Fungal biology最新文献

{"title":"Evaluation of the persistence of Epichloë endophyte and its possible effect on fungal assemblages in dead leaf sheaths","authors":"Yuki Hatano ,&nbsp;Shunsuke Matsuoka ,&nbsp;Hideyuki Doi ,&nbsp;Ryunosuke Tateno ,&nbsp;Motohiro Hasegawa ,&nbsp;Takashi Osono","doi":"10.1016/j.funbio.2024.11.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.funbio.2024.11.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The systemic fungal endophytes of the genus <em>Epichloë</em> inhabit the aerial part of host grasses. Recent studies have reported that <em>Epichloë</em> affects the non-systemic endophytic assemblages in live leaves, but few studies that have demonstrated the occurrence of <em>Epichloë</em> and its effect on fungal assemblages in dead leaves. We proposed a hypothesis that <em>Epichloë</em> decreases from live to dead leaves but affects the non-systemic endophytic assemblages also in dead leaves. To test this hypothesis, we sampled leaf sheaths from four leaf types (live, senescent, attached dead and fallen dead) of two native grass species <em>Elymus racemifer</em> and <em>Elymus tsukushiensis</em> var. <em>transiens</em> in Japan and assessed for fungi by DNA metabarcoding. The occurrence of <em>Epichloë</em> OTU was significantly greater in <em>E. tsukushiensis</em> var. <em>transiens</em> than in <em>E. racemifer</em> and varied significantly between the four-leaf types, with decreased and no detections in attached dead and fallen dead leaves, respectively. The composition of non-systemic endophytic assemblages was also significantly affected by the presence/absence of <em>Epichloë</em> OTU, leaf type, host grass species and their interactions. These results supported our hypothesis and suggested that <em>Epichloë</em> can indirectly lead to the changes in belowground processes such as litter decomposition by affecting saprotrophic fungi in dead leaves.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12683,"journal":{"name":"Fungal biology","volume":"128 8","pages":"Pages 2325-2332"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142655062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Could the transcription factor AtnN coordinating the aspercryptin secondary metabolite gene cluster in Aspergillus nidulans be a global regulator?","authors":"Beatrix Kocsis ,&nbsp;Imre Boldizsár ,&nbsp;Gábor M. Kovács ,&nbsp;Tibor Nagy ,&nbsp;Gyöngyi Gyémánt ,&nbsp;Kinga Csillag ,&nbsp;István Pócsi ,&nbsp;Éva Leiter","doi":"10.1016/j.funbio.2024.11.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.funbio.2024.11.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Products of dormant secondary metabolite gene clusters of fungal genomes can be exploited for medical purposes as bioactive agents. These clusters can be switched on under oxidative stress and may endow fungi with a versatile chemical armory in a competitive niche. In <em>Aspergillus nidulans,</em> the aspercryptin gene cluster, including the synthase [<em>atnA</em> (AN7884)] and its transcription factor (<em>atnN</em>), was activated under menadione sodium bisulfite (MSB) treatment. In this study, we generated and phenotypically examined the gene deletion and overexpression mutants of <em>atnN</em> and studied the secondary metabolite production of the mutants. Overexpression of <em>atnN</em> significantly reduced the colony growth of surface cultures compared to the control. The <em>ΔatnN</em> gene deletion strain showed higher sensitivity to <em>tert</em>-butyl hydroperoxide (<em>t</em>BOOH), while the <em>atnN</em>OE strain was more resistant to MSB, Congo Red, and sorbitol. Interestingly, deletion of <em>atnN</em> decreased cleistothecia formation of <em>A. nidulans</em>. Manipulation of <em>atnN</em> affected the synthesis of several secondary metabolites, for example, the siderophore production of <em>A. nidulans</em>. The extracellular triacetylfusarinine C (TAFC) production decreased, while the intracellular ferricrocin (FC) concentration of the cultures increased in the <em>atnN</em>OE mutant cultivating <em>A. nidulans</em> in a complex medium containing 1 % mycological peptone and 2 % maltose. In Czapek-Dox Broth medium, increased asperthecin production was observed in the <em>ΔatnN</em> mutant. The mycotoxin sterigmatocystin synthesis elevated in the <em>ΔatnN</em> mutant, while reduced in the <em>atnN</em>OE mutant on minimal medium. Our study supports previous observations that secondary metabolite production is coordinated in a complex way, and the linkage of stress response, sexual reproduction, and secondary metabolite production can be governed by several transcription factors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12683,"journal":{"name":"Fungal biology","volume":"128 8","pages":"Pages 2311-2316"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142655061","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Aquatic hyphomycetes diversity is higher in environmentally heterogeneous streams","authors":"Vinícius da Silva Rasvailer ,&nbsp;Matheus Maximilian Ratz Scoarize ,&nbsp;Evanilde Benedito","doi":"10.1016/j.funbio.2024.11.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.funbio.2024.11.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Energy dynamics of subtropical streams are diverse and depend essentially on the input of allochthonous organic matter, intermediated by decomposers. In these ecosystems, decomposition is carried out mainly by aquatic fungi. Recent studies about this community have focused on phenomena such as surrounding land use of streams and their environmental heterogeneity. In this context, we studied a biodiversity hotspot, the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, and sampled streams which were classified according to land uses: urban, rural and protected areas (PA). Mixes of leaves were collected and packaged for identification of fungi decomposing them. The beta diversity was estimated based on the species of aquatic hyphomycetes found in the land use categories and related to the limnological parameters of the different streams. Urban and rural streams (40 and 45 species, respectively) showed greater dissimilarity of species in relation to PA streams (29 species), although there are no differences between fungal communities of urban and rural streams. Since some of the PA streams indicated conditions similar to those largely impacted by human activity, this may cause the loss of fungal species and has repercussions on the reduction of ecosystem services. This study contributed to the knowledge base in fungal communities and their relationship with limnological parameters, providing information on species involved in energy flow in subtropical food chains.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12683,"journal":{"name":"Fungal biology","volume":"128 8","pages":"Pages 2317-2324"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142655060","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genetic diversity and population structure of Alternaria alternata: An endophytic fungus isolated from various hosts","authors":"Mostafa Ebadi ,&nbsp;Ali Ebadi","doi":"10.1016/j.funbio.2024.11.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.funbio.2024.11.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Alternaria alternata</em> is a significant fungal species that can function as both an endophytic fungus and a pathogen in various plant tissues. Unlike pathogenic fungi, endophytic fungi enhance the growth of host plants through different mechanisms. Studying the genetic diversity of endophytic fungi can provide insights into their co-evolution with plants. In this research, the genetic diversity of <em>A. alternata</em> from different hosts was examined using ten pairs of ISSR primers. Seven of the ten primers generated scorable polymorphic bands (total of 65 bands with an average of 9.2 bands per primer) for molecular analysis. Genetic diversity parameters revealed that isolates from <em>Gundelia tournefortii</em> exhibited the highest genetic diversity (Na, Ne, I, and He values of 1.55, 1.45, 0.35, and 0.24, respectively), while isolates from <em>Tamarix ramosissima</em> showed lower diversity (Na, Ne, I, and He values of 1.18, 1.13, 0.11, and 0.07, respectively). Cluster analysis grouped the isolates into four clusters based on Jaccard similarity matrix and UPGMA method. Principal coordinate analysis (PCOA) supported the cluster analysis findings. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated a high level of genetic differentiation within populations (72 %), with only 28 % of diversity between populations. The genetic structure assessment revealed a relatively strong genetic structure among populations, suggesting the presence of a hidden sexual cycle or mitotic recombination as factors contributing to the high genetic differentiation among <em>A. alternata</em> populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12683,"journal":{"name":"Fungal biology","volume":"128 8","pages":"Pages 2305-2310"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142655059","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Vertical fungal community distribution patterns along a stratified soil profile in subalpine Larix principis-rupprechtii plantations on China's Luya mountain","authors":"Xiaojun Qi,&nbsp;Xiaoxia Liang,&nbsp;Baofeng Chai,&nbsp;Tong Jia","doi":"10.1016/j.funbio.2024.11.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.funbio.2024.11.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil microorganisms play important roles in the biogeochemical cycling of terrestrial ecosystems. Recent studies found that soil fungal composition and diversity varied significantly with soil depth. However, little is known about the vertical distribution patterns of soil fungal communities and their associated drivers. For this study, we collected soil samples from six soil layers (i.e., litter layer (P), humus layer (P0), 0–10 cm layer (P1), 10–20 cm layer (P2), 20–40 cm layer (P3), and 40–80 cm layer (P4)) within <em>Larix principis-rupprechtii</em> plantations to investigate fungal community composition, diversity, and associated drivers using Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing. Results showed that the top 10 dominant genera with the highest relative abundance belonged to Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Mortierellomycota. A decreasing α-diversity trend was observed along with soil depth. Moreover, correlation analysis showed that ammonia nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N), pH, total carbon (TC), and total nitrogen (TN) content markedly correlated with fungal α-diversity. Significant <em>β</em>-diversity differences were found in soil fungal communities. Additionally, TN and total phosphorus (TP) content were the main environmental drivers that influenced the spatial distribution pattern of fungal communities. The <em>β</em>NTI showed a gradual increase with soil depth. In the surface layers of soil, the dominant factor of fungal community assembly was homogeneous selection, while in the deep layers of soil, it was variable selection. Co-occurrence network analysis showed that fungal community interactions in the deepest soil layer (40–80 cm) were more complex and were more positive. Results from this study provide a theoretical basis and data support to understand the mechanisms of soil fungal community assembly processes more deeply in <em>L. principis-rupprechtii</em> plantations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12683,"journal":{"name":"Fungal biology","volume":"128 8","pages":"Pages 2285-2294"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142655180","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transcription factor Pofst3 regulates Pleurotus ostreatus development by targeting multiple biological pathways","authors":"Yuancheng Qi,&nbsp;Wenfeng Xie,&nbsp;Ruixia Zhang,&nbsp;Fengqin Wang,&nbsp;Qing Wen,&nbsp;Yanru Hu,&nbsp;Qing Liu,&nbsp;Jinwen Shen","doi":"10.1016/j.funbio.2024.11.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.funbio.2024.11.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Pleurotus ostreatus</em> is a popular edible mushroom cultivated worldwide. However, the mechanism of <em>P. ostreatus</em> primordia formation is unclear. Pofst3 is a MHR superfamily transcription factor, which has the function of regulating primordia formation. In this study, the target genes of Pofst3 in <em>P. ostreatus</em> were identified by DAP-Seq approach at the genome level, 1481 peaks were obtained and the Pofst3 binding motif sequence was GARGRVGARGAR. The interaction between transcription factor Pofst3 and this motif was confirmed in vitro and in vivo through electrophoretic mobility shift (EMSA) and yeast one-hybrid screening (Y1H) assays. Among the top 20 GO enrichment results, most were related to transcriptional regulation, and some transcription factor encoding genes, such as HMG-box (gene_5346), MADS-box (gene_86), FOG (gene_6211) and RFX (gene_3496) were obtained. Besides basic metabolism, MAPK signaling pathway, Inositol phosphate metabolism, Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchor biosynthesis and Pentose phosphate pathway were significantly enriched in the KEGG pathway analysis. The expression levels of randomly selected 11 genes, some transcription factor genes, and genes involved in metabolic pathways in wild and <em>Pofst3</em> transgenic <em>P. ostreatus</em> strains indicated that target genes likely involved in the development of the <em>P. ostreatus</em> primordia. These results indicated that transcription factor Pofst3 ultimately negatively regulated the development of <em>P. ostreatus</em> primordia very likely through regulating a series of biological pathways.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12683,"journal":{"name":"Fungal biology","volume":"128 8","pages":"Pages 2295-2304"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142655181","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Manipulating button mushroom casing affects the disease dynamics of blotch and green mold disease","authors":"Eoin O'Connor ,&nbsp;Fabricio Rocha Vieira ,&nbsp;Isako Di Tomassi ,&nbsp;Rachel Richardson ,&nbsp;Kevin L. Hockett ,&nbsp;Carolee T. Bull ,&nbsp;John A. Pecchia","doi":"10.1016/j.funbio.2024.11.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.funbio.2024.11.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Productive cultivation of the button mushroom (<em>Agaricus bisporus</em>) relies on the use of selective substrates and effective disease management. In extending our previous work on manipulating the developmental microbiome (devome), this study employs the strategy of substrate passaging to explore its effects on crop outcomes and disease dynamics. Here we subjected the casing substrate to ten cycles of passaging. This manipulated substrate stimulated early pinning (primordia formation) by at least three days. Passaged casing also altered disease dynamics when challenged with two commercially important <em>A. bisporus</em> pathogens, <em>Pseudomonas tolaasii</em> (causing bacterial blotch) and <em>Trichoderma aggressivum</em> f. <em>aggressivum</em> (responsible for green mold). Passaged casing had a suppressive effect on blotch disease and a conducive effect on green mold disease. Blotch suppression resulted in a significantly higher yield of asymptomatic mushrooms in all three mushroom harvests (flushes) and in the overall crop yield. Blotch severity was also significantly reduced in passaged casing compared to standard casing due to a lower yield of mushrooms with the highest degree of blotch disease expression. Green mold disease expression was markedly higher in passaged casing, leading to lower numbers of asymptomatic mushrooms. Zones where no growth of hyphae or mushrooms were also observed in passaged casing due to green mold disease pressure. The stimulating effect of passaged casing on mushroom development and the dynamic outcomes for disease challenge from two distinct, commercially damaging diseases, demonstrates the potential for passaged casing to be used as material to study more sustainable mushroom production and disease management practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12683,"journal":{"name":"Fungal biology","volume":"128 8","pages":"Pages 2266-2273"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142654970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Environmental drivers and sampling techniques influence neotropical hyphomycetes composition in lakes and streams","authors":"Heloysa Farias da Silva ,&nbsp;Rosemberg F. Menezes ,&nbsp;Loise Araujo Costa ,&nbsp;Juliana Rayssa Barros Felix ,&nbsp;Flavia Rodrigues Barbosa ,&nbsp;Patricia Oliveira Fiuza","doi":"10.1016/j.funbio.2024.10.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.funbio.2024.10.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Freshwater hyphomycetes are decomposer fungi whose community composition is shaped by multiple environmental factors, including temperature, water velocity, nutrient availability, substrate type, and habitat type, such as lakes and streams. This poses a challenge for accurate monitoring of these fungal communities, requiring the use of diverse sampling strategies to better represent and understand their dynamics, particularly in tropical ecosystems. In this study, the composition of aquatic hyphomycetes was compared between two habitat types (lakes and streams), over two substrate types (leaves and twigs), and over time, using two different sampling methods: moist chamber and submerged incubation. The relationship between freshwater hyphomycetes composition and physicochemical variables was also investigated. Substrates and water samples were collected from two lakes and two streams in a coastal region of Northeastern Brazil. The results indicated that time, and its interaction with habitat types, were the main drivers of changes in hyphomycetes composition. However, total phosphorus, ammonia, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and water velocity also significantly influenced community assembly. Furthermore, the study showed that different sampling methods can lead to varied conclusions in ecological and taxonomic studies. For instance, a significant species turnover between substrates was detected only with the submerged incubation method, whereas the effect of time and its interaction with habitat was evident only with the moist chamber method. Moreover, a high rate of taxon substitution was observed between sampling methods. These observed differences emphasize the need to combine different sampling strategies and habitat types to achieve a more comprehensive and accurate representation of the richness, diversity, and distribution of fungal communities in continental aquatic ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12683,"journal":{"name":"Fungal biology","volume":"128 8","pages":"Pages 2274-2284"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142655064","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Haplotype diversity and phylogeny within Alternaria alternata and A. arborescens species complexes from tomatoes","authors":"Lilija Dučkena ,&nbsp;Nabahat Bessadat ,&nbsp;Nelly Bataillé-Simoneau ,&nbsp;Bruno Hamon ,&nbsp;Mati Koppel ,&nbsp;Kaire Loit ,&nbsp;Neringa Rasiukevičiūtė ,&nbsp;Gunita Bimšteine ,&nbsp;Philippe Simoneau","doi":"10.1016/j.funbio.2024.10.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.funbio.2024.10.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tomato (<em>Solanum lycopersicum</em> L.) is an economically important vegetable susceptible to various fungal diseases, including leaf spot caused by <em>Alternaria</em> spp. from the section <em>Alternaria</em>. In our study, a total of 72 tomato-associated <em>Alternaria</em> spp. strains from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Algeria were analysed by integrating morphological data, pathogenicity assay, multi-locus phylogeny, and haplotype assignment. Recovered <em>Alternaria</em> spp. strains were characterized by considerable variation in phenotypic diversity, non-pathogenicity to their host of origin and absence of the AAL-toxin biosynthesis gene (<em>ALT1</em>). Multi-locus phylogeny of the RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (<em>rpb2</em>), putative F-box-domain-containing protein (<em>ASA-10</em>), and putative histone-like transcription factor (<em>ASA-19</em>) confirmed the occurrence of both <em>A. alternata</em> and <em>A. arborescens</em> species complexes along with <em>A. longipes</em> and <em>A. postmessia</em> on symptomatic tomatoes. The discordant tree topology among single-gene phylogenies suggested the occurrence of potential recombination between phylogenetic lineages in the section <em>Alternaria</em>, resulting in putative alternata-arborescens and alternata-longipes hybrids. DNA polymorphism analysis of the <em>rpb2</em>, <em>ASA-10,</em> and <em>ASA-19</em> loci revealed a high level of genetic diversity in the section <em>Alternaria,</em> and the number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and haplotypes varied among loci and lineages studied. A total of 16 and 6 multi-locus haplotypes were assigned in alternata and arborescens lineages, respectively. Global genetic diversity analysis of <em>A. alternata</em> and <em>A. arborescens</em> strains at the <em>rpb2</em> locus confirmed that major haplotypes described from tomatoes were shared among other hosts of origin.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12683,"journal":{"name":"Fungal biology","volume":"128 8","pages":"Pages 2250-2265"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142593078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Polyphasic approach to the selection of Esteya isolates for the control of the pinewood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus","authors":"David Pires ,&nbsp;Cláudia S.L. Vicente ,&nbsp;Manuel Mota ,&nbsp;Maria L. Inácio","doi":"10.1016/j.funbio.2024.10.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.funbio.2024.10.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pine wilt disease, caused by the pinewood nematode, <em>Bursaphelenchus xylophilus</em>, is a major phytosanitary concern to pine forests worldwide. Managing pine wilt disease involves a complex logistical undertaking, with limited effectiveness and significant ecological repercussions. An increasing demand for biosolutions has sparked an interest in microbial antagonists capable of controlling the nematode. <em>Esteya</em> spp. are promising fungal biocontrol agents of the pinewood nematode. Here, we carry out an integrative characterization of <em>Esteya vermicola</em> and <em>Esteya floridanum</em> isolates, through biological, biochemical, and molecular methods, and provide insights into the selection of these isolates for the biological control of the pinewood nematode. Dual culture assays revealed that <em>Esteya</em> spp. can compete with ophiostomatoid fungi (<em>Leptographium terebrantis</em> and <em>Ophiostoma ips</em>) occurring in the pathosystem of pine wilt disease, an often-neglected ecological perspective that could hinder their success as biocontrol agents. Moreover, <em>E. vermicola</em> can metabolize more carbon sources than <em>E. floridanum</em>, which can have implications on their successful establishment in pine trees. Our experimental approach further shows that both <em>Esteya</em> spp. are equally competent in suppressing the pinewood nematode <em>in vitro</em>. Overall, our results suggest that a prophylactic application of <em>Esteya</em> in pine trees may be preferable for optimal bioprotective effects against the pinewood nematode and fungal pathogens.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12683,"journal":{"name":"Fungal biology","volume":"128 8","pages":"Pages 2242-2249"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142531863","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}