Andrea C. Rinaldi

University of Cagliari | UNICA · Department of Biomedical Science

With the simultaneous growth in interest from the mycological community to discover fungal species and classify them, there is also an important need to assemble all taxonomic information onto common platforms. Fungal classification is facing a rapidly evolving landscape and organizing genera into an appropriate taxonomic hierarchy is central to be...

Citation: Sanna, M.; Mua, A.; Casula, M.; Rinaldi, A.C. Inocybaceae (Basidiomycota) in Ectomycorrhizal Symbiosis with Halimium (Cistaceae), and the Description of Two New Species of Inocybe from Sardinia (Italy). Diversity 2024, 16, 505. https:// Abstract: Halimium, Cistaceae, is a genus of shrubs restricted to the western part of the Mediterranean...

A complete description is provided for Pseudosperma calciphilum (Inocybaceae, Agaricales), a new basidiomycete species from Sardinia (Italy), Malta, and Valencia (Spain) in Europe, along with colour photographs of its macro- and microscopic characters and a comparative study of the similarities and differences from its closest allies. The new speci...

How the multiple facets of soil fungal diversity vary worldwide remains virtually unknown, hindering the management of this essential species-rich group. By sequencing high-resolution DNA markers in over 4000 topsoil samples from natural and human-altered ecosystems across all continents, we illustrate the distributions and drivers of different lev...

How the multiple facets of soil fungal diversity vary worldwide remains virtually unknown, hindering the management of this essential species-rich group. By sequencing high-resolution DNA markers in over 4000 topsoil samples from natural and human-altered ecosystems across all continents, we illustrate the distributions and drivers of different lev...

The use of hypoxic devices among athletes who train in normobaric hypoxia has become increasingly popular; however, the acute effects on heart and brain metabolism are not yet fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the mitochondrial bioenergetics in trained male and female Wistar rats after acute hypoxia training. The experimental plan i...

Mitochondria in our cells take components from the food we eat and turn them into energy. This essential role in energy metabolism is fundamental to the way cells work and the existence of complex life. Mitochondria are not only essential cellular energy factories; they also have critical functions that extend to cell signaling and are essential fo...

Aim of study: Despite its recognized ecosystemic importance, knowledge about mycorrhizal associations in Brazil is still dearth, and the diversity of the native mycorrhizal fungi remains unknown. In this study, we characterized morpho-anatomically and molecularly the ectomycorrhizae found associated with Guapira opposita in the restinga, vegetation...

Background: The Brazilian Atlantic Forest is one of the most biodiverse terrestrial ecoregions of the world. Among its constituents, restinga vegetation makes a particular case, acting as a buffer zone between the oceans and the forest. Covering some 80% of Brazilian coastline (over 7,300 km in length), restinga is a harsh environment where plants...

The description of a new Mediterranean species, Coltricia insularis, is provided, on the basis of material collected in Corsica, Sardinia, Cyprus and Spain

This article is the 14th in the Fungal Diversity Notes series, wherein we report 98 taxa distributed in two phyla, seven classes, 26 orders and 50 families which are described and illustrated. Taxa in this study were collected from Australia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chile, China, Cyprus, Egypt, France, French Guiana, India, Indonesia, Italy, Laos, Me...

In issue 29(1) of Indian J. Nephrol., a report entitled “Acute Renal Failure after Amanita ovoidea Eating” was published by Li Cavoli et al., in which a case of severe acute renal failure in an individual was attributed to consumption of the basidiomycete Amanita ovoidea. The latter is morphologically similar to A. proxima, a nephrotoxic species co...

Fungi are highly diverse organisms, which provide multiple ecosystem services. However, compared with charismatic animals and plants, the distribution patterns and conservation needs of fungi have been little explored. Here we used high‐resolution sequencing to assess endemicity patterns, global change vulnerability and conservation priority areas...

Homosexuality has been a constant throughout human evolution and civilization, and yet, science has been slow to look at the causes of sexual preferences.

Hemodynamic changes during exercise in acute hypoxia (AH) have not been completely elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate hemodynamics during an acute bout of mild, dynamic exercise during moderate normobaric AH. Twenty-two physically active, healthy males (average age; range 23–40 years) completed a cardiopulmonary test on a cycle ergo...

Fungi play pivotal roles in ecosystem functioning, but little is known about their global patterns of diversity, endemicity, vulnerability to global change drivers and conservation priority areas. We applied the high-resolution PacBio sequencing technique to identify fungi based on a long DNA marker that revealed a high proportion of hitherto unkno...

In this work, we characterize naturally occurring mycorrhizae formed by Amanita viscidolutea on Guapira opposita in the Atlantic Forest in Brazil. We sequenced the rDNA ITS region from the mycorrhizae and basidiomata to identify both symbionts. Amanita viscidolutea mycorrhizae were up to 43 mm long, mostly simple, and unbranched to irregularly pinn...

Nomenclatural novelties: Cyanoboletus mediterraneensis Biketova, A. Rinaldi & Simonini, sp. nov.

The genus Morchella has gone through turbulent taxonomic treatments. Although significant progress in Morchella systematics has been achieved in the past decade, several problems remain unresolved and taxonomy in the genus is still in flux. In late 2019, a paper published in the open-access journal Scientific Reports raised serious concerns about t...

This is a point-by-point rebuttal of the paper entitled “High diversity of Morchella and a novel lineage of the esculenta clade from the north Qinling Mountains revealed by GCPSR-based study” by Phanpadith et al. (2019), published in the Open-Access journal Scientific Reports (2019, 9:19856). The present critique is published as supplementary to th...

The production of a distinct profile of volatile organic compounds plays a crucial role in the ecology of hypogeous Ascomycetes, and is also key to their gastronomic relevance. In this study, we explored the aroma components of two rarely investigated Chinese desert truffles, namely Mattirolomyces terfezioides and Choiromyces cerebriformis, using h...

Despite the great strides in healthcare during the last century, some challenges still remained unanswered. The development of multi-drug resistant bacteria, the alarming growth of fungal infections, the emerging/re-emerging of viral diseases are yet a worldwide threat. Since the discovery of natural antimicrobial peptides able to broadly hit sever...

Fungi are highly important biotic components of terrestrial ecosystems, but we still have a very limited understanding about their diversity and distribution. This data article releases a global soil fungal dataset of the Global Soil Mycobiome consortium (GSMc) to boost further research in fungal diversity, biogeography and macroecology. The datase...

Mycological conservation has finally come of age. The increasingly recognized crucial role played by fungi in ecosystem functioning has spurred a wave of attention toward the status of fungal populations across the world. Milkcaps (Lactarius and Lactifluus) are a large and widespread group of ectomycorrhizal basidiomycetes; besides their ecological...

Societal Impact Statement Mycorrhizal associations are acknowledged as key components of global ecosystem functioning. This is especially relevant in the context of global change, since they contribute to the amelioration of adverse soil conditions and play crucial roles in agriculture. Generally speaking, the lay public is uninformed on the import...

The EU's Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 makes great promises about halting the decline of biodiversity but it offers little in terms of implementation.

Societal Impact Statement Edible mycorrhizal fungi (EMF) have been consumed since ancestral times by humans either as food, medicine or for ceremonial use. Nowadays, they are a non‐timber forest product and a diverse genetic resource with great ecological, sociocultural, economic, medicinal and biotechnological relevance around the world. Therefore...

March 2021. Food Science and Human Wellness 10 (2), 163-173 Aroma is central to the worldwide success of truffles as gourmet food and the high prices paid for these edible mushrooms. In this study, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from fruiting bodies of two Chinese truffles of commercial relevance, Tuber indicum and Tuber pseudohimalayense, were...

Well over 1% of all flowering plants are parasites, obtaining all or part of the nutrients they need from other plants. Among this extremely heterogeneous assemblage, the Cytinaceae form a small group of holoparasites, with Cytinus as the main representative genus. Despite the small number of known species and the fact that it doesn’t attack crops...

Halimium is a genus of Cistaceae, containing a small group of shrub species found in open vegetation types and in degraded forest patches throughout the western and central Mediterranean region. We recently described the morpho-anatomical features of the ectomycorrhizae formed by Scleroderma meridionale on Halimium halimifolium, but the mycorrhizal...

The ability of many anti-microbial peptides (AMPs) to modulate the host immune response has highlighted their possible therapeutic use to reduce uncontrolled inflammation during chronic infections. In the present study, we examined the anti-inflammatory potential of the semi-synthetic peptide lin-SB056-1 and its dendrimeric derivative (lin-SB056-1)...

The race for a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 has accelerated research on RNA-based therapeutics. Beyond vaccines, RNA also shows great potential for cancer therapies.

Ethnomycology inquiries into the cultural, ceremonial, and medicinal uses of mushrooms, besides their consumption as food. As such, these studies can shed light on how traditional societies exploited biodiversity in their territories while preserving it, opening a window on “the world until yesterday.” This chapter presents a review of ethnomycolog...

Trechispora (Hydnodontaceae) is considered as a soil-inhabiting fungus. However, some species in the genus are frequently forming basidiomes on soil, a typical feature of ectomycorrhizal fungi. Ectomycorrhizal basidiomes are found in neotropical and subtropical region, but taxonomical information and DNA sequences of root fungi and basidiomes from...

Background: The Guatemalan Highlands is a region of great but so far poorly known mycological diversity. People living in this area have long used wild fungi as a source of food and income. However, our knowledge of the ethnomycological practices of the Mayan peoples of Guatemala is still rudimental, especially if compared with information reported...

Background: Cytinus is small genus of endophytic parasitic plants distributed in South Africa, Madagascar, and in the Mediterranean region. In the latter area, two species occur, Cytinus hypocistis and C. ruber, distinguished by both morphological characters and ecological traits. We characterized the ethanolic and aqueous extracts obtained from th...

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising templates for the development of novel antibiofilm drugs. Despite the large number of studies on screening and optimization of AMPs, only a few of these evaluated the antibiofilm activity in physiologically relevant model systems. Potent in vitro activity of AMPs often does not translate into in vivo effe...

Scleroderma is a gasteroid genus in the Boletales (Basidiomycota), with a cosmopolitan distribution. Species of Scleroderma establish ectomycorrhizal (ECM) symbiosis with a range of coniferous and non-coniferous trees and shrubs, both in temperate and tropical regions, with little tendency to host specificity, a feature that might have facilitated...

Sardinia is a large island (24.100 km 2 , the 48 th largest in the world) placed in the middle of the Mediterranean basin. Home to extensive sclerophyllous forests and a range of other vegetation types, the island hosts thousands of macrofungi, many of which are linked through ectomycorrhizal (ECM) symbiosis to trees, shrubs and herbs. Despite this...

A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating experience, both for patients and their families. The most common type of dementia, AD, slowly builds up in the brain, creeping in the parts that control memory, thought, and language, and ultimately destroys the patient’s ability to interact with the human and physical environment. About 50...

Antimicrobial peptides attracted increasing interest in last decades due to the rising concern of multi-drug resistant pathogens. Dendrimeric peptides are branched molecules with multiple copies of one peptide functional unit bound to the central core. Compared to linear analogues, they usually show improved activity and lower susceptibility to pro...

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Figure S1

Caves are an extreme environment for humans because of the high humidity, mud, darkness, and slippery conditions. Explorations can last many hours or even days, and require extensive climbing and ropework. Very little is known about the physical capacity of cavers and their energy expenditure (EE) during caving. The physical capacity of 17 (7 femal...

Persister cells (PCs) are a subset of dormant, phenotypic variants of regular bacteria, highly tolerant to antibiotics. Generation of PCs in vivo may account for the recalcitrance of most chronic infections to antimicrobial treatment and demands for the identification of new antimicrobial agents able to target such cells. The present study explored...

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major cause of chronic lung infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. The ability of the bacterium to form biofilms and the presence of a thick and stagnant mucus in the airways of CF patients largely contribute to antibiotic therapy failure and demand for new antimicrobial agents able to act in the CF environment. Th...

Peptidomic analysis of norepinephrine-stimulated skin secretions from Italian stream frog Rana italica led to the purification and characterization of two host-defense peptides differing by a single amino acid residue belonging to the brevinin-1 family (brevinin-1ITa and -1ITb), a peptide belonging to the temporin family (temporin-ITa) and a compon...

The VIIIth Brazilian Mycological Congress, held in Florianópolis (Brazil) in October 2016, was organized by the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina and brought together more than 1000 scientists of 20 nationalities, which illustrates the dynamism of South American mycology, in many fields. One of the major take-home messages, amongst many resear...

Microbial resistance to conventional antibiotics is one of the most outstanding medical and scientific challenges of our times. Despite the recognised need for new anti-infective agents, however, very few new drugs have been brought to the market and to the clinic in the last three decades. This review highlights the properties of a new class of an...

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) make a dishomogeneous group of psychiatric diseases having either genetic and environmental components, including changes of the microbiota. The rate of diagnosis, based on a series of psychological tests and observed behavior, dramatically increased in the past few decades. Currently, no biological markers are avail...

The aim of this study was to determine the energy expenditure of a group of cavers of both genders and different ages and experience during a 10 hour subterranean exploration, using portable metabolimeters. The impact of caving activity on body composition and hydration were also assessed through bioelectrical impedance, and nutritional habits of c...

"A developmental disability that hinders the normal functioning of the brain, affecting, in varying degrees, communication skills and social interaction. Repetitive behaviours, and different ways of learning, paying attention, or reacting to things are often distinctive signs”. This standard definition of autism fails to describe the complexity of...

We describe the morpho-anatomical features of the ectomycorrhizas (ECMs) formed by Lactifluus rugatus on Cistus, a genus of about 20 species of woody shrubs typical of the Mediterranean maquis. The description of L. rugatus mycorrhizas on Cistus is the first ECM description of a species belonging to Lactifluus subgen. Pseudogymnocarpi. The ECM iden...

Dendrimeric peptides make a versatile group of bioactive peptidomimetics and a potential new class of antimicrobial agents to tackle the pressing threat of multi-drug resistant pathogens. These are branched supramolecular assemblies where multiple copies of the bioactive unit are linked to a central core. Beyond their antimicrobial activity, dendri...

Peptide-based antibiotics might help containing the rising tide of antimicrobial resistance. We developed SB056, a semi-synthetic peptide with a dimeric dendrimer scaffold, active against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Being the mechanism of SB056 attributed to disruption of bacterial membranes, we enhanced the amphiphilic profile o...

Cytinus hypocistis (Cytinaceae) and Cynomorium coccineum (Cynomoriaceae) are two Mediterranean parasitic plants, wildly diffused in Sardinia and well-known for several ethnopharmacological activities [1-2]. Nevertheless, only partially confirmation have been reported so far. To explore their potential, we undertook a thorough biological study. Cyno...

Biometric measurements have the potential to improve both security and convenience in many areas of our daily lives, including in health care and social services. Researchers are exploring new biometric characteristics that could be used to develop full-proof methods to assess and validate someone's identity.

Pseudhymenochirin-1Pb (Ps-1Pb; IKIPSFFRNILKKVGKEAVSLIAGALKQS) and pseudhymenochirin-2Pa (Ps-2Pa; GIFPIFAKLLGKVIKVASSLISKGRTE) are amphibian peptides with broad spectrum antimicrobial activities and cytotoxicity against mammalian cells. In the membrane-mimetic solvent 50% (v/v) trifluoroethanol-H2O, both peptides adopt a well-defined α-helical confo...

Cytinus is an endophytic parasitic plant occurring in South Africa, Madagascar, and in the Mediterranean region. We have extracted the inflorescences (the only visible part of the plant, emerging from the host roots at the time of blossom) of Cytinus hypocistis collected in Sardinia, Italy, and explored the antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-tyrosina...

Among the several thousand parasitic plants that thrive in a wide range of ecosystems, a few hold a special position, either for their scientific interest, economic importance, or historical relevance. Cynomorium belongs to the latter, exclusive guild.

Millions use traditional medicine and many drugs come from natural products. But traditional and modern medicine’s different approaches challenge integration. Mixing them needs better regulation, quality control and profit sharing. Andrea Rinaldi and Priya Shetty review the facts, figures and challenges of mixing modern and traditional medicine. Pu...

SB056 is a novel semi-synthetic antimicrobial peptide with a dimeric dendrimer scaffold. Active against both Gram-negative and -positive bacteria, its mechanism has been attributed to a disruption of bacterial membranes. The branched peptide was shown to assume a β-stranded conformation in a lipidic environment. Here, we report on a rational modifi...