the Black Forest (Germany), Swabian Alp (Germany), and several localities in Denmark and Norway. Observations, but as well as metabarcoding of substrate samples with fungal (ITS [internal transcribed spacer]), bacterial (16S rDNA), and myxomycete (18S nuc rDNA) primers from eight trunks, revealed the new myxomycete to co-occur with resin-degrading ascomycetes (Infundichalara microchona, Lophium arboricola, Zythia resinae). The gram-negative bacterial genera Endobacter and Sphingomonas were found to be abundant in the substrate and may be a food source for the myxomycete. Fruit bodies were found mostly during the more humid winter season, with a peak in January/February. Partial sequences of two independent molecular markers (18S nuc rDNA, EF1α [elongation factor 1-alpha] gene) were obtained for 41 accessions, which form a monophyletic cluster in a two-gene phylogeny of Stemonititidales but do not group with other species of Diacheopsis, thus rendering this genus paraphyletic. The new species, although exclusively developing sessile sporocarps and morphologically undoubtedly falling into the genus Diacheopsis, is most closely related to species of Lamproderma, especially L. album, L. zonatum, and L. zonatopulchellum. Within D. resinae, three groups can be differentiated, which show nearly complete reproductive isolation, as judged from a recombination analysis of the two unlinked markers and the allelic combinations of the EF1α gene.






Figure 1. Sampling map. Map of the canton of Neuchâtel (Switzerland) representing the sampling locations of the different populations of Morchella helvetica (A-I; referred to in TABLE 1) collected for this study between 2019 and 2023.
Figure 2. Four-locus phylogeny. Multilocus (ITS-RPB1-RPB2-TEF1-α) ML phylogeny of sister clades of Morchella helvetica (Morchella sect. Distantes) with Swiss specimens (bold) and reference sequences. The phylogeny was based on 10 000 ultrafast bootstrap values (UFBoot displayed at branch nodes). The tree was rooted with M. sextelata and M. importuna.
Figure 4. Macroscopic and microscopic pictures of Morchella helvetica. (A) Mature fruiting body of Morchella helvetica M23-4 (holotype). (B) Young fruiting body of M. helvetica M23-2. (C) Mature fruiting body of M. helvetica M23-3. (D) Ectal excipulum (outer layer) of the stipe of M. helvetica M19-5, highlighting bipartite cylindrical elements (white arrow) and septa (yellow arrows) (light microscope, physiological water, 20×). (E) Asci and paraphyse (blue arrow) of M. helvetica M21-13 (light microscope, φw, 20×). (F) Ascospores of M. helvetica M19-43 (light microscope, physiological water, φw, 40×). (G) Multinucleate ascospore of M. helvetica M19-43 (light microscope, DAPI, 40×).
A new species of true morel from Switzerland: Morchella helvetica, sp. nov
  • Article
  • Full-text available

October 2024

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42 Reads


First European records of Puccinia modiolae and P. platyspora, two native South American rust fungi, and new observations on their life cycle and morphology

October 2024

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5 Reads

This paper reports the South American rust fungi Puccinia modiolae and P. platyspora (Pucciniales/Uredinales) as new alien species of the European rust funga. Puccinia modiolae is presently known from Switzerland and Germany, P. platyspora from Switzerland, Germany, and France. The records of P. platyspora are the first ones from outside South America. The specimens were identified by teliospore characters and sequences of the nuclear ribosomal DNA (internal transcribed spacer 2 and domains D1-D2 of the nuclear ribosomal large subunit) and the mitochondrial CO3 (cytochrome c oxidase III) gene. Puccinia modiolae and P. platyspora have been recorded so far in Europe on members of the genera Alcea, predominantly on Alcea rosea, Althaea, and Malva of the Malvaceae, subfam. Malvoideae. Alcea rosea is host of both species and shared also with the common mallow rust, P. malvacearum, allowing for mixed infections. The plant is commonly grown as an ornamental and may play a major role for the spread of the alien Malvaceae rust fungi. It was observed for the first time that P. platyspora can produce spermogonia and aecidium-type aecia, suggesting phenotypic plasticity regarding the formation of spore states. The observed spermogonia mainly remained closed and did not liberate spermatia. They produced telio- and aeciospores besides spermatia in their cavity and eventually converted entirely into telia or, rarely, into aecidium-like sori. Small clusters of aeciospores and peridial cells were commonly found hidden in the telial plectenchyma, and well-developed aecidium-type aecia provided with a peridium developed rarely in the center of mature telia. Spermogonia belonging to group V type 4 were found in P. malvacearum, which is generally supposed to lack spermogonia. Some spermogonia produced only spermatia in their cavity; others formed spermatia and teliospores, and some eventually converted into telia.





Community structure and assembly of myxomycetes in northern Chinese forests under geographic barriers

August 2024

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30 Reads

The study of myxomycete biogeography has a long-standing history and has consistently drawn scholarly interest. Nevertheless, studies focusing specifically on the spatial and temporal distribution patterns of myxomycete diversity are relatively limited, with even fewer investigating the mechanisms driving the generation and maintenance of myxomycete diversity. Therefore, this study selected two geographically distant sampling sites within northern Chinese forests to investigate myxomycete species composition, community structure, environmental drivers, and assembly patterns under geographic barriers. We established plots in the Altai Mountains (ALE) and the Greater Khingan Mountains (GKM), gathered bark and litter, and conducted 80-day moist chamber cultures of myxomycetes. Additionally, myxomycete specimens were collected in the field simultaneously to supplement the data set. This study collected 541 myxomycete specimens belonging to 73 species from 28 genera, spanning 12 families and eight orders. The ALE and the GKM had 20 identical species, accounting for 27% of the total species. Myxomycetes from both regions exhibited abundant occurrence 18 days after cultivation, with the quantity on bark substrates notably higher than on litter. Arcyria pomiformis and Comatricha elegans were the most common species in moist chamber cultures. Mantel test outcomes revealed that environmental factors had no significant impact on myxomycete community similarity between the two areas, aligning with findings from the neutral community model analysis, indicating a predominant influence of stochastic processes on myxomycete community structure in moist chamber cultures. This study represents the first application of a quantitative framework to analyze myxomycete community assembly cultivated in moist chambers.


Taxonomic revision of fleshy species of Hydnellum, Neosarcodon, and Sarcodon (Thelephorales) from Australasia

August 2024

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145 Reads

Stipitate Thelephorales are basidiomycetous, mostly hydnoid, ectomycorrhizal fungi. Some species have declined considerably, and some are threat-listed as vulnerable or endangered. These ecological concerns require a well-resolved taxonomy to understand diversity in this group of fungi and facilitate conservation. However, phylogenetic studies have mostly neglected Southern Hemisphere representatives. This study examines the fleshy species of stipitate Thelephorales from native forests in Australia and New Zealand, using morphological analyses and phylogenetic analyses of nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer region ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS barcode) and D1–D2 domains at the 5′ end of nuc 28S rDNA (28S) sequences amplified from DNA isolated from fungarium collections and environmental DNA (eDNA) sequences from the Australian Microbiome initiative. Five new species, Sarcodon austrofibulatus, Hydnellum gatesiae, H. nothofagacearum, H. pseudoioeides, and H. variisporum, are described, Sarcodon carbonarius is transferred to Neosarcodon, and a key is provided for the six named species in the region. Boletopsis and Neosarcodon are reported from Australia for the first time based on detections from eDNA in soil samples taken from native forests. The Australasian species of Hydnellum occupy a highly derived position with the phylogeny of the genus, the members of which are otherwise all from the Northern Hemisphere, suggestive of a long-distance dispersal origin for the Australasian species.


Reappraisal of Didymella macrostoma causing white tip disease of Canada thistle as a new species, Didymella baileyae, sp. nov., and bioactivity of its major metabolites

August 2024

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24 Reads

Bioherbicides are expected to be a supplement to integrated pest management, assisting in the control of problematic weed species. For instance, bioherbicides (Phoma and BioPhoma) were recently registered in Canada and the USA for the control of some perennial dicotyledonous weeds in lawns. These products are based on strains of the fungus Didymella macrostoma (syn. Phoma macrostoma) that causes white tip disease (WTD) in Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense). In this study, WTD was reported for the first time in the Russian Federation. Analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of nuc rDNA and secondary metabolite profiling confirmed the identity of Russian WTD isolates to Canadian biocontrol strains identified as D. macrostoma. Multilocus phylogenetic analysis based on sequencing of the ITS region, partial large subunit nuc rDNA region (28S), RNA polymerase II second largest subunit gene (rpb2), and partial β-tubulin gene (tub2) has differentiated the WTD isolates from C. arvense and D. macrostoma isolates from other plant hosts. Based on phylogenetic, morphological, and chemotaxonomic features, these WTD isolates were described as a new species named Didymella baileyae, sp. nov. This study also demonstrated the low pathogenicity of the ex-type D. baileyae isolate VIZR 1.53 to C. arvense seedlings and its asymptomatic development in the leaves of aboveground shoots. The organic extracts from mycelium and culture filtrate of D. baileyae, as well as macrocidin A and macrocidin Z, displayed phytotoxicity both to C. arvense leaves and seedlings. Macrocidin A was only detected in the naturally infected leaf tissues of C. arvense showing WTD symptoms. Macrocidins A and Z demonstrated low antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities, exhibiting no entomotoxic properties. The data obtained within this study on the pathogenicity and metabolites of D. baileyae may be important for the rational evaluation of its prospects as a biocontrol agent.


Peziza nivalis and relatives-spring fungi of wide distribution

August 2024

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139 Reads

Several members of the genus Peziza sensu stricto occur at the edge of melting snow. These nivicolous species have been widely reported in the Northern Hemisphere and are also known from Australia and New Zealand. We have used 16 specimens from North America and Australia to study morphology and to perform DNA sequencing. In sequence analyses, we have used ITS1 and ITS2 (internal transcribed spacers), 28S, RPB2 (RNA polymerase II gene), and two genes new to these studies, GAPDH (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) and HSP90 (heat shock protein 90). Although not all regions are available for all samples, we have recognized the following species: Peziza heimii, P. nivalis, and P. nivis. Phylogenetic analyses were done using ITS alone; combined ITS1-5.8S-ITS2, 28S, and RPB2; ITS, and 28S, RPB2, GAPDH, and HSP90. Even with this augmented set of genes and despite their widespread occurrence in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, we have not definitively distinguished species within this group. To assess these results, pairwise homoplasy index (PHI) analysis was employed. This showed evidence of recombination among the samples of P. nivalis and further supports the view of P. nivalis as a monophyletic cosmopolitan species. As part of this study, we also examined the variation in ITS copies in P. echinospora, for which a genome is available. ARTICLE HISTORY


Recent fieldwork and fungarium studies double known diversity of Chlorosplenium and improve understanding of species distributions

August 2024

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77 Reads

Chlorosplenium is a small genus comprising five species of inoperculate discomycetes in the order Helotiales (Leotiomycetes) often recognizable by their bright yellowish-green colors and gregarious growth on wood. In this study, we describe five new species-C. aotearoa, C. australiense, C. cusucoense, C. epimorsicum, and C. hawaiiense-based on a combination of recent fieldwork and examination of previously collected fungarium specimens. We use an integrative taxonomic approach to support the distinction of new species, incorporating morphology and DNA sequence data with biogeography. Macro- and micromorphological features of apothecia for all species and culture characteristics for four of the five new species are documented. A multilocus phylogeny based on nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer region ITS1-5.8S-ITS2, partial large subunit nuc ribosomal DNA (28S nuc rDNA), and A-B regions of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB1) gene is presented. Additionally, we report Chlorosplenium chlora from Europe for the first time and expand our knowledge of the diversity and distributions of species in this genus in America, Australia, and New Zealand.



Unroughing the cat's tongue mushrooms: Four new species of Pseudohydnum from Brazil based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic evidence

August 2024

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139 Reads

Pseudohydnum, commonly known as cat’s tongue mushrooms, is a monophyletic assemblage within Auriculariales, which encompasses species with gelatinous basidiomata, spathulate, flabellate, or shell-shaped pileus, hydnoid hymenophore, globose to ellipsoidal basidiospores, and longitudinally cruciate-septate basidia. According to the available literature, 16 species have been described in Pseudohydnum, mostly represented in temperate-boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere. However, the limited morphological, molecular, and ecological information, especially from the Southern Hemisphere ecosystems, does not presently allow a reliable assessment of its taxonomic boundaries nor provide a complete picture of the species diversity in the genus. In an ongoing effort to examine specimens collected in dense and mixed ombrophilous forest fragments (Atlantic Rainforest domain) from Southeastern and Southern Brazil, additional taxa assigned to Pseudohydnum were identified. Four new species are recognized based mostly on characters of the pileus surface, stipe, hymenium, and basidiospores. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer region ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS barcode), partial nuc rDNA 28S, and partial RNA polymerase II largest subunit (RPB1) sequences supported the description of these new taxa. Here, we propose Pseudohydnum brasiliense, P. brunneovelutinum, P. cupulisnymphae, and P. viridimontanum as new species. Morphological descriptions, line drawings, habitat photos, and comparisons with closely related taxa are provided. A dichotomous key for identification of currently known Southern Hemisphere Pseudohydnum species is presented.


Genome-wide search and gene expression studies reveal candidate effectors with a role in pathogenicity and virulence in Fusarium graminearum

August 2024

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43 Reads

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1 Citation

Fusarium graminearum causes Fusarium head blight (FHB) disease in wheat worldwide. Although F. graminearum is reported to secrete several effectors, their role in virulence and pathogenicity is unknown. The study aimed at identifying candidate genes with a role in pathogenicity and virulence using two different host systems, Arabidopsis thaliana and wheat, challenged with F. graminearum TN01. Detached leaf assay and histological studies revealed the virulent nature of TN01. A genome-wide in silico search revealed several candidate genes, of which 23 genes were selected based on reproducibility. Gene expression studies by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in leaf tissues of Arabidopsis and the two wheat genotypes, the susceptible (Sonalika) and the resistant (Nobeoka Bozu/Nobeoka), compared with mock-treated controls in a time-course study using fungal- and plant-specific genes as internal controls revealed that these genes were differentially regulated. Further, expression of these candidates in F. graminearum-inoculated Sonalika and Nobeoka spikes compared with mock-treated controls revealed their role in pathogenicity and virulence. Gene ontology studies revealed that some of these secretory proteins possessed a role in apoptosis and ceratoplatanin and KP4 killer toxin syntheses. A three-dimensional protein configuration was performed by homology modeling using trRosetta. Further, real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) studies in F. graminearum-inoculated Arabidopsis and wheat at early time points of inoculation revealed an increased expression of the majority of these genes in Sonalika, suggesting their possible role in pathogenicity, whereas low mRNA abundance was observed for 11 of these genes in the resistant genotype, Nobeoka, compared with Sonalika, indicating their role in virulence of F. graminearum.


Fossils can reveal a long-vanished combination of character states: Evidence from a mysterious foliicolous anamorphic fungus from the Middle Siwalik (Late Miocene) of Himachal Pradesh, India

July 2024

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22 Reads

Fossils can unveil a long-vanished combination of character states that inform inferences about the timing and patterns of diversification of modern fungi. By examining the well-preserved stacked chained vesicular conidiophores developed in clusters from the basal stroma, we describe a new taxon of fossil Zygosporiaceae with a combination of characters unknown among extant taxa on compressed serrated-margined dicot leaf (cf. Fagaceae) recovered from the Siwalik sediments (Late Miocene; ca. 12-8 Ma) of Himachal Pradesh, western Himalaya. Based upon conidiophore morphology, our Siwalik fungal remains, similar to Zygosporium Mont. (Zygosporiaceae: Xylariales: Sordariomycetes), are recognized as a new fossil species, Z. stromaticum Kundu & Khan, sp. nov. Zygosporium stromaticum is the only known fossil anamorphic fungus that occurs on plant cuticles and has a cluster of stacked chained vesicular conidiophores arising from a poorly preserved basal stroma formed by irregular, thick-walled cells. Its combination of morphological characteristics is unknown in extant fungal taxa, so Z. stromaticum likely represents a new anamorphic foliicolous fungus that may now be extinct. This unique evidence may be essential for the calibration of divergence time estimations of fungal lineages.


Revision of Alternaria sections Pseudoulocladium and Ulocladioides: Assessment of species boundaries, determination of mating-type loci, and identification of Russian strains

July 2024

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53 Reads

Alternaria is a large genus within Pleosporaceae and consists of fungi that have up to recently been considered to be 15 separate genera, including Ulocladium. The majority of Ulocladium species after incorporation into Alternaria were placed in three sections: Ulocladioides, Pseudoulocladium, and Ulocladium. In this study, phylogeny of 26 reference strains of 22 species and 20 Russian Ulocladium-like isolates was recovered. The partial actin gene (act), Alternaria major allergen (alta1), calmodulin (cal), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gapdh), RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (rpb2), and translation elongation factor 1-α (tef1) were sequenced for Russian isolates. All these fungi were examined using multilocus phylogenetic analysis according to the genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition (GCPSR) principle and the coalescent-based model Poisson tree processes (PTP, mPTP) and evaluated for the presence of recombination. All strains were combined into two clades that corresponded to the Pseudoulocladium and Ulocladioides sections. The Pseudoulocladium clade included four reference strains and nine local isolates and considered to be a single species, whereas the Ulocladioides section comprises 11 species, instead of 17 names previously adopted. Nine species were abolished by joining four other species. Species A. atra and A. multiformis were combined into the single species A. atra. Five species, A. brassicae-pekinensis, A. consortialis, A. cucurbitae, A. obovoidea, and A. terricola, were united in the species A. consortialis. Alternaria heterospora and A. subcucurbitae were combined into one species, A. subcucurbitae. Alternaria aspera, A. chartarum, A. concatenata, and A. septospora were combined into a single species, A. chartarum. Also, amplification with two different primer sets was performed to define mating-type locus 1 (MAT1) idiomorph. All studied isolates were heterothallic, contradicting some prior studies. Twenty Russian Ulocladium-like isolates were assigned to five species of two sections, A. atra, A. cantlous, A. chartarum, A. consortialis, and A. subcucurbitae. Species A. cantlous and A. subcucurbitae were found in Russia for the first time.


Decoding host cell interaction- and fluconazole-induced metabolic alterations and drug resistance in Candida auris

July 2024

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42 Reads

Candida auris is an emerging drug-resistant pathogen associated with high mortality rates. This study aimed to explore the metabolic alterations and associated pathogenesis and drug resistance in fluconazole-treated Candida auris-host cell interaction. Compared with controls, secreted metabolites from fluconazole-treated C. auris and fluconazole-treated C. auris-host cell co-culture demonstrated notable anti-Candida activity. Fluconazole caused significant reductions in C. auris cell numbers and aggregated phenotype. Metabolites produced by C. auris with potential fungal colonization, invasion, and host immune evasion effects were identified. Metabolites known to enhance biofilm formation produced during C. auris-host cell interaction were inhibited by fluconazole. Fluconazole enhanced the production of metabolites with biofilm inhibition activity, including behenyl alcohol and decanoic acid. Metabolites with potential Candida growth inhibition activity such as 2-palmitoyl glycerol, 1-tetradecanol, and 1-nonadecene were activated by fluconazole. Different patterns of proinflammatory cytokine expression presented due to fluconazole concentration and host cell type (fibroblasts versus macrophages). This highlights the immune response's complexity, emphasizing the necessity for additional research to comprehend cell-type-specific responses to antifungal therapies. Both host cell interaction and fluconazole treatment increased the expression of CDR1 and ERG11 genes, both associated with drug resistance. This study provides insights into pathogenesis in C. auris due to host cell interaction and fluconazole treatment. Understanding these interactions is crucial for enhancing fluconazole sensitivity and effectively combating C. auris.


New Cortinariaceae species associated with Dicymbe, Aldina, and Pakaraimaea in Guyana

July 2024

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51 Reads

Species of the ectomycorrhizal (ECM) family Cortinariaceae (Agaricales, Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota) have long been considered impoverished or absent from lowland tropical rainforests. Several decades of collecting in forests dominated by ECM trees in South America's Guiana Shield is countering this view, with discovery of numerous Cortinariaceae species. To date, ~12 morphospecies of this family have been found in the central Pakaraima Mountains of Guyana. Here, we describe three of these as new species of Cortinarius and two as new species of Phlegmacium from forests dominated by the ECM tree genera Dicymbe (Fabaceae subfam. Detarioideae), Aldina (Fabaceae subfam. Papilionoideae), and Pakaraimaea (Cistaceae). Macromorphological, micromorphological, habitat, and DNA sequence data are provided for each new species.


A new and threatened species of Bondarzewia from the Brazilian cloud forests

July 2024

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47 Reads

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1 Citation

A new and threatened polypore species, Bondarzewia loguerciae, is described from the cloud forests of southern Brazil. It is characterized by single-pileate basidiomata that grow on dead branches and along living stems of standing trunks and present a context with dark lines and resinous tubes. When growing in axenic culture, this species also develops chlamydospores. We provide an illustrated morphological description and molecular analysis. Our specimens from Brazil form a monophyletic group among other species of the Southern Hemisphere. The conservation status of B. loguerciae is assessed and published as "Critically Endangered" based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria. Additionally, a key to the species is provided.


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