Fungal Biotechnology and Bioprocesses

A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X). This special issue belongs to the section "Fungi in Agriculture and Biotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 May 2025) | Viewed by 3131

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Xenobiotics Research Unit, School of Medicine and Life Sciences, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
Interests: microbial biotechnology; microbial bioprocesses; microbial biotransformation; therapeutical enzymes; biopharmaceuticals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biotechnology, Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala 147004, Punjab, India
Interests: fungal metabolites; fungal enzymes; strain improvement using recombinant and non-recombinant methods; production of high-value small-volume products; synthetic biology involving expression and production of plant/animal based medicinal/commercial products; pharmaceuticals; cosmeceuticals; biorational agrochemicals; agrobiologicals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Advances in microbial biotechnology and bioprocesses have allowed new or improved molecules, biomass, and biological agrichemicals to be obtained. Therefore, biopharmaceuticals, cosmeceuticals, nutraceuticals, edible biomass, fuel enzymes and bioinsecticides have become a reality. Microorganisms have also been successfully utilized in the bioremediation of degraded areas and the treatment of effluents.

High-throughput screening, induced and target-selected mutations, genome editing, metabolic engineering, bioreactor improvement, and high-performance downstream processing are some practices that make it possible to obtain the desired goods from microbes. Given their great diversity, ease of genetic manipulation, and adaptability to production conditions, fungi have been proposed as fundamental organisms for these processes. In this Special Issue, we invite dedicated researchers and developers to contribute manuscripts that offer novel insights into the capacity of these organisms to obtain resources. Submissions that address omics sciences, strain screening, genetic betterment, upstream and downstream processes, biotransformations, and biomimicry are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Edvaldo Antonio Ribeiro Rosa
Prof. Dr. Sanjai Saxena
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Fungi is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • fungal biotechnology
  • bioprocesses
  • fungal bioactives
  • fermentation
  • fungal screening
  • genetic manipulation
  • genome editing
  • fungal omics

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

18 pages, 4047 KiB  
Article
Boldenone and Testosterone Production from Phytosterol via One-Pot Cascade Biotransformations
by Vyacheslav V. Kollerov, Tatiana A. Timakova, Andrei A. Shutov and Marina V. Donova
J. Fungi 2024, 10(12), 830; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10120830 - 28 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1389
Abstract
Testosterone (TS) and its 1(2)-dehydrogenated derivative boldenone (BD) are widely used in medicine, veterinary science and as precursors in organic synthesis of many therapeutic steroids. Green production of these compounds is possible from androstenedione (AD) enzymatically, or from phytosterol (PS) using fermentation stages. [...] Read more.
Testosterone (TS) and its 1(2)-dehydrogenated derivative boldenone (BD) are widely used in medicine, veterinary science and as precursors in organic synthesis of many therapeutic steroids. Green production of these compounds is possible from androstenedione (AD) enzymatically, or from phytosterol (PS) using fermentation stages. In this study, the ascomycete Curvularia sp. VKM F-3040 was shown to convert androstadienedione (ADD, 4 and 10 g/L) to yield 97% and 78% (mol/mol) of BD, respectively. Based on its high 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17β-HSD) activity, a novel cascade biotransformation of PS was developed for production of TS and BD. At the first stage, the strains of Mycolicibacterium neoaurum VKM Ac-1815D or M. neoaurum VKM Ac-1816D converted PS (5 or 10 g/L) into AD or ADD (each in a concentration of 2.5 or 5 g/L), respectively. At the second stage, mycelium of the fungus under the revealed optimal conditions reduced AD or ADD with more than 90% efficiency to form TS or BD, respectively. Based on transcriptome analysis, six candidate genes that might encode 17β-HSDs in the Curvularia sp. genome were revealed. Along with 17β-HSDs, the fungus possessed inducible P450cur 7-monooxygenase, which led to the accumulation of 7α-hydroxytestosterone (7α-OH-TS) as a major product from AD (up to 83% within 24 h after mycelium addition at the second stage of cascade biotransformation). The presence of protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide (CHX) prevented 7α/β-hydroxylation due to inhibition of de novo synthesis of the enzyme in the fungal cells. The results demonstrate the high biotechnological potential of the Curvularia sp. strain and open up prospects for the synthesis of valuable 17β-reduced and 7-hydroxylated steroids by cascade biotransformations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Biotechnology and Bioprocesses)
Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 6222 KiB  
Article
Extracellular Biosynthesis, Characterization and Antimicrobial Activity of Silver Nanoparticles Synthesized by Filamentous Fungi
by Iuliana Răut, Mariana Constantin, Raluca Șuică-Bunghez, Cristina Firincă, Elvira Alexandrescu, Ioana Cătălina Gîfu, Mihaela Doni, Lucian-Gabriel Zamfir, Ana-Maria Gurban and Luiza Jecu
J. Fungi 2024, 10(11), 798; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10110798 - 16 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1051
Abstract
The green synthesis of metal nanoparticles has received substantial attention due to their applications in various domains. The aim of the study was to obtain silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by green synthesis with filamentous fungi, such as Cladosporium cladosporoides, Penicillium chrysogenum, and [...] Read more.
The green synthesis of metal nanoparticles has received substantial attention due to their applications in various domains. The aim of the study was to obtain silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by green synthesis with filamentous fungi, such as Cladosporium cladosporoides, Penicillium chrysogenum, and Purpureocillium lilacinum. Fungal species were grown on nutrient media and aqueous mycelium extracts were used to reduce Ag+ to Ag (0). The silver nanoparticles were analyzed by various techniques, such as UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and Zeta potential. The formation of silver nanoparticles was confirmed by UV-Vis spectroscopy and the color change of the mixture containing metal precursor and aqueous mycelium extract. FTIR displayed different functional groups as capping and reducing agents for the biosynthesis of AgNPs. SEM and TEM provided information on the particles’ morphology. DLS diagrams indicated mean particle diameters in the 124–168 nm region. All biosynthesized AgNPs had negative zeta values, which is a sign of good stability. Silver nanoparticles were evaluated for antimicrobial activity, and the most active were those synthesized with metabolites from Cladosporium, leading to 93.75% inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus, 67.20% of Escherichia coli, and 69.56% of Candida albicans. With the highest microbial inhibition percentage and a very good Poly Dispersion Index (Pd I), Cladosporium cladosporoides was selected as an environmentally friendly source of silver nanoparticles that could be used as a potential antimicrobial agent. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Biotechnology and Bioprocesses)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop