Search Results (16,156)

The pressing need for sustainable, plant-based alternatives is highlighted by the growing resistance of agricultural pests to synthetic pesticides. This study examined the pesticidal potential of phytocompounds from C. tora discovered by GC–MS analysis against important tomato insect (T. absoluta) and fungal pathogen (A. solani). The binding stability and interaction dynamics of specific metabolites with fungal virulence (polygalacturonase, MAP kinase HOG1, and effector AsCEP50) and insect neuromuscular (ryanodine receptor and sodium channel protein) targets were assessed using molecular docking and 100 ns molecular dynamics simulations. Among the screened compounds, squalene and 4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic acid, methyl ester (DHAME) exhibited the strongest binding affinities and conformational stability, with MM-GBSA binding free energies of −38.09 kcal·mol⁻¹ and −52.81 kcal·mol⁻¹ for squalene complexes in T. absoluta and A. solani, respectively. Persistent hydrophobic and mixed hydrophobic–polar contacts that stabilised active-site residues and limited protein flexibility were found by ProLIF analysis. These lively and dynamic profiles imply that DHAME and squalene may interfere with calcium signalling and stress-response pathways, which are essential for the survival and pathogenicity of pests. Hydrophobic interactions were further confirmed as the primary stabilising force by the preponderance of van der Waals and nonpolar solvation energies. The findings show that C. tora metabolites, especially squalene and DHAME, are promising environmentally friendly biopesticide candidates that have both insecticidal and antifungal properties. Their development as sustainable substitutes in integrated pest management systems are supported by their stability, binding efficacy and predicted biosafety. Full article

Pesticide use in agriculture can have negative collateral effects on the environment. In this study, two groups of treatments (G1 and G2) based on active substances (ASs) with different mobility were evaluated in order to determine pesticide residues in the soil and their impact on soil microbial populations in two vineyards located in two Denominations of Origin (D.O.). Soil samples were collected in July, October, and the following March over two consecutive years. Pesticide residues were analyzed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) after QuEChERS extraction. Microbial genera were identified by the amplification of the fungal ITS regions with the universal primers ITS86F and ITS4R, and the bacterial 16S rRNA gene (V4 region) with primers 515F and 806R. Although G1 consistently showed higher residues, primarily attributable to azoxystrobin, no significant differences were observed between the two pesticide groups in the total pesticide residues or diversity of microbial communities. The factors D.O., campaign, and sampling month influenced the concentration of residues. Several ASs exhibited different dissipation dynamics depending on the D.O. Azoxystrobin and metrafenone were the most persistent in soil. The LEfSe analysis associated four beneficial fungal genera with the G2 group. The judicious selection of ASs can help to minimize the pesticide residues in soil and their harmful effects on beneficial genera. Full article

Hibernation profoundly alters host–pathogen dynamics by suppressing metabolism and immune function, posing unique challenges for infection control. In this study, we examined how genomic variation modulates infection and physiological traits in temperate bats during hibernation. We combined infection screening, haematology, blood biochemistry, and whole-genome sequencing across five vespertilionid species, identifying over 170,000 single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and assessing their associations with 23 health-related variables. Using the phylogenetically informed treeWAS framework, we detected 515 significant SNVs linked to traits including fungal, protozoan and bacterial infections, acid–base balance, and blood cell indices. These SNVs mapped to 137 unique genes, which were enriched for functional domains related to cytoskeletal dynamics, membrane trafficking, and intracellular signalling (e.g., SH3, C2, BAR, semaphorin). Notably, canonical immune effector genes were underrepresented, and several trait-associated SNVs appeared in blocks across multiple scaffolds, pointing to regulatory loci as key modulators of hibernator health. Our findings support the hypothesis that bats rely on infection tolerance rather than resistance during hibernation, with genomic variation in regulatory and signalling pathways shaping their physiological responses to infection under energy-limited conditions. Full article

Manganese (Mn) toxicity, commonly triggered by soil acidification, poses a significant threat to citrus production. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can alleviate heavy metal stress, while their specific function and quantitative effectiveness in conferring Mn tolerance to citrus remain unclear. This study investigated the physiological regulation conferred by four AM fungal species, Rhizophagus intraradices (Ri), Funneliformis mosseae (Fm), Paraglomus occultum (Po), and Diversispora epigaea (De), on trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata L. Raf.) under Mn stress. Mn toxicity reduced root colonization in a species-dependent manner, significantly lowering colonization by all AM fungal isolates except Fm. It also severely inhibited plant growth and induced pronounced oxidative damage, accompanied by metabolic imbalance. Under Mn-stressed conditions, AM fungal inoculation, especially Ri, significantly enhanced plant biomass relative to the non-AM control, with respective increases of 148% in leaves, 33% in stems, and 64% in roots, demonstrating a marked species-specific efficacy. Furthermore, AM symbiosis effectively promoted chlorophyll index and limited Mn translocation to the leaves under both non-stress and Mn-stress conditions, with Ri being the most effective in reducing leaf Mn content. Symbiosis with AM fungi, particularly Ri, fine-tuned the antioxidant enzyme defense under Mn stress by selectively suppressing superoxide dismutase and peroxidase activities while further boosting catalase activity. Concurrently, AM fungi alleviated Mn-induced oxidative damage, with the magnitude of mitigation varying by species: Ri delivered the most comprehensive protection, most effectively reducing hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde levels in both leaves and roots, whereas Po was particularly effective in suppressing root superoxide anion radical and malondialdehyde levels in roots. Furthermore, AM fungi reversed Mn-induced shifts in organic osmolytes: they significantly reduced the excessive accumulation of soluble sugars and proline while mitigating the loss of soluble proteins, thereby assisting in restoring metabolic homeostasis. The alleviative effects varied significantly among AM fungal species, with Ri identified as the most efficient and Mn-tolerant strain. These findings highlight the potential of utilizing specific AM fungi, particularly Ri, as a sustainable biological strategy to enhance citrus productivity in acidified, Mn-contaminated soils. Full article

Metarhizium lepidiotae is an important entomopathogenic fungus with substantial agricultural value. However, prolonged subculturing often leads to phenotypic degeneration, including reduced conidiation and impaired metabolic activity, while the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Elucidating these mechanisms is essential for maintaining strain vitality and ensuring biocontrol efficacy. In this study, we found that M. lepidiotae exhibited a pronounced decline in conidiation during long-term serial subculturing. However, this degenerative phenotype could be effectively reversed by passage through insect hosts, leading to strain rejuvenation. Subsequently, comparative transcriptomic analyses were performed on the original strain (XMC-Y), the degenerated strain (XMC-T), and the rejuvenated strain (XMC-F) at 7 and 18 days of cultivation. Our results revealed that XMC-T initially compensates for defects in basal metabolism and signaling pathways by enhancing translational capacity, but progressively exhibits a profound collapse of RNA-processing systems and the translational machinery at later cultivation stages. Moreover, the significant downregulation of the peroxisome pathway indicates impaired peroxisome biogenesis and compromised reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolic capacity, suggesting a weakened antioxidant defense and a potential increase in oxidative stress. Collectively, these findings indicate that disruptions in RNA regulatory networks and oxidative homeostasis are strongly associated with M. lepidiotae degeneration. This study provides important theoretical insights for maintaining strain stability during large-scale production and agricultural biocontrol applications. Full article

The extract of Xylaria thienhirunae SWUF17-44.1 displayed broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, with higher potency against Gram-positive bacteria than Gram-negative strains. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were as low as 0.63 µg/µL for Staphylococcus aureus and 1.25 µg/µL for Bacillus subtilis, whereas higher values were observed for Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The extract also inhibited fungal growth, with MICs of 6.25 μg/μL against Candida albicans and C. tropicalis. Strong antioxidant activity was observed (DPPH IC₅₀ = 0.706 ± 0.022 μg/μL; ABTS IC₅₀ = 0.251 ± 0.019 μg/μL), correlated with high phenolic content. Moderate anti-inflammatory activity was confirmed via nitric oxide inhibition. LC-MS profiling indicated diverse metabolites, including phenolic derivatives, aminoglycoside-like compounds, and annotated bioactive molecules. Chromatographic isolation yielded four compounds: 4-(2,3-dihydroxypropoxy)benzoic acid, 4-prenyloxybenzoic acid, and two novel metabolites, xylerithienol and xylerithiether. In silico docking predicted strong interactions of the novel compounds with bacterial targets such as muramyl ligases, DNA gyrase B, and β-ketoacyl-ACP synthase III. Notably, xylerithiether outperformed norfloxacin against DNA gyrase B and fluconazole against sterol 14-α-demethylase. In vitro antibacterial activity was assessed for the purified compounds; all were active, predominantly against Gram-positive bacteria. These finding position X. thienhirunae SWUF17-44.1 as a promising source of bioactive metabolites and potential scaffolds for antimicrobial drug discovery. Full article

Fungal bioaerosols play a critical ecological and health role in intensive poultry production systems. However, their dynamic characteristics and community succession patterns in confined cage environments during winter remain poorly understood. This study investigated a typical confined broiler house in Hebei Province, China, during winter. A combined approach of Andersen six-stage sampling, colony counting, and Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) high-throughput sequencing was employed to comprehensively analyze the concentration, particle size distribution, diversity, and community composition of fungal bioaerosols across three key growth stages: 7 days (brooding phase), 21 days (growing phase), and 35 days (finishing phase). The results revealed a significant increasing trend in fungal aerosol concentration as the rearing cycle progressed, increasing from 1125 ± 125 CFU/m³ at day 7 to 3872 ± 565 CFU/m³ at day 35 (p < 0.001), reaching high-risk exposure levels in the later stages. Small-sized fungal bioaerosols (<4.7 μm) were dominant across all stages (54.35–65.50%), with the highest proportion observed at day 21, indicating their potential for deep respiratory deposition and long-distance airborne transmission. The number of Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs), along with Chao1 and Shannon indices, increased significantly with bird age (p < 0.001), demonstrating a clear community succession from early-stage yeast-dominated forms (e.g., Diutina, Blumeria) to mid- and late-stage assemblages dominated by filamentous fungi (e.g., Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Alternaria). Notably, several zoonotic pathogenic genera were detected throughout all rearing stages, highlighting the potential risks of airborne fungi to animal health, occupational exposure, and environmental safety under winter ventilation restrictions. This study characterizes a stage-dependent pattern of increasing airborne fungal concentrations accompanied by shifts in particle size distribution and community composition under winter confined conditions. The findings provide a crucial scientific basis for optimizing winter ventilation and environmental management strategies, improving environmental control technologies, establishing airborne biosafety standards, and developing targeted fungal monitoring and prevention technologies. Full article

Maximizing the agricultural output on inherently infertile land and minimizing the environmental cost remain central research imperatives. Albic black soil typifies such infertility. Conventional practice relies on fertilization and straw incorporation, but the albic layer’s impermeability funnels applied nutrients into adjacent aquatic systems. Therefore, this study developed deep placement fertilization by lodging fertilizer directly within the albic layer to block hydrologic loss. The feasibility of mechanization was first validated in pot experiments. Soybeans were allocated to six treatments simulating fertilizer placement at different soil depths: control (C), control and fertilizer (CF), surface soil mixing (SM), surface soil mixing and fertilizer (SMF), plow pan soil mixing (PM), and plow pan soil mixing and fertilizer (PMF). The treatments used 20 cm tillage, and the data were collected after 15, 25, and 35 days and at harvest. Integrative transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, and soil microbiome profiling revealed that fertilizer positioned at 25 cm in the albic layer increased yield, restructured the rhizobiont community and promoted arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal colonization. Among the fertilizer treatments, CF had the best growth, and SMF was inhibited by a nutrient shortage. SMF and PMF lost water faster than CF. Abscisic acid (ABA) conveyed the subterranean fertilization signal to the leaf. The enrichment of Vicinamibacterales, Xanthobacteraceae, and Glomeromycota in soil lowered the ABA content in the roots, which upregulated thymidine kinase and peroxidase upon arrival in the leaf, increasing yield. These findings provide a transferable benchmark for any parent material exhibiting poor hydraulic conductivity. Full article

Dermatophytosis is a common zoonotic fungal infection in companion animals, most frequently caused by Microsporum canis, while the geophilic species Nannizzia gypsea may occasionally infect cats. Conventional morphological identification of dermatophytes is often challenging due to phenotypic similarities, underscoring the importance of molecular confirmation. In this study, dermatophyte field isolates obtained from cats with suspected dermatophytosis were identified using cultural characteristics and Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis based on ITS sequences showed that the isolates were highly similar to each other and clustered closely with reference strains and previously reported dermatophyte strains from different geographical regions. Subsequently, the in vitro antifungal activity of a propolis extract collected from the Muğla region (Türkiye) was evaluated using the agar dilution method at concentrations ranging from 6.25 to 100 mg/mL. At all tested concentrations, propolis inhibited mycelial growth in all four molecularly confirmed dermatophyte field isolates, whereas substantial growth was observed in the negative control plates. These findings indicate that Muğla propolis exhibits in vitro antifungal activity at the tested concentrations against dermatophyte field isolates and warrants further investigation as a potential natural antifungal source. Full article

Emerging from millions of years of evolutionary optimization, Natural products (NPs) remain unique, unparalleled sources of bioactive scaffolds. Unlike synthetic molecules engineered around single therapeutic targets, NPs often exhibit multi-target, system-level bioactivity, aligned with the principles of network pharmacology, which modulates pathways in a coordinated, non-disruptive manner. This approach reduces resistance, buffers compensatory feedback loops, and enhances therapeutic resilience. Fungal endophytes represent one of the most chemically diverse and biologically sophisticated NP reservoirs known, producing polyketides, alkaloids, terpenoids, and peptides with intricate three-dimensional architectures and emergent bioactivity patterns that remain exceptionally difficult to design de novo. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, deep learning, and multi-omics integration have redefined the discovery landscape, transforming previously intractable fungal metabolomes and cryptic biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) into tractable, predictable, and engineerable systems. AI accelerates genome mining, metabolomic annotation, BGC-metabolite linking, structure prediction, and activation of silent pathways. Generative AI and diffusion models now enable de novo design of NP-inspired scaffolds while preserving biosynthetic feasibility, opening new opportunities for direct evolution, pathway refactoring, and precision biomanufacturing. This review synthesizes the chemical and biosynthetic diversity of major NP classes from fungal endophytes and maps them onto the rapidly expanding ecosystem of AI-driven tools. We outline how AI transforms NP discovery from empirical screening into a predictive, hypothesis-driven discipline with direct industrial implications for drug discovery and synthetic biology. By coupling evolutionarily refined chemistry with modern computational intelligence, the field is poised for a new era in which natural-product leads are not only rediscovered but systematically expanded, engineered, and industrialized to address urgent biomedical and sustainability challenges. Full article

Fusarium solani, a widely distributed plant pathogenic fungus, poses a significant threat to various crops due to its complex pathogenic mechanisms and being difficult to control. In this study, LC–TOF–MS analysis identified 4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone (RK) as a metabolite detected in Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain M1, and a commercially available RK standard was subsequently used to evaluate its antifungal activity against F. solani. Antifungal assays demonstrated that RK effectively suppressed fungal growth. Further physiological and biochemical assays confirmed that RK disrupts the cell membrane and mitochondrial function, leading to intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. This study offers new perspectives on the antifungal mechanism of RK and offers theoretical support for the development of innovative agricultural disease management strategies. Full article

Grain storage is a critical part of preventing food crises and ensuring global food security. The stored grain is susceptible to infestation by borer pests, which not only degrade grain quality but also pose safety risks such as fungal contamination. Consequently, the control of borer pests represents a highly practical research direction in the food field. This review summarizes advances in stored-grain pest control technologies, covering physical, chemical, biological, and green methods. It highlights the advantages of cold plasma for degrading chemical residues via oxidative stress and nanocarriers for stabilizing pesticides, while exploring the development prospects of smart devices in precision control. Significant references are provided for developing new, highly efficient pest control technologies and systems to guarantee grain quality and safety. Full article

As a fast-growing timber tree species with a wide cultivation area, poplar is facing the problem of declining economic benefits under long-term monoculture. Intercropping provides an effective solution. Using Illumina Miseq sequencing, we analyzed soil microbiomes under four patterns: poplar monoculture, and intercropping with amorpha fruticosa, black locust, or cassia seed. The results showed that the Alpha diversity index of intercropping area was significantly higher than that of single planting poplar area under intercropping and monoculture conditions. In the intercropping area, the highest species richness was the intercropping of poplar and black locust, and the lowest was the intercropping of poplar and amorpha fruticosa. The dominant microorganisms in the intercropping mode were Vicinamibacterales, and the fungi were Alternaia and Enterocarpus. In the single planting poplar area, a large number of bacteria gathered in the soil were Dongia and Alphaproteobacteria, and fungi were Fusarium and Mortierella. Functional prediction results showed that the biosynthetic function of ansamycin was the highest in the bacterial community. In the intercropping area, the functional abundance of methanol oxidation, sulfate respiration, sulfate compound respiration, nitrate denitrification, nitrite denitrification, and nitrous oxide denitrification was higher than that in the single planting poplar area. On the contrary, the abundance of methanotrophy function is lower than that of single planting poplar area. In the fungal community, the functional abundance of animal pathogens and the animal pathogen–dung saprotroph–endophyte–plant saprotroph–soil saprotroph–wood saprotroph group in the monoculture poplar area was higher than that in the three intercropping areas. In summary, the intercropping mode of poplar is better than the monoculture mode, and the species richness is the highest when poplar and black locust are intercropped. Therefore, the intercropping pattern of poplar and other tree species improved microbial community. This provides some theoretical guidance for the subsequent solution of continuous cropping obstacles in poplar. Full article

Microbial contamination of aviation fuels is a persistent operational and safety challenge, compromising fuel quality and accelerating material degradation. The global transition toward sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) amplifies the need to reassess microbial risks across both conventional and alternative fuel systems. Here, we present the first systematic review and meta-analysis to synthesize evidence on microbial prevalence in jet fuel environments and to evaluate implications for SAF deployment. Of 2837 records screened, 37 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Microorganisms were detected in up to 87% of jet fuel systems worldwide (95% CI: 76–100%); however, this pooled estimate was associated with substantial heterogeneity (I² = 96%) and should therefore be interpreted with caution as reflecting an overall trend rather than a precise global value. Taxonomic analysis identified consistently reported bacterial genera (Actinomycetes, Halomonas, Mycobacterium, Nocardioides, Rhodococcus, Stenotrophomonas) and fungal genera (Aspergillus, Alternaria, Amorphotheca, Byssochlamys, Candida, Fusarium, Saccharomyces, Schizosaccharomyces, Talaromyces, Trichocomaceae). Deteriorative organisms dominated (bacteria 57%; fungi 75%) relative to non-deteriorative taxa (12% and 32%, respectively). These findings highlight microbial spoilage as a pervasive and underrecognized threat to fuel integrity. Importantly, they suggest that risks currently documented in conventional systems are likely to extend to SAF, reinforcing the urgent need for proactive monitoring frameworks and bio-contamination mitigation strategies to ensure aviation fuel reliability. Full article

Tea cultivar genotype plays a critical role in shaping rhizosphere microbiome assembly, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study employed a controlled pot experiment with five widely cultivated Chinese tea cultivars (Camellia sinensis) to investigate how cultivar-specific variation influences rhizosphere microbial communities and their assembly processes. Rhizosphere soil microbiomes (bacterial and fungal communities) and metabolomes were characterized using 16S rRNA and ITS2 amplicon sequencing combined with untargeted metabolomics. Significant differences in rhizosphere metabolite composition, primarily organic acids, fatty acids, and carbohydrates, were observed among cultivars, which corresponded to distinct bacterial and fungal community structures. Redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed that rhizosphere metabolites explained 19.87% of bacterial and 21.63% of fungal community compositional variation, second only to soil physicochemical properties. Neutral community model and modified stochasticity ratio analyses indicated that microbial assembly across cultivars was predominantly deterministic, and rhizosphere metabolite profiles were strongly correlated with microbial community structure. Notably, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi made up about 11% of the fungal communities in minimally fertilized pot systems, contrasting sharply with their near-absence in conventionally managed systems plantations. These findings demonstrate that tea cultivar genotype significantly shapes rhizosphere microbiome assembly through metabolic differentiation, providing a theoretical foundation for integrating microbiome considerations into tea breeding programs and developing cultivar-specific management strategies. Full article