Amesilide, a New Bicyclic Polyketide from the Marine Fungus MUT6601.

A new bicyclic polyketide, amesilide (), along with the previously reported metabolites, chamisides A (), B (), and E (), chaetoconvosins B () and C (), and chaetochromins A () and B (), were isolated from the marine fungus MUT6601. The structures of the compounds were determined by extensive spectrometric (HRMS) and spectroscopic (1D and 2D NMR) analyses, as well as specific rotation. Absolute configurations of the stereogenic centers of amesilide () were determined by a comparison of its experimental circular dichroism (CD) spectrum with its time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra.

Long-read microbial genome assembly, gene prediction and functional annotation: a service of the MIRRI ERIC Italian node.

Background: Understanding the structure and function of microbial genomes is crucial for uncovering their ecological roles, evolutionary trajectories, and potential applications in health, biotechnology, agriculture, food production, and environmental science. However, genome reconstruction and annotation remain computationally demanding and technically complex.

Results: We introduce a bioinformatics platform designed explicitly for long-read microbial sequencing data to address these challenges.

Bioprospecting Marine Fungi from the Plastisphere: Osteogenic and Antiviral Activities of Fungal Extracts.

Marine microplastics (MPs) represent a novel ecological niche, populated by fungi with high potential for pharmaceutical discovery. This study explores the bioactivity of fungal strains isolated from MPs in Mediterranean sediments, focusing on their osteogenic and antiviral activities. Crude extracts prepared via solid-state and submerged-state fermentation were tested for their effects on extracellular matrix mineralization in vitro and bone growth in zebrafish larvae, and for their activity against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2).

Tannins and copper sulphate as antimicrobial agents to prevent contamination of seedling culture for restoration purposes.

Seed-based restoration methods are increasingly recognized as a relevant tool contributing to halt and reverse the loss of seagrass meadows while providing genetic and evolutionary benefit for the conservation of these habitats. protocols aimed at maximizing the survival of plantlets obtained from seeds in cultivation systems are therefore required. Previous trials of seedling culture of , the dominant seagrass of the Mediterranean Sea, recorded up to 40% loss due to mould development.

The essential role of aggregation for the emulsifying ability of a fungal CYS-rich protein.

Biosurfactants are in demand by the global market as natural commodities suitable for incorporation into commercial products or utilization in environmental applications. Fungi are promising producers of these molecules and have garnered interest also for their metabolic capabilities in efficiently utilizing recalcitrant and complex substrates, like hydrocarbons, plastic, etc. Within this framework, biosurfactants produced by two Fusarium solani fungal strains, isolated from plastic waste-contaminated landfill soils, were analyzed.

Estrogenic activity in wastewater treatment plants through in vitro effect-based assays: Insights into extraction phase.

Effluents of wastewater treatment plants can abundantly spread endocrine disrupting chemicals in the environment. To improve water quality monitoring, the use of effect-based tools that measure estrogenic activity has been suggested, however their results could be influenced by different factors. This study compared the estrogenic activity of wastewater samples extracted with two stationary phases and tested with two in vitro effect-based assays to investigate whether and how stationary phases and assays could influence biomonitoring data.

A guide to the use of bioassays in exploration of natural resources.

Bioassays are the main tool to decipher bioactivities from natural resources thus their selection and quality are critical for optimal bioprospecting. They are used both in the early stages of compounds isolation/purification/identification, and in later stages to evaluate their safety and efficacy. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the most common bioassays used in the discovery and development of new bioactive compounds with a focus on marine bioresources.

The genomes of Scedosporium between environmental challenges and opportunism.

Emerging fungal pathogens are a global challenge for humankind. Many efforts have been made to understand the mechanisms underlying pathogenicity in bacteria, and OMICs techniques are largely responsible for those advancements. By contrast, our limited understanding of opportunism and antifungal resistance is preventing us from identifying, limiting and interpreting the emergence of fungal pathogens.

A Further Step toward Sustainable Development: The Case of the Edible Mushroom Supply Chain.

This study provides an accurate economic characterization of the supply of edible mushrooms throughout Italy within the European context to fill the relevant research gap and highlight barriers and opportunities that are consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals. Italian companies operating in this field were identified and economically characterized using the Chamber of Commerce's Register of Companies. A qualitative web content analysis was then conducted to extract information about the marketed products, mushroom species, and retail channels, as well as the adopted certifications.

New Phenylspirodrimanes from the Sponge-Associated Fungus MUT 3308.

Two phenylspirodrimanes, never isolated before, stachybotrin J () and new stachybocin G (-stachybocin A) (), along with the already reported stachybotrin I (), stachybotrin H (), stachybotrylactam (), stachybotrylactam acetate (), 2-acetoxystachybotrylactam acetate (), stachybotramide (), chartarlactam B (), and F1839-J () were isolated from the sponge-associated fungus MUT 3308. Their structures were established based on extensive spectrometric (HRMS) and spectroscopic (1D and 2D NMR) analyses. Absolute configurations of the stereogenic centers of stachybotrin J (), stachybocin G (), and stachybotrin I (), were determined by comparison of their experimental circular dichroism (CD) spectra with their time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) circular dichroism (ECD) spectra.

Tourism affects microbial assemblages in show caves.

Anthropogenic disturbance on natural ecosystems is growing in frequency and magnitude affecting all ecosystems components. Understanding the response of different types of biocoenosis to human disturbance is urgently needed and it can be achieved by adopting a metacommunity framework. With the aid of advanced molecular techniques, we investigated sediment communities of Fungi, Bacteria and Archaea in four Italian show caves, aiming to disentangle the effects induced by tourism on their diversity and to highlight changes in the driving forces that shape their community composition.

sp. nov. and sp. nov., two new species from extreme environments.

Six strains of black meristematic fungi were isolated from Antarctic soils, gasoline car tanks and from the marine alga . These fungi were characterized by morphological, physiological and phylogenetic analyses. According to the maximum-likelihood analysis reconstructed with ITS and LSU sequences, these strains belonged to the genus sp.

Dihydroauroglaucin Isolated from the Mediterranean Sponge Endophyte Marine Fungus Inhibits Migration of Human Neuroblastoma Cells.

Cancer cell migration is a hallmark of the aggressiveness and progression of malignancies such as high-risk neuroblastoma. Given the lack of effective therapeutic solutions to counteract cancer progression, basic research aims to identify novel bioactive molecules with inhibitory potential on cancer cell migration. In this context, this work investigated the role of members of the salicylaldehyde secondary metabolite set from the sponge endophyte fungus MUT 2316 as potential inhibitors of human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell migration.

Insights on Inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea and Description of Three Novel Species of the Genus .

The order , with its sole family , consists of strictly marine genera found on a wide range of substrates such as seagrasses, seaweeds, and seafoam. Twenty-one unidentified were isolated in previous surveys aimed at broadening our understanding of the biodiversity hosted in the Mediterranean Sea. Here, these organisms, mostly found in association with and with submerged woods, were examined using thorough multi-locus phylogenetic analyses and morphological observations.

Trichoderma harzianum cerato-platanin enhances hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials.

Considering its worldwide abundance, cellulose can be a suitable candidate to replace the fossil oil-based materials, even if its potential is still untapped, due to some scientific and technical gaps. This work offers new possibilities demonstrating for the first time the ability of a cerato-platanin, a small fungal protein, to valorize lignocellulosic Agri-food Wastes. Indeed, cerato-platanins can loosen cellulose rendering it more accessible to hydrolytic attack.

Extraction of short chain chitooligosaccharides from fungal biomass and their use as promoters of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis.

Short chain chitooligosaccharides (COs) are chitin derivative molecules involved in plant-fungus signaling during arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) interactions. In host plants, COs activate a symbiotic signalling pathway that regulates AM-related gene expression. Furthermore, exogenous CO application was shown to promote AM establishment, with a major interest for agricultural applications of AM fungi as biofertilizers.

Low density polyethylene degradation by filamentous fungi.

Polyethylene (PE) is the most abundant non-degradable plastic waste, posing a constant and serious threat to the whole ecosystem. In the present study, the fungal community of plastic wastes contaminating a landfill soil has been studied. After 6 months of enrichment, 95 fungi were isolated, mostly belonging to the Ascomycota phylum.

Genome Sequence of MUT3171, A Promising Strain for Mycoremediation of PAH-Contaminated Sites.

Mono- and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread and recalcitrant pollutants that threaten both environmental and human health. By exploiting the powerful enzymatic machinery of fungi, mycoremediation in contaminated sites aims at removing a wide range of pollutants in a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly manner. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques are powerful tools for understanding the molecular basis of biotransformation of PAHs by selected fungal strains, allowing genome mining to identify genetic features of biotechnological value.

Cerato-Platanins from Marine Fungi as Effective Protein Biosurfactants and Bioemulsifiers.

Two fungal strains, MUT 271 and MUT 290, isolated from a Mediterranean marine site chronically pervaded by oil spills, can use crude oil as sole carbon source. Herein, these strains were investigated as producers of biosurfactants, apt to solubilize organic molecules as a preliminary step to metabolize them. Both fungi secreted low molecular weight proteins identified as cerato-platanins, small, conserved, hydrophobic proteins, included among the fungal surface-active proteins.

The culturable mycobiota associated with the Mediterranean sponges Aplysina cavernicola, Crambe crambe and Phorbas tenacior.

Marine fungi are part of the huge and understudied biodiversity hosted in the sea. To broaden the knowledge on fungi inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea and their role in sponge holobiont, three sponges namely Aplysina cavernicola, Crambe crambe and Phorbas tenacior were collected in Villefranche sur Mer, (France) at about 25 m depth. The fungal communities associated with the sponges were isolated using different techniques to increase the numbers of fungi isolated.

Preservation, Characterization and Exploitation of Microbial Biodiversity: The Perspective of the Italian Network of Culture Collections.

Microorganisms represent most of the biodiversity of living organisms in every ecological habitat. They have profound effects on the functioning of any ecosystem, and therefore on the health of our planet and of human beings. Moreover, microorganisms are the main protagonists in food, medical and biotech industries, and have several environmental applications.

Ecofriendly laccases treatment to challenge micropollutants issue in municipal wastewaters.

In this study, a multidisciplinary approach investigated the enzymatic degradation of micropollutants in real, not modified, municipal wastewaters of a plant located in Italy. Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction combined to Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometric detection (SBSE-GC-MS) was applied to profile targeted pollutants in wastewaters collected after the primary sedimentation (W1) and the final effluent (W2). Fifteen compounds were detected at ng/L - μg/L, including pesticides, personal care products (PCPs) and drugs.

The Sponge-Associated Fungus Eurotium chevalieri MUT 2316 and its Bioactive Molecules: Potential Applications in the Field of Antifouling.

The need for new environmentally friendly antifouling and the observation that many marine organisms have developed strategies to keep their surface free of epibionts has stimulated the search for marine natural compounds with antifouling activities. Sponges and in particular fungi associated with them represent one of the most appropriate sources of defence molecules and could represent a promising biomass for the supply of new antifouling compounds. The objective of this work was therefore to evaluate the antifouling potency of 7 compounds isolated from the sponge derived fungus Eurotium chevalieri MUT 2316.