Giuseppe Ianiri

University of Molise | Università del Molise

Modern agriculture, especially sustainable plant disease management, faces the challenge of applying the latest and most relevant research to develop new solutions for crop protection. These new tools and protocols should focus on maximizing both the quality and quantity of production, while minimizing environmental impact. Microbe-based formulatio...

During mammalian colonization and infection, microorganisms must be able to rapidly sense and adapt to changing environmental conditions including alterations in extracellular pH. The fungus-specific Rim/Pal signaling pathway is one process that supports microbial adaptation to alkaline pH. This cascading series of interacting proteins terminates i...

Malassezia spp. are commensal yeasts that colonize sebum-rich areas of the human skin. Usually harmless, Malassezia spp. are sometimes involved in skin pathologies such as pityriasis versicolor (PV). In PV, Malassezia switch from their commensal round or oval shape to filamentous structures, named hyphae, that invade the cornified layer of the epid...

During mammalian colonization and infection, microorganisms must be able to rapidly sense and adapt to changing environmental conditions including alterations in extracellular pH. The fungus-specific Rim/Pal signaling pathway is one process that supports microbial adaptation to alkaline pH. This cascading series of interacting proteins terminates i...

Fungal infections of fresh fruits and vegetables (FFVs) can lead to safety problems, including consumer poisoning by mycotoxins. Various strategies exist to control fungal infections of FFVs, but their effectiveness and sustainability are limited. Recently, new concepts based on the microbiome and pathobiome have emerged and offer a more holistic p...

The pronounced skin tropism and pan-antifungal resistance traits of the fungal pathogen Candida auris stand out as a serious health threat. Here, we show that a carbonic sensing pathway (CSP) promotes development of resistance to amphotericin B through a reactive oxygen species (ROS) response, as well as ectopic cell wall and membrane lipid homeost...

Biocontrol strategies offer a promising alternative to control plant pathogens achieving food safety and security. In this study we apply a RNAseq analysis during interaction between the biocontrol agent (BCA) Papiliotrema terrestris, the pathogen Penicillium expansum, and the host Malus domestica. Analysis of the BCA finds overall 802 upregulated...

Fungi in the basidiomycete genus Malassezia are the most prevalent eukaryotic microbes resident on the skin of human and other warm-blooded animals and have been implicated in skin diseases and systemic disorders. Analysis of Malassezia genomes revealed that key adaptations to the skin microenvironment have a direct genomic basis, and the identific...

Fungi in the basidiomycete genus Malassezia are the most prevalent eukaryotic microbes resident on the skin of human and other warm-blooded animals and have been implicated in skin diseases and systemic disorders. Analysis of Malassezia genomes revealed that key adaptations to the skin microenvironment have a direct genomic basis, and the identific...

Brown rot caused by Monilinia spp. is the main disease of stone fruits. Our research aimed to identify an appropriate strategy to control plum brown rot and reduce fungicides residues in fruit through targeted application of the biocontrol agents (BCAs) Papiliotrema terrestris and Bacillus subtilis, alone or in combination with synthetic fungicides...

Identified in the late nineteenth century as a single species residing on human skin, Malassezia is now recognized as a diverse genus comprising 18 species inhabiting not only skin but human gut, hospital environments, and even deep-sea sponges. All cultivated Malassezia species are lipid dependent, having lost genes for lipid synthesis and carbohy...

The active regulation of extracellular pH is critical for the virulence of fungal pathogens. Penicillium expansum is the causal agent of green-blue mold on stored pome fruits and during its infection process acidifies the host tissues by secreting organic acids. P. expansum is also the main producer of patulin (PAT), a mycotoxin found in pome fruit...

The use of synthetic fungicides to control fungal diseases has growing limitations due to eco-toxicological risks. Therefore, it is necessary to replace or integrate high risk chemicals with safer tools for human health and environment. Consequently, research on the selection, evaluation, characterization, and use of biocontrol agents (BCAs) has co...

Introduction: Exopolysaccharides (EPSs) are high-value functional biomaterials mainly produced by bacteria and fungi, with nutraceutical, therapeutic and industrial potentials. Objectives: This study sought to characterize and assess the biological properties of the EPS produced by the yeast Papiliotrema terrestris PT22AV. Methods: After extra...

Malassezia furfur is a common commensal member of human/animal microbiota that is also associated with several pathogenic states. Recent studies report involvement of Malassezia species in Crohn’s disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatic cancer progression, and exacerbation of cystic fibrosis.

Red yeasts, mainly included in the genera Rhodotorula, Rhodosporidiobolus, and Sporobolomyces, are renowned biocatalysts for the production of a wide range of secondary metabolites of commercial interest, among which lipids, carotenoids, and other isoprenoids. The production of all these compounds is tightly interrelated as they share acetyl-CoA an...

Malassezia species are important fungal skin commensals and are part of the normal microbiota of humans and other animals. However, under certain circumstances these fungi can also display a pathogenic behaviour. For example, Malassezia furfur is a common commensal of human skin, and yet is often responsible for skin disorders but also systemic inf...

Papiliotrema terrestris strain LS28 is a biocontrol agent (BCA) selected for its antagonistic activity against several plant pathogens both in the field and postharvest. The availability of a genome sequencing sets the foundation for the identification of the genetic mechanisms of its antagonistic activity. The genome size is 21.29 Mbp with a G + C...

This manuscript is a critical review of the analytical methods reported in the existing literature for the determination of mycotoxin patulin at trace/ultra-trace levels in food matrices. The article starts focusing on what mycotoxins are, their “analytical history” (more than 21,000 articles published in Scopus database): each mycotoxin is specifi...

Malassezia are emerging fungal pathogens causing opportunistic skin and severe systemic infection. Nosocomial outbreaks are associated with azole resistance and understanding of the underlying mechanisms are limited to knowledge from other fungal species. Herein, we identified distinct antifungal susceptibility patterns in 26 Malassezia furfur isol...

Fungal attacks on stored vegetable and fruits are responsible for losses of products. There is an active research field to develop alternative strategies for postharvest disease management, and the use of biocontrol agents represents a promising approach. Understanding the molecular bases of the biocontrol activity of these agents is crucial to pot...

Fruit‐based diets have been adopted by the public worldwide because of their nutritional value. Many advances have also been made in the elucidation of host–pathogen interaction in the postharvest phase of fruits, in the hope of improving the management of diseases caused by pathogenic molds. In this study, we presented the molecular mechanisms by...

Mycoviruses infect fungi, and while most persist asymptomatically, there are examples of mycoviruses having both beneficial and detrimental effects on their host. Virus-infected Saccharomyces and Ustilago strains exhibit a killer phenotype conferring a growth advantage over uninfected strains and other competing yeast species, whereas hypovirus-inf...

Malassezia includes yeasts belong to the subphylum Ustilaginomycotina within the Basidiomycota. Malassezia yeasts are commonly found as commensals on human and animal skin. Nevertheless, Malassezia species are also associated with several skin disorders, such as dandruff/seborrheic dermatitis, atopic eczema, pityriasis versicolor, and folliculitis....

The use of fluorescent proteins allows a multitude of approaches from live imaging and fixed cells to labeling of whole organisms, making it a foundation of diverse experiments. Tagging a protein of interest or specific cell type allows visualization and studies of cell localization, cellular dynamics, physiology, and structural characteristics. In...

Significance Malassezia species are the main fungal components of the mammalian skin microbiome and are associated with a number of skin disorders. Recently, Malassezia has also been found in association with Crohn’s disease and with pancreatic cancer. The elucidation of the molecular bases of skin adaptation by Malassezia is critical to understand...

Chytrids are early-diverging fungi that share features with animals that have been lost in most other fungi. They hold promise as a system to study fungal and animal evolution, but we lack genetic tools for hypothesis testing. Here, we generated transgenic lines of the chytrid Spizellomyces punctatus, and used fluorescence microscopy to explore chy...

Chytrids are early-diverging fungi that share features with animals that have been lost in most other fungi. They hold promise as a system to study fungal and animal evolution, but we lack genetic tools for hypothesis testing. Here, we generated transgenic lines of the chytrid Spizellomyces punctatus, and used fluorescence microscopy to explore chy...

Chytrids are early-diverging fungi that share features with animals that have been lost in most other fungi. They hold promise as a system to study fungal and animal evolution, but we lack genetic tools for hypothesis testing. Here, we generated transgenic lines of the chytrid Spizellomyces punctatus, and used fluorescence microscopy to explore chy...

The use of fluorescent proteins allows a multitude of approaches from live imaging and fixed cells to labelling of whole organisms, making it a foundation of diverse experiments. Tagging a protein of interest or specific cell type allows visualization and studies of cell localization, cellular dynamics, physiology, and structural characteristics. I...

The field of plant protection is steadily reducing the use of chemicals by increasing the use of microbial biocontrol agents. At present, several microorganisms are active ingredients of the so-called biofungicides and some of these are based on yeasts. Molecular techniques applied in microbial taxonomy are leading to extensive revisions of the cla...

The skin of humans and animals is colonized by commensal and pathogenic fungi and bacteria that share this ecological niche and have established microbial interactions. Malassezia are the most abundant fungal skin inhabitant of warm-blooded animals, and have been implicated in skin diseases and systemic disorders, including Crohn’s disease and panc...

Genomic rearrangements associated with speciation often result in chromosome number variation among closely related species. Malassezia species show variable karyotypes ranging between 6 and 9 chromosomes. Here, we experimentally identified all 8 centromeres in M. sympodialis as 3 to 5 kb long kinetochore-bound regions spanning an AT-rich core and...

Mitochondria are inherited uniparentally during sexual reproduction in the majority of eukaryotic species studied, including humans, mice, nematodes, as well as many fungal species. Mitochondrial uniparental inheritance (mito-UPI) could be beneficial in that it avoids possible genetic conflicts between organelles with different genetic backgrounds,...

This study demonstrated that the ribosomal proteins Rpl22 and Rpl39 encoded by the MAT locus of Cryptococcus neoformans are essential. Focusing on the RPL22a and RPL22α alleles, Ianiri et al. found differential expression of the two RPL22... The MAT locus of Cryptococcus neoformans has a bipolar organization characterized by an unusually large stru...

Mycoviruses infect fungi, and while most persist asymptomatically, there are examples of mycoviruses having both beneficial and detrimental effects on their host. Virus-infected Saccharomyces and Ustilago strains exhibit a killer phenotype conferring a growth advantage over uninfected strains and other competing yeast species, whereas hypovirus-inf...

34 Genomic rearrangements associated with speciation often result in chromosome number 35 variation among closely related species. Malassezia species show variable karyotypes ranging 36 between 6 and 9 chromosomes. Here, we experimentally identified all 8 centromeres in M. 37 sympodialis as 3 to 5 kb long kinetochore-bound regions spanning an AT-ri...

Mitochondria are inherited uniparentally during sexual reproduction in the majority of eukaryotic species studied, including humans, mice, nematodes, as well as many fungal species. Mitochondrial uniparental inheritance (mito-UPI) could be beneficial in that it avoids possible genetic conflicts between organelles with different genetic backgrounds,...

Chytrids are early-diverging fungi that share ancestral features of animals, including cells that crawl and swim. At later stages, chytrid cells resemble fungi with a chitin-based cell wall and hyphal-like structures known as rhizoids. Chytrids are important evolutionary transitional forms, but much remains unknown about their cell biology because...

The target of rapamycin (TOR) pathway is an evolutionarily conserved signal transduction system that governs a plethora of eukaryotic biological processes, but its role in Cryptococcus neoformans remains elusive. In this study, we investigated the TOR pathway by functionally characterizing two Tor-like kinases, Tor1 and Tlk1, in C. neoformans We su...

The MAT locus of Cryptococcus neoformans has a bipolar organization characterized by an unusually large structure, spanning over 100 kb. MAT genes have been characterized by functional genetics as being involved in sexual reproduction and virulence. However, classical gene replacement failed to achieve mutants for five MAT genes ( RPL22, RPO41, MYO...

Malassezia are a monophyletic phylum of 18 species of commensal/ pathogenic yeasts that are prominent in the mammalian mycobiome, and recently linked to risk of Crohn’s Disease. Malassezia are challenging to study... Malassezia encompasses a monophyletic group of basidiomycetous yeasts naturally found on the skin of humans and other animals. Malass...

Malassezia encompasses a monophyletic group of basidiomycetous yeasts naturally found on the skin of humans and other animals. Malassezia species have lost genes for lipid biosynthesis, and are therefore lipid-dependent and difficult to manipulate under laboratory conditions. In this study we applied a recently-developed Agrobacterium tumefaciens -...

Brown rot is a major disease of stone fruits caused by Monilinia spp. It can reach high incidence that leads to considerable losses during storage. Our work aimed at the evaluation of innovative biological and integrated approaches to control brown rot of apricots and peaches, and of their influence on the presence of fungicide residues both in the...

Terrestrial fungi play critical roles in nutrient cycling and food webs and can shape macroorganism communities as parasites and mutualists. Although estimates for the number of fungal species on the planet range from 1.5 to over 5 million, likely fewer than 10% of fungi have been identified so far. To date, a relatively small percentage of describ...

Genomic rearrangements associated with speciation often result in chromosome number variation among closely related species. Malassezia species show variable karyotypes ranging between 6 and 9 chromosomes. Here, we experimentally identified all 8 centromeres in M. sympodialis as 3 to 5 kb long kinetochore-bound regions spanning an AT-rich core and...

Malassezia are abundant, lipid-dependent, commensal yeasts in the skin microbiome that also have a pathogenic lifestyle associated with several common skin disorders. Malassezia genomes encode myriad lipases and proteases thought to mediate lipid utilization and pathogenesis. Li et al. report the biochemical characterization of a unique secreted as...

Rhodotorula kratochvilovae strain LS11 is a biocontrol agent (BCA) selected for its antagonistic activity against several plant pathogens both in the field and postharvest. Genome assembly includes 62 contigs for a total of 22.56 Mbp and a G+C content of 66.6%. Genome annotation predicts 7,642 protein-encoding genes.

A molecular approach was applied to the study of the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway of Rhodotorula mucilaginosa. At first, functional annotation of the genome of R. mucilaginosa C2.5t1 was carried out and gene ontology categories were assigned to 4033 predicted proteins. Then, a set of genes involved in different steps of carotenogenesis was ident...

The genus Malassezia includes yeasts that are commonly found on the skin or hair of animals and humans as commensals and are associated with a number of skin disorders. We have previously developed an Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation system effective for both targeted gene deletion and insertional mu-tagenesis in Malassezia furfur and M. sy...

IMPORTANCE Malassezia species are the most abundant fungal components of the mammalian and human skin microbiome. Although they belong to the natural skin commensal flora of humans, they are also associated with a variety of clinical skin disorders. The standard treatment for Malassezia-associated inflammatory skin infections is topical corticoster...

The implementation of Agrobacterium tumefaciens as a transformation tool revolutionized approaches to discover and understand gene functions in a large number of fungal species. A. tumefaciens mediated transformation (AtMT) is one of the most transformative technologies for research on fungi developed in the last 20 years, a development arguably on...

Synthetic fungicides are commonly employed for the control of postharvest diseases of fruits. However, due to health concerns about the use of these chemicals, alternative control methods including biocontrol based on antagonistic yeasts are gaining in popularity. In this study, we investigated the effects of two biocontrol yeasts, Rhodotorula muci...

Correlation between patulin content (μg/g of decayed apple tissue) and lesion diameter (mm) in artificially infected apples inoculated treated with the following microorganisms: PePY (A); RkLS11+PePY (B); Rm3617+PePY (C); PeFS7 (D); RkLS11+PeFS7 (E); Rm3617+PeFS7 (F). PePY, Penicillium expansum strain PY; PeFS7, P. expansum strain FS7; RkLS11, Rhod...

Time course of lesion diameter (mm) in artificially inoculated apples stored at 20°C. Bars represent the mean values from two experiments ± standard deviations. Bars with ∗ indicate significant difference (P < 0.05). PePY, Penicillium expansum strain PY; PeFS7, P. expansum strain FS7.

Correlation between Penicillium expansum biomass (expressed as ng of DNA/μg of decayed tissue) and patulin content (μg/g of decayed tissue) in artificially infected apples treated with the following microorganisms: PePY (A); RkLS11+PePY (B); Rm3617+PePY (C); PeFS7 (D); RkLS11+PeFS7 (E); Rm3617+PeFS7 (F). PePY, Penicillium expansum strain PY; PeFS7,...

Time course of patulin contamination (μg/g of decayed apple tissue) in apples artificially infected by PePY and PeFS7 during storage at 20°C. Bars represent the mean values from two experiments ± standard deviations. Bars with ∗ indicate significant difference (P < 0.05). PePY, Penicillium expansum strain PY; PeFS7, P. expansum strain FS7.

Time course of specific mycotoxigenic activity (ng patulin/μg of fungal DNA) of strains PY and FS7 of Penicillium expansum in infected apples stored at 20°C. Bars represent the mean values from two experiments ± standard deviations. Bars with ∗ indicate significant difference (P < 0.05). PePY, Penicillium expansum strain PY; PeFS7, P. expansum stra...

Time course of disease incidence (% of infected wounds) in artificially inoculated apples stored at 20°C. Bars represent the mean values from two experiments ± standard deviations. Bars with ∗ indicate significant difference (P < 0.05). PePY, Penicillium expansum strain PY; PeFS7, P. expansum strain FS7.

Time course of P. expansum biomass development (ng DNA/μg of decayed apple tissue) in apples artificially infected by PePY and PeFS7 during storage at 20°C. Bars represent the mean values from two experiments ± standard deviations. Bars with ∗ indicate signficant difference (P < 0.05). PePY, Penicillium expansum strain PY; PeFS7, P. expansum strain...