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Toxins Oct 2021The apple is one of the most important fruit tree crops in the Mediterranean region. Lebanon, in particular, is among the top apple producer countries in the Middle...
The apple is one of the most important fruit tree crops in the Mediterranean region. Lebanon, in particular, is among the top apple producer countries in the Middle East; however, recently, several types of damage, particularly rot symptoms, have been detected on fruits in cold storage. This study aims to identify the causal agents of apple decay in Lebanese post-harvest facilities and characterize a set of 39 representative strains of the toxigenic fungus . The results demonstrated that blue mould was the most frequent fungal disease associated with apples showing symptoms of decay after 3-4 months of storage at 0 °C, with an average frequency of 76.5% and 80.6% on cv. Red and cv. Golden Delicious apples, respectively. The morphological identification and phylogenetic analysis of gene showed that most strains (87.2%) belong to species whereas the remaining strains (12.8%) belong to . Furthermore, 67.7% of strains produced patulin when grown on apple puree for 14 days at 25 °C with values ranging from 10.7 mg kg to 125.9 mg kg, whereas all did not produce the mycotoxin. This study highlights the presence of spp. and their related mycotoxin risk during apple storage and calls for the implementation of proper measures to decrease the risk of mycotoxin contamination of apple fruit products.
Topics: Food Contamination; Food Microbiology; Food Storage; Fruit; Lebanon; Malus; Patulin; Penicillium
PubMed: 34679023
DOI: 10.3390/toxins13100730 -
Clinical Microbiology Reviews Jan 2006Penicillium marneffei infection is an important emerging public health problem, especially among patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus in the areas of... (Review)
Review
Penicillium marneffei infection is an important emerging public health problem, especially among patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus in the areas of endemicity in southeast Asia, India, and China. Within these regions, P. marneffei infection is regarded as an AIDS-defining illness, and the severity of the disease depends on the immunological status of the infected individual. Early diagnosis by serologic and molecular assay-based methods have been developed and are proving to be important in diagnosing infection. The occurrence of natural reservoirs and the molecular epidemiology of P. marneffei have been studied; however, the natural history and mode of transmission of the organism remain unclear. Soil exposure, especially during the rainy season, has been suggested to be a critical risk factor. Using a highly discriminatory molecular technique, multilocus microsatellite typing, to characterize this fungus, several isolates from bamboo rats and humans were shown to share identical multilocus genotypes. These data suggest either that transmission of P. marneffei may occur from rodents to humans or that rodents and humans are coinfected from common environmental sources. These putative natural cycles of P. marneffei infection need further investigation. Studies on the fungal genetics of P. marneffei have been focused on the characterization of genetic determinants that may play important roles in asexual development, mycelial-to-yeast phase transition, and the expression of antigenic determinants. Molecular studies have identified several genes involved in germination, hyphal development, conidiogenesis, and yeast cell polarity. A number of functionally important genes, such as the malate synthase- and catalase-peroxidase protein-encoding genes, have been identified as being upregulated in the yeast phase. Future investigations pertaining to the roles of these genes in host-fungus interactions may provide the key knowledge to understanding the pathogenicity of P. marneffei.
Topics: Humans; Molecular Epidemiology; Mycoses; Penicillium
PubMed: 16418525
DOI: 10.1128/CMR.19.1.95-110.2006 -
Journal of Applied Microbiology Apr 2015This is a comprehensive review, with 114 references, of the chemical diversity found in the fungus Penicillium roqueforti. Secondary metabolites of an alkaloidal nature... (Review)
Review
This is a comprehensive review, with 114 references, of the chemical diversity found in the fungus Penicillium roqueforti. Secondary metabolites of an alkaloidal nature are described, for example, ergot alkaloids such as festuclavine, isofumigaclavines A and B, and diketopiperazine alkaloids such as roquefortines A-D, which are derived from imidazole. Other metabolites are marcfortines A-C, PR-toxin, eremofortines A-E, mycophenolic and penicillic acids, and some γ-lactones. Also, recent developments related to the structural characteristics of botryodiplodin and andrastin are studied-the latter has anticancer properties. Finally, we discuss the enzymes of P. roqueforti, which can participate in the biotechnological production of high value-added molecules, as well as the use of secondary metabolite profiles for taxonomic purposes.
Topics: Fungal Proteins; Industrial Microbiology; Penicillium; Secondary Metabolism
PubMed: 25421646
DOI: 10.1111/jam.12706 -
Scientific Reports Aug 2015Copper (Cu) tolerance was well understood in fungi yeasts but not in filamentous fungi. Filamentous fungi are eukaryotes but unlike eukaryotic fungi yeasts, which are a...
Copper (Cu) tolerance was well understood in fungi yeasts but not in filamentous fungi. Filamentous fungi are eukaryotes but unlike eukaryotic fungi yeasts, which are a collection of various fungi that are maybe classified into different taxa but all characterized by growth as filamentous hyphae cells and with a complex morphology. The current knowledge of Cu resistance of filamentous fungi is still fragmental and therefore needs to be bridged. In this study, we characterized Cu resistance of Penicillium janthinellum strain GXCR and its Cu-resistance-decreasing mutants (EC-6 and UC-8), and conducted sequencing of a total of 6 transcriptomes from wild-type GXCR and mutant EC-6 grown under control and external Cu. Taken all the results together, Cu effects on the basal metabolism were directed to solute transport by two superfamilies of solute carrier and major facilitator, the buffering free CoA and Acyl-CoA pool in the peroxisome, F-type H(+)-transporting ATPases-based ATP production, V-type H(+)-transporting ATPases-based transmembrane transport, protein degradation, and alternative splicing of pre-mRNAs. Roles of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants in resistance to low and high Cu were defined. The backbone paths, signaling systems, and determinants that involve resistance of filamentous fungi to high Cu were determined, discussed and outlined in a model.
Topics: Copper; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Penicillium; Proline; Reactive Oxygen Species; Transcriptome
PubMed: 26265593
DOI: 10.1038/srep10590 -
MBio Jul 2019The filamentous fungal family contains >1,000 known species, mostly in the genera and Several species are used in the food, biotechnology, and drug industries (e.g.,...
The filamentous fungal family contains >1,000 known species, mostly in the genera and Several species are used in the food, biotechnology, and drug industries (e.g., and ), while others are dangerous human and plant pathogens (e.g., and ). To infer a robust phylogeny and pinpoint poorly resolved branches and their likely underlying contributors, we used 81 genomes spanning the diversity of and to construct a 1,668-gene data matrix. Phylogenies of the nucleotide and amino acid versions of this full data matrix as well as of several additional data matrices were generated using three different maximum likelihood schemes (i.e., gene-partitioned, unpartitioned, and coalescence) and using both site-homogenous and site-heterogeneous models (total of 64 species-level phylogenies). Examination of the topological agreement among these phylogenies and measures of internode certainty identified 11/78 (14.1%) bipartitions that were incongruent and pinpointed the likely underlying contributing factors, which included incomplete lineage sorting, hidden paralogy, hybridization or introgression, and reconstruction artifacts associated with poor taxon sampling. Relaxed molecular clock analyses suggest that likely originated in the lower Cretaceous and that the and genera originated in the upper Cretaceous. Our results shed light on the ongoing debate on systematics and taxonomy and provide a robust evolutionary and temporal framework for comparative genomic analyses in More broadly, our approach provides a general template for phylogenomic identification of resolved and contentious branches in densely genome-sequenced lineages across the tree of life. Understanding the evolution of traits across technologically and medically significant fungi requires a robust phylogeny. Even though species in the and genera (family , class Eurotiomycetes) are some of the most significant technologically and medically relevant fungi, we still lack a genome-scale phylogeny of the lineage or knowledge of the parts of the phylogeny that exhibit conflict among analyses. Here, we used a phylogenomic approach to infer evolutionary relationships among 81 genomes that span the diversity of and species, to identify conflicts in the phylogeny, and to determine the likely underlying factors of the observed conflicts. Using a data matrix comprised of 1,668 genes, we found that while most branches of the phylogeny of the are robustly supported and recovered irrespective of method of analysis, a few exhibit various degrees of conflict among our analyses. Further examination of the observed conflict revealed that it largely stems from incomplete lineage sorting and hybridization or introgression. Our analyses provide a robust and comprehensive evolutionary genomic roadmap for this important lineage, which will facilitate the examination of the diverse technologically and medically relevant traits of these fungi in an evolutionary context.
Topics: Aspergillus; Biotechnology; Evolution, Molecular; Genome, Fungal; Genomics; Penicillium; Phylogeny; Sequence Analysis, DNA
PubMed: 31289177
DOI: 10.1128/mBio.00925-19 -
Scientific Reports Apr 2018Pathogenic fungi including Penicillium digitatum and Penicillium italicum are the main destructive pathogens in the citrus industry, causing great losses during...
Pathogenic fungi including Penicillium digitatum and Penicillium italicum are the main destructive pathogens in the citrus industry, causing great losses during postharvest process. To our knowledge, only one mycovirus from P. digitatum has been reported, and the prevalence of such mycoviruses against citrus postharvest pathogenic fungi and their genotyping were still under investigation. In the present study, we showed that 39 of 152 Penicillium isolates from main citrus-growing areas in China were infected with various mycoviruses belonging to polymycoviruses, Narna-like viruses, and families Totiviridae, Partitivirdae and Chrysoviridae. The next generation sequencing (NGS) towards virus genome library and the following molecular analysis revealed two novel mycoviruses Penicillium digitatum polymycovirus 1 (PdPmV1) and Penicillium digitatum Narna-like virus 1 (PdNLV1), coexisting in P. digitatum strain HS-RH2. The fungicide-resistant P. digitatum strains HS-F6 and HS-E9 coinfected by PdPmV1 and PdNLV1 exhibited obvious reduction in triazole drug prochloraz resistance by mycelial growth analysis on both PDA plates and citrus fruit epidermis with given prochloraz concentration. This report at the first time characterized two novel mycoviruses from P. digitatum and revealed the mycovirus-induced reduction of fungicide resistance.
Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Citrus; Evolution, Molecular; Fungicides, Industrial; Penicillium; Phylogeny; Plant Viruses; Viral Proteins
PubMed: 29615698
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-23807-3 -
MBio Jun 2023Potent antimicrobial metabolites are produced by filamentous fungi in pure culture, but their ecological functions in nature are often unknown. Using an antibacterial...
Potent antimicrobial metabolites are produced by filamentous fungi in pure culture, but their ecological functions in nature are often unknown. Using an antibacterial isolate and a cheese rind microbial community, we demonstrate that a fungal specialized metabolite can regulate the diversity of bacterial communities. Inactivation of the global regulator, LaeA, resulted in the loss of antibacterial activity in the isolate. Cheese rind bacterial communities assembled with the deletion strain had significantly higher bacterial abundances than the wild-type strain. RNA-sequencing and metabolite profiling demonstrated a striking reduction in the expression and production of the natural product pseurotin in the deletion strain. Inactivation of a core gene in the pseurotin biosynthetic cluster restored bacterial community composition, confirming the role of pseurotins in mediating bacterial community assembly. Our discovery demonstrates how global regulators of fungal transcription can control the assembly of bacterial communities and highlights an ecological role for a widespread class of fungal specialized metabolites. Cheese rinds are economically important microbial communities where fungi can impact food quality and aesthetics. The specific mechanisms by which fungi can regulate bacterial community assembly in cheeses, other fermented foods, and microbiomes in general are largely unknown. Our study highlights how specialized metabolites secreted by a species can mediate cheese rind development via differential inhibition of bacterial community members. Because LaeA regulates specialized metabolites and other ecologically relevant traits in a wide range of filamentous fungi, this global regulator may have similar impacts in other fungus-dominated microbiomes.
Topics: Fungi; Bacteria; Penicillium; Base Sequence; Anti-Bacterial Agents
PubMed: 37162223
DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00769-23 -
Toxins Aug 2021is an important postharvest pathogen of pomaceous fruit and a causal agent of blue mold or soft rot. In this study, we investigated the effect of ambient pH on growth,...
is an important postharvest pathogen of pomaceous fruit and a causal agent of blue mold or soft rot. In this study, we investigated the effect of ambient pH on growth, ultrastructure alteration, and pathogenicity of , as well as accumulation of patulin and expression of genes involved in patulin biosynthesis. Under different pH, the fungus was routinely cultured and collected for growth, pathogenicity, patulin production, and gene expression studies using transmission electron microscopy, apple inoculation, HPLC, and RT-qPCR methods. Different ambient pH had significant impact on expression of genes and growth factors involved in patulin biosynthesis. Under same range of pH, gene expression profile, growth factors, and patulin accumulation (in vivo and in vitro) all showed similar changing trends. A well-developed cell was observed in addition to upregulation of genes at pH between pH 5.0 and 7.0, while the opposite was observed when pH was too basic (8.5) or too acid (2.5). Additionally, ambient pH had direct or indirect influence on expression of , and . These findings will help in understanding the effect of ambient pH on growth, pathogenicity, and patulin production and support the development of successful methods for combating infection on apple fruits.
Topics: Biomass; Fruit; Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; Germination; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Malus; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; Patulin; Penicillium
PubMed: 34437421
DOI: 10.3390/toxins13080550 -
Journal of Food Protection Oct 2013In this study, the effects of UV-C on two of the main wound pathogens of citrus fruits, Penicillium digitatum and Penicillium italicum, were investigated with different...
In this study, the effects of UV-C on two of the main wound pathogens of citrus fruits, Penicillium digitatum and Penicillium italicum, were investigated with different inoculation methods in vitro and on oranges. P. digitatum and P. italicum spores were inoculated onto the surface of potato dextrose agar or oranges using spread, spot, wound, and piercing inoculation methods. UV-C treatment for 1 min from a working distance of 8 cm reduced the numbers of P. italicum and P. digitatum by about 3.9 and 5.3 log units, respectively, following spread inoculation under in vitro conditions. Significant reductions were obtained after 1-min UV-C treatments of the tested fungi following inoculation using the spread and spot methods. With inoculation by the wound and piercing methods, the tested spores were not inactivated completely even after 10- and 20-min treatment times, respectively. The application of UV-C (7.92 kJ m(-2)) on oranges reduced the percentage of oranges infected at least threefold compared with the rate of infection in the untreated control samples. UV-C irradiation could effectively inactivate spores of P. italicum and P. digitatum inoculated by the spread plate and spot inoculation methods under in vitro and in vivo conditions. On the other hand, because of the low penetration ability of UV-C light, the tested fungi were not completely inactivated following inoculation with the wound and piercing methods. UV-C treatment has potential for use in surface decontamination of citrus fruits.
Topics: Citrus sinensis; Colony Count, Microbial; Consumer Product Safety; Food Contamination; Food Irradiation; Penicillium; Time Factors; Ultraviolet Rays
PubMed: 24112577
DOI: 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-12-511 -
Applied and Environmental Microbiology Oct 2018Ergot alkaloids are specialized fungal metabolites with potent biological activities. They are encoded by well-characterized gene clusters in the genomes of producing...
Ergot alkaloids are specialized fungal metabolites with potent biological activities. They are encoded by well-characterized gene clusters in the genomes of producing fungi. plays a major role in the ripening of Brie and Camembert cheeses. The genome contains a cluster of five genes shown in other fungi to be required for synthesis of the important ergot alkaloid intermediate chanoclavine-I aldehyde and two additional genes ( and ) that may control modification of chanoclavine-I aldehyde into other ergot alkaloids. We analyzed samples of Brie and Camembert cheeses, as well as cultures of , and did not detect chanoclavine-I aldehyde or its derivatives. To create a functioning facsimile of the cluster, we expressed and in a chanoclavine-I aldehyde-accumulating knockout mutant of The -engineered strain accumulated a pair of compounds of 269.1288 in positive-mode liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The analytes fragmented in a manner typical of the stereoisomeric ergot alkaloids rugulovasine A and B, and the related rugulovasine producer accumulated the same isomeric pair of analytes. The genes were transcribed in culture, but comparison of the cluster with the functional cluster from indicated 11 polymorphisms. Whereas other genes functioned when expressed in , did not restore ergot alkaloids when expressed in an mutant. The data indicate that formerly had the capacity to produce the ergot alkaloids rugulovasine A and B. The presence of ergot alkaloid synthesis genes in the genome of is significant, because the fungus is widely consumed in Brie and Camembert cheeses. Our results show that, although the fungus has several functional genes from the ergot alkaloid pathway, it produces only an early pathway intermediate in culture and does not produce ergot alkaloids in cheese. , a close relative of , contains a similar but fully functional set of ergot alkaloid synthesis genes and produces ergot alkaloids chanoclavine-I, chanoclavine-I aldehyde, and rugulovasine A and B. Our reconstruction of the pathway in the model fungus indicated that formerly had the capacity to produce these same ergot alkaloids. Neither nor produced ergot alkaloids in cheese, indicating that nutritionally driven gene regulation prevents these fungi from producing ergot alkaloids in a dairy environment.
Topics: Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Ergolines; Ergot Alkaloids; Fungal Proteins; Genome, Fungal; Mass Spectrometry; Penicillium
PubMed: 30076193
DOI: 10.1128/AEM.01583-18