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Journal of Clinical Microbiology Jun 1990This is the first reported case of native valve endocarditis caused by Engyodontium album. This fungus, rarely seen as a human pathogen, is separated from Tritirachium...
This is the first reported case of native valve endocarditis caused by Engyodontium album. This fungus, rarely seen as a human pathogen, is separated from Tritirachium species by its lack of pigmentation and from Beauveria species by the presence of conidiogenous cells in whorls.
Topics: Endocarditis; Heart Failure; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mitosporic Fungi; Mycoses; Recurrence
PubMed: 2380370
DOI: 10.1128/jcm.28.6.1479-1481.1990 -
Allergologie Select 2018Allergic skin and respiratory diseases range among the most frequent afflictions in industrialized countries. Due to this fact the importance of indoor mold pollution... (Review)
Review
Allergic skin and respiratory diseases range among the most frequent afflictions in industrialized countries. Due to this fact the importance of indoor mold pollution based on dampness is discussed. In a sentinel health study of the State Health Agency (LGA) children attending of 4th grade of a primary school were tested by an in-vitro allergy screening (UniCap 100/Phadia) for the mold allergens mx1 (Penicillium chrysogenum m1, Cladosporium herbarum m2, Aspergillus fumigatus m3 and Alternaria alternata m6). Primarily about 5% of the children were sensitized against molds which are associated with the ambient air. The investigations showed that most of the children were sensitized against Alternaria alternata and concerning the IgE-concentration (kU/l) Alternaria alternata had the highest concentration among the tested allergens. Commonly children with sensitization against molds were polysensitized. It is unclear if the allergy screening against mold mx1 includes molds with indication for indoor mold pollution such as Acremonium spp., Aspergillus penicillioides, Aspergillus restrictus, Aspergillus versicolor, Chaetomium spp., Phialophora spp., Stachybotrys chartarum, Tritirachium (Engyodontium) album und Trichoderma spp. by means of crossreaction. Therefore, such investigations do not admit any conclusion about health problems as a result of indoor mold pollution. At the present state of knowledge exposure measurements of indoor mold pollutions are not possible, at most a semiquantitative assessment. Although it is generally accepted that dwellings with moisture and mold represent a health risk, knowledge about indoor mold pollution and the related health problems is lacking.
PubMed: 31826039
DOI: 10.5414/ALX01296E -
Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia 2015Onychomycosis are caused by dermatophytes and Candida, but rarely by non- dermatophyte molds. These opportunistic agents are filamentous fungi found as soil and plant...
BACKGROUND
Onychomycosis are caused by dermatophytes and Candida, but rarely by non- dermatophyte molds. These opportunistic agents are filamentous fungi found as soil and plant pathogens.
OBJECTIVES
To determine the frequency of opportunistic molds in onychomycosis.
METHODS
A retrospective analysis of 4,220 cases with onychomycosis, diagnosed in a 39-month period at the Institute of Dermatology and Skin surgery "Prof. Dr. Fernando A. Cordero C." in Guatemala City, and confirmed with a positive KOH test and culture.
RESULTS
32 cases (0.76%) of onychomycosis caused by opportunistic molds were confirmed. The most affected age group ranged from 41 to 65 years (15 patients, 46.9%) and females were more commonly affected (21 cases, 65.6%) than males. Lateral and distal subungual onychomycosis (OSD-L) was detected in 20 cases (62.5%). The microscopic examination with KOH showed filaments in 19 cases (59.4%), dermatophytoma in 9 cases (28.1%), spores in 2 cases (6.25%), and filaments and spores in 2 cases (6.25%). Etiologic agents: Aspergillus sp., 11 cases (34.4%); Scopulariopsis brevicaulis, 8 cases (25.0%); Cladosporium sp., 3 cases (9.4%); Acremonium sp., 2 cases (6.25%); Paecilomyces sp., 2 cases (6.25%); Tritirachium oryzae, 2 cases (6.25%); Fusarium sp., Phialophora sp., Rhizopus sp. and Alternaria alternate, 1 case (3.1%) each.
CONCLUSIONS
We found onychomycosis by opportunistic molds in 0.76% of the cases and DLSO was present in 62.5%. The most frequent isolated etiological agents were: Aspergillus sp. and Scopulariopsis brevicaulis.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Age Distribution; Aged; Brazil; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Fungi; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Male; Middle Aged; Onychomycosis; Opportunistic Infections; Retrospective Studies; Sex Distribution; Young Adult
PubMed: 26131862
DOI: 10.1590/abd1806-4841.20153521 -
Fungal Systematics and Evolution Dec 2022Caves are special environments that harbour an incredible diversity of life, including fungal species. Brazilian caves have been demonstrated to be biodiversity hotspots...
Caves are special environments that harbour an incredible diversity of life, including fungal species. Brazilian caves have been demonstrated to be biodiversity hotspots for known and unknown fungal species. We investigated the richness of culturable fungi in a tropical cave in Brazil by isolating these microorganisms from the sediment and air. The fungal abundance of colony-forming units (CFUs) was 3 178 in sediment and 526 in air. We used morphological features and phylogenetic analyses of actin (), calmodulin (), internal transcribed spacer regions and intervening 5.8S rRNA (ITS), large subunit (LSU) rDNA, RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (), translation elongation factor 1-alpha (), and β-tubulin () genes to identify these isolates. Forty-one species belonging to 17 genera of and two of were identified, and the genus was most commonly observed in the cave (13 taxa). Twenty-four species were found in sediment (16 exclusives) and 25 species were found in air (17 exclusives). In this study, we introduced a new genus (.) in the family and six new species (14 % of the total taxa identified) of fungal isolates obtained from sediment and air: ., ., ., ., ., and . In addition, we built a checklist of the fungal taxa reported from Brazilian caves. Our results highlight the contribution of Brazilian caves to the estimation of national and global fungal diversity. Alves VCS, Lira RA, Lima JMS, Barbosa RN, Bento DM, Barbier E, Bernard E, Souza-Motta CM, Bezerra JDP (2022). Unravelling the fungal darkness in a tropical cave: richness and the description of one new genus and six new species. : 139-167. doi: 10.3114/fuse.2022.10.06.
PubMed: 36741552
DOI: 10.3114/fuse.2022.10.06 -
RSC Advances Aug 2018To investigate the role of electrostatics in different temperature adaptations, we performed a comparative study on subtilisin-like serine proteases from psychrophilic...
To investigate the role of electrostatics in different temperature adaptations, we performed a comparative study on subtilisin-like serine proteases from psychrophilic sp. PA-44 (VPR), mesophilic () (PRK), and thermophilic (AQN) using multiple-replica molecular dynamics (MD) simulations combined with continuum electrostatics calculations. The results reveal that although salt bridges are not a crucial factor in determining the overall thermostability of these three proteases, they on average provide the greatest, moderate, and least electrostatic stabilization to AQN, PRK, and VPR, respectively, at the respective organism growth temperatures. Most salt bridges in AQN are effectively stabilizing and thus contribute to maintaining the overall structural stability at 343 K, while nearly half of the salt bridges in VPR interconvert between being stabilizing and being destabilizing, likely aiding in enhancing the local conformational flexibility at 283 K. The individual salt bridges, salt-bridge networks, and calcium ions contribute differentially to local stability and flexibility of these three enzyme structures, depending on their spatial distributions and electrostatic strengths. The shared negatively charged surface potential at the active center of the three enzymes may provide the active-center flexibility necessary for nucleophilic attack and proton transfer. The differences in distributions of the electro-negative, electro-positive, and electro-neutral potentials, particularly over the back surfaces of the three proteases, may modulate/affect not only protein solubility and thermostability but also structural stability and flexibility/rigidity. These results demonstrate that electrostatics contributes to both heat and cold adaptation of subtilisin-like serine proteases through fine-tuning, either globally or locally, the structural stability and conformational flexibility/rigidity, thus providing a foundation for further engineering and mutagenesis studies.
PubMed: 35547280
DOI: 10.1039/c8ra05845h -
International Journal of Environmental... Apr 2018Environmental sustainability is one of the key issues in building management. In Hong Kong, one of the initiatives is to reduce the operation hours of air-conditioning...
Environmental sustainability is one of the key issues in building management. In Hong Kong, one of the initiatives is to reduce the operation hours of air-conditioning in buildings to cut down energy consumption. In this study, we reported a mold contamination case in a newly refurbished laboratory, in which the air-conditioner was switched from 24- to 18-h mode after refurbishment. In order to prevent mold recurrence, the air-conditioner was switched back to 24-h mode in the laboratory. During the mold investigation, visible mold patches in the laboratory were searched and then cultured, counted and identified. Building and environmental conditions were recorded, and used to deduce different causes of mold contamination. Eight contaminated sites including a wall, a bench, some metal and plastic surfaces and seven types of molds including two spp., two spp., one sp., one sp., and one sp. were identified. spp. were the most abundant and frequently found molds in the laboratory. The contaminated areas could have one to five different species on them. Based on the mold and environmental conditions, several scenarios causing the mold contamination were deduced, and different mold control measures were discussed to compare them with the current solution of using 24-h air-conditioning to control mold growth. This study highlights the importance of mold hygiene in sustainable building management.
Topics: Air Conditioning; Air Pollution, Indoor; Environmental Monitoring; Fungi; Hong Kong; Maintenance
PubMed: 29617339
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15040681 -
Vavilovskii Zhurnal Genetiki I Selektsii Dec 2021The objects of the study were recombinant clones of Komagataella phaffii K51 carrying the heterologous proteinase K (PK-w) gene from Tritirachium album integrated into...
The objects of the study were recombinant clones of Komagataella phaffii K51 carrying the heterologous proteinase K (PK-w) gene from Tritirachium album integrated into their genome as well as samples of recombinant proteinase K isolated from these clones. The aims of this work were i) to determine whether it is possible to create recombinant K. phaffii K51 clones overexpressing functionally active proteinase K from T. album and ii) to analyze the enzymatic activity of the resulting recombinant enzyme. The following methods were used: computational analysis of primary structure of the proteinase K gene, molecular biological methods (PCR, electrophoresis of DNA in an agarose gel, electrophoresis of proteins in an SDS polyacrylamide gel under denaturing conditions, spectrophotometry, and quantitative assays of protease activity), and genetic engineering techniques (cloning and selection of genes in bacterial cells Escherichia coli TOP10 and in the methylotrophic yeast K. phaffii K51). The gene encoding natural proteinase K (PK-w) was designed and optimized for expression in K. phaffii K51. The proteinase K gene was synthesized and cloned within the plasmid pPICZα-A vector in E. coli TOP10 cells. The proteinase K gene was inserted into pPICZα-A in such a way that - at a subsequent stage of transfection into yeast cells - it was efficiently expressed under the control of the promoter and terminator of the AOX1 gene, and the product of the exogenous gene contained the signal peptide of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae a-factor to ensure the protein's secretion into the culture medium. The resultant recombinant plasmid (pPICZα-A/PK-w) was transfected into K. phaffii K51 cells. A recombinant K. phaffii K51 clone was obtained that carried the synthetic proteinase K gene and ensured its effective expression and secretion into the culture medium. An approximate productivity of the yeast recombinant clones for recombinant proteinase K was 25 μg/ mL after 4 days of cultivation. The resulting recombinant protease has a high specific proteolytic activity: ~5000 U/mg.
PubMed: 35083407
DOI: 10.18699/VJ21.102 -
European Journal of Biochemistry Jan 1989The cDNA and the chromosomal gene encoding proteinase K from Tritirachium album Limber have been cloned in Escherichia coli and the entire nucleotide sequences of the...
The cDNA and the chromosomal gene encoding proteinase K from Tritirachium album Limber have been cloned in Escherichia coli and the entire nucleotide sequences of the coding region, as well as 5'- and 3'-flanking regions have been determined. The deduced primary translation product consisting of 384 amino acid residues (molecular mass = 40,231 Da) contains an N-terminal region of 105 amino acids not present in the mature protein. By analogy to the evolutionary-related bacterial subtilisins and other serine proteinases it is inferred that the primary secreted product is a zymogen containing a 15-amino-acid signal sequence and a 90-amino-acid propeptide. The propeptide is presumably removed in the later steps of the secretion process or upon secretion into the medium. The nucleotide-sequence analysis of the gene and its flanking regions has revealed that the proteinase-K gene is composed of two exons and one 63-bp-long intron located in the proregion. Furthermore, a putative promoter sequence and a capping site have been identified, suggesting that the transcription-start site is located 103-bp upstream of the ATG initiation codon. To express the proproteinase-K gene in E. coli, proproteinase-K cDNA was cloned in a plasmid vector under control of the tac promoter. The hybrid plasmid pSPPRO, constructed for this purpose, contained the cDNA coding for proproteinase K [from Ala (-91) to the C-terminal Ala (279)] fused to the N-terminal-signal-peptide sequence of the alkaline-phosphatase gene preceded by the tac promoter. E. coli BMH71-18, harbouring this plasmid, exhibited slight proteolytic activity when tested on skimmed-milk plates, suggesting that some fusion proteins were correctly secreted into the periplasm and processed to the mature proteinase K.
Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Amino Acids; Base Sequence; DNA; DNA Probes; Endopeptidase K; Enzyme Precursors; Escherichia coli; Genetic Vectors; Mitosporic Fungi; Molecular Sequence Data; Plasmids; RNA, Messenger; Recombinant Fusion Proteins; Recombinant Proteins; Serine Endopeptidases; Transfection
PubMed: 2645134
DOI: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1989.tb14539.x -
BMC Biotechnology Jan 2016Marine fungi are a diverse group of opportunistic and obligate organisms isolated from marine environments. These fungi are now often included in screens for novel...
BACKGROUND
Marine fungi are a diverse group of opportunistic and obligate organisms isolated from marine environments. These fungi are now often included in screens for novel metabolites, while less attention has been given to their production of hydrolytic enzymes. Most enzymes derived from marine microorganisms have been obtained from marine bacteria. The enzymes produced by marine fungi may have different properties than those derived from bacteria or from terrestrial fungi. Here we assess the growth of six filamentous marine fungi on a wide range of polymeric substrates as an indication of their general capacity to produce hydrolytic enzymes.
RESULTS
Calcarisporium sp. KF525, Tritirachium sp. LF562, Bartalinia robillardoides LF550, Penicillium pinophilum LF458, Scopulariopsis brevicaulis LF580 and Pestalotiopsis sp. KF079 all grew on both casein and gelatin as N-source, indicating secretion of proteases. All species also grew on starch, laminarin, xylan, pectin and oil, indicating production of amylases, glucanases, xylanases, pectinases and lipases. Growth on cellulose occurred but was weaker than on xylan. All strains also grew to some extent on sulphated arabinogalactan, although only LF562 could utilise arabinose. Four strains grew on the sulphated ulvans, whereas only KF525 grew on agar or carrageenan. KF525 and LF562 showed limited growth on alginate. Although fucose was used as carbon source by several species, fucoidan did not support biomass production.
CONCLUSIONS
Marine fungi could be excellent sources of a wide range of hydrolytic enzymes, including those able to hydrolyse various seaweed polymers. Although the native hosts may secrete only small amounts of these enzymes, the genes may provide a rich source of novel enzymes.
Topics: Aquatic Organisms; Cell Culture Techniques; Culture Media; Fungal Proteins; Fungi; Hydrolases; Polymers
PubMed: 26772742
DOI: 10.1186/s12896-016-0233-5 -
International Journal of Molecular... May 20202,4-Dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant categorized as a priority pollutant by the United States (US) Environmental Protection Agency,...
2,4-Dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant categorized as a priority pollutant by the United States (US) Environmental Protection Agency, posing adverse health effects on humans and wildlife. Bioremediation is proposed as an eco-friendly, cost-effective alternative to traditional physicochemical remediation techniques. In the present study, fungal strains were isolated from marine invertebrates and tested for their ability to biotransform 2,4-DCP at a concentration of 1 mM. The most competent strains were studied further for the expression of catechol dioxygenase activities and the produced metabolites. One strain, identified as sp., expressed high levels of extracellular catechol 1,2-dioxygenase activity. The same strain also produced a dechlorinated cleavage product of the starting compound, indicating the assimilation of the xenobiotic by the fungus. This work also enriches the knowledge about the mechanisms employed by marine-derived fungi in order to defend themselves against chlorinated xenobiotics.
Topics: Animals; Aquatic Organisms; Basidiomycota; Biodegradation, Environmental; Catechol 1,2-Dioxygenase; Chlorophenols; Fungal Proteins; Humans; Invertebrates; Symbiosis; Water Pollutants, Chemical
PubMed: 32392868
DOI: 10.3390/ijms21093317