Fungal Metabolism in Filamentous Fungi: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 April 2024) | Viewed by 5126

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Energies de Demain (LIED), UMR 8236, CNRS, Université Paris Cité, F-75013 Paris, France
Interests: filamentous fungi; secondary metabolism; fungal genetics and genomics; fungal network
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Energies de Demain (LIED), UMR 8236, CNRS, Université Paris Cité, F-75013 Paris, France
Interests: filamentous fungi; secondary metabolism; fungal genetics and genomics; fungal network
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The research carried out for many years on fungal secondary metabolites (SMs) has been divided into two branches: fundamental and applied. On the one hand, this research has provided a better understanding of the physiological functions of SMs, which are still largely unknown, even if we know that some of them play a crucial role in the “well-being” of the producing organisms. On the other hand, in terms of benefits to humans, filamentous fungi represent a limitless source of bioactive metabolites which can find applications in therapeutics, as exemplified by the antibiotic drug penicillin.

The recent availability of genome sequences for an increasing number of fungi has led to rapid progress in the identification of dozens of biosynthesis gene clusters potentially involved in SM production. Moreover, metabolomic approaches based on high-resolution mass spectrometry have emerged as a convenient tool to efficiently explore SM production, which could be associated with an efficient molecular networking bioinformatic approach. However, it remains that only a limited number of SM pathways have been elucidated in fungi because most of the fungal BGCs are “silent” under standard culture conditions, and the putative related natural products are then not produced. A variety of interesting strategies have been successfully developed to broaden the spectrum of SM production, such as (i) the one strain–many compounds (OSMAC) and co-culture approaches, (ii) the deletion/overexpression of cluster-specific transcription factors or global regulators, and (iii) the modulation of BGC expression mediated by chromatin regulation. Overall, these different approaches are all the more effective if they can be combined in interdisciplinary and integrated approaches. Here, we aim to present the latest advances in the characterization of new fungal SMs, whether from a fundamental perspective for a better understanding of fungal biology, or from a more applied point of view with the identification of molecules of interest.

Dr. Florence Chapeland-Leclerc
Dr. Gwenaël Ruprich-Robert
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • secondary metabolism
  • filamentous fungi
  • Biosynthesis Gene Cluster (BGC)
  • natural products
  • metabolism regulation
  • metabolomics
  • genomics
  • bioactive compounds
  • drug discovery

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 4232 KiB  
Article
Control of Fusarium Head Blight of Wheat with Bacillus velezensis E2 and Potential Mechanisms of Action
by Jianing Ma, Chen Gao, Meiwei Lin, Zhenzhong Sun, Yuhao Zhao, Xin Li, Tianyuan Zhao, Xingang Xu and Weihong Sun
J. Fungi 2024, 10(6), 390; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10060390 - 30 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 935
Abstract
Wheat plants are impacted by Fusarium head blight (FHB) infection, which poses a huge threat to wheat growth, development, storage and food safety. In this study, a fungal strain was isolated from diseased wheat plants and identified as Fusarium asiaticum F1, known to [...] Read more.
Wheat plants are impacted by Fusarium head blight (FHB) infection, which poses a huge threat to wheat growth, development, storage and food safety. In this study, a fungal strain was isolated from diseased wheat plants and identified as Fusarium asiaticum F1, known to be a member of the Fusarium graminearum species complex, agents causally responsible for FHB. In order to control this disease, new alternatives need to be developed for the use of antagonistic bacteria. Bacillus velezensis E2 (B. velezensis E2), isolated from a previous investigation in our laboratory, showed a notable inhibitory effect on F. asiaticum F1 growth and deoxynivalenol (DON) synthesis in grains. The spore germination of F. asiaticum F1 was significantly reduced and the spores showed vesicular structures when treated with B. velezensis E2. Observations using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the hyphae of F. asiaticum F1 were shrunken and broken when treated with B. velezensis E2. The RNA-seq results of F1 hyphae treated with B. velezensis E2 showed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which were involved in multiple metabolic pathways such as toxin synthesis, autophagy process and glycan synthesis, especially the genes associated with DON synthesis, were significantly downregulated. In summary, those results showed that B. velezensis E2 could inhibit F. asiaticum F1 growth and reduce the gene expression of DON synthesis caused by F1. This study provides new insights and antagonistic mechanisms for the biological control of FHB during wheat growth, development and storage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Metabolism in Filamentous Fungi: 2nd Edition)
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11 pages, 2989 KiB  
Article
The Discovery of Acremochlorins O-R from an Acremonium sp. through Integrated Genomic and Molecular Networking
by Ge Cui, Luning Zhou, Hanwei Liu, Xuan Qian, Pengfei Yang, Leisha Cui, Pianpian Wang, Dehai Li, Jaclyn M. Winter and Guangwei Wu
J. Fungi 2024, 10(5), 365; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10050365 - 20 May 2024
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Abstract
The fermentation of a soil-derived fungus Acremonium sp. led to the isolation of thirteen ascochlorin congeners through integrated genomic and Global Natural Product Social (GNPS) molecular networking. Among the isolated compounds, we identified two unusual bicyclic types, acremochlorins O (1) and [...] Read more.
The fermentation of a soil-derived fungus Acremonium sp. led to the isolation of thirteen ascochlorin congeners through integrated genomic and Global Natural Product Social (GNPS) molecular networking. Among the isolated compounds, we identified two unusual bicyclic types, acremochlorins O (1) and P (2), as well as two linear types, acremochlorin Q (3) and R (4). Compounds 1 and 2 contain an unusual benzopyran moiety and are diastereoisomers of each other, the first reported for the ascochlorins. Additionally, we elucidated the structure of 5, a 4-chloro-5-methylbenzene-1,3-diol with a linear farnesyl side chain, and confirmed the presence of eight known ascochlorin analogs (613). The structures were determined by the detailed interpretation of 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, MS, and ECD calculations. Compounds 3 and 9 showed potent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus, with MIC values ranging from 2 to 16 μg/mL. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Metabolism in Filamentous Fungi: 2nd Edition)
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15 pages, 8172 KiB  
Article
The Transcription Factors AcuK and AcuM Influence Siderophore Biosynthesis of Aspergillus fumigatus
by Patricia Caballero, Annie Yap, Michael J. Bromley and Hubertus Haas
J. Fungi 2024, 10(5), 327; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10050327 - 30 Apr 2024
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Abstract
The mold Aspergillus fumigatus employs two high-affinity uptake systems, reductive iron assimilation (RIA) and siderophore-mediated iron acquisition (SIA), for the acquisition of the essential trace element iron. SIA has previously been shown to be crucial for virulence in mammalian hosts. Here, we show [...] Read more.
The mold Aspergillus fumigatus employs two high-affinity uptake systems, reductive iron assimilation (RIA) and siderophore-mediated iron acquisition (SIA), for the acquisition of the essential trace element iron. SIA has previously been shown to be crucial for virulence in mammalian hosts. Here, we show that a lack of AcuK or AcuM, transcription factors required for the activation of gluconeogenesis, decreases the production of both extra- and intracellular siderophores in A. fumigatus. The lack of AcuM or AcuK did not affect the expression of genes involved in RIA and SIA, suggesting that these regulators do not directly regulate iron homeostasis genes, but indirectly affect siderophore production through their influence on metabolism. Consistent with this, acetate supplementation reversed the intracellular siderophore production defect of ΔacuM and ΔacuK. Moreover, ΔacuM and ΔacuK displayed a similar growth defect under iron limitation and iron sufficiency, which suggests they have a general role in carbon metabolism apart from gluconeogenesis. In agreement with a potential role of the glyoxylate cycle in adaptation to iron starvation, transcript levels of the malate synthase-encoding acuE were found to be upregulated by iron limitation that is partially dependent on AcuK and AcuM. Together, these data demonstrate the influence of iron availability on carbon metabolism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Metabolism in Filamentous Fungi: 2nd Edition)
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Review

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18 pages, 2971 KiB  
Review
Strategies for the Enhancement of Secondary Metabolite Production via Biosynthesis Gene Cluster Regulation in Aspergillus oryzae
by Xiao Jia, Jiayi Song, Yijian Wu, Sai Feng, Zeao Sun, Yan Hu, Mengxue Yu, Rui Han and Bin Zeng
J. Fungi 2024, 10(5), 312; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10050312 - 25 Apr 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1441
Abstract
The filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae (A. oryzae) has been extensively used for the biosynthesis of numerous secondary metabolites with significant applications in agriculture and food and medical industries, among others. However, the identification and functional prediction of metabolites through genome mining [...] Read more.
The filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae (A. oryzae) has been extensively used for the biosynthesis of numerous secondary metabolites with significant applications in agriculture and food and medical industries, among others. However, the identification and functional prediction of metabolites through genome mining in A. oryzae are hindered by the complex regulatory mechanisms of secondary metabolite biosynthesis and the inactivity of most of the biosynthetic gene clusters involved. The global regulatory factors, pathway-specific regulatory factors, epigenetics, and environmental signals significantly impact the production of secondary metabolites, indicating that appropriate gene-level modulations are expected to promote the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites in A. oryzae. This review mainly focuses on illuminating the molecular regulatory mechanisms for the activation of potentially unexpressed pathways, possibly revealing the effects of transcriptional, epigenetic, and environmental signal regulation. By gaining a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of secondary metabolite biosynthesis, strategies can be developed to enhance the production and utilization of these metabolites, and potential functions can be fully exploited. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Metabolism in Filamentous Fungi: 2nd Edition)
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