Ima FungusPub Date : 2024-06-11DOI: 10.1186/s43008-024-00146-9
Warre Van Caenegem, Danny Haelewaters
{"title":"New insights into the DNA extraction and PCR amplification of minute ascomycetes in the genus Laboulbenia (Pezizomycotina, Laboulbeniales).","authors":"Warre Van Caenegem, Danny Haelewaters","doi":"10.1186/s43008-024-00146-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s43008-024-00146-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Molecular studies of fungi within the order Laboulbeniales (Ascomycota, Pezizomycotina) have been hampered for years because of their minute size, inability to grow in axenic culture, and lack of reliable and cost-efficient DNA extraction protocols. In particular, the genus Laboulbenia is notorious for low success with DNA extraction and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. This is attributed to the presence of melanin, a molecule known to inhibit PCR, in the cells. We evaluated the efficacy of a standard single cell-based DNA extraction protocol by halving the recommended amount of reagents to reduce the cost per extraction and adding bovine serum albumin (BSA) during the multiple displacement amplification step to reverse the effect of melanin. A total of 196 extractions were made, 111 of which were successful. We found that halving the reagents used in the single cell-based extraction kit did not significantly affect the probability of successful DNA extraction. Using the halved protocol reduces cost and resource consumption. Moreover, there was no significant difference in the probability of successfully extracting DNA based on whether BSA was added or not, suggesting that the amount of melanin present in cells of the thallus has no major inhibitory effect on PCR. We generated 277 sequences from five loci, but amplification of the internal transcribed spacer region, the mitochondrial small subunit rDNA, and protein-coding genes remains challenging. The probability of successfully extracting DNA from Laboulbeniales was also impacted by specimen storage methods, with material preserved in > 95% ethanol yielding higher success rates compared to material stored in 70% ethanol and dried material. We emphasize the importance of proper preservation of material and propose the design of Laboulbeniales-specific primers to overcome the problems of primer mismatches and contaminants. Our new insights apply not only to the genus Laboulbenia; Laboulbeniales generally are understudied, and the vast majority of species remain unsequenced. New and approachable molecular developments will benefit the study of Laboulbeniales, helping to elucidate the true diversity and evolutionary relationships of these peculiar microfungi.</p>","PeriodicalId":54345,"journal":{"name":"Ima Fungus","volume":"15 1","pages":"14"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11167896/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141307430","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ima FungusPub Date : 2024-06-07DOI: 10.1186/s43008-024-00147-8
Andrés Felipe Lizcano Salas, Jorge Duitama, Silvia Restrepo, Adriana Marcela Celis Ramírez
{"title":"Phylogenomic approaches reveal a robust time-scale phylogeny of the Terminal Fusarium Clade.","authors":"Andrés Felipe Lizcano Salas, Jorge Duitama, Silvia Restrepo, Adriana Marcela Celis Ramírez","doi":"10.1186/s43008-024-00147-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s43008-024-00147-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Terminal Fusarium Clade (TFC) is a group in the Nectriaceae family with agricultural and clinical relevance. In recent years, various phylogenies have been presented in the literature, showing disagreement in the topologies, but only a few studies have conducted analyses on the divergence time scale of the group. Therefore, the evolutionary history of this group is still being determined. This study aimed to understand the evolutionary history of the TFC from a phylogenomic perspective. To achieve this objective, we performed a phylogenomic analysis using the available genomes in GenBank and ran eight different pipelines. We presented a new robust topology of the TFC that differs at some nodes from previous studies. These new relationships allowed us to formulate new hypotheses about the evolutionary history of the TFC. We also inferred new divergence time estimates, which differ from those of previous studies due to topology discordances and taxon sampling. The results suggested an important diversification process in the Neogene period, likely associated with the diversification and predominance of terrestrial ecosystems by angiosperms. In conclusion, we presented a robust time-scale phylogeny that allowed us to formulate new hypotheses regarding the evolutionary history of the TFC.</p>","PeriodicalId":54345,"journal":{"name":"Ima Fungus","volume":"15 1","pages":"13"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11161934/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141288939","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ima FungusPub Date : 2024-06-03DOI: 10.1186/s43008-024-00142-z
Janneke Aylward, Andi M Wilson, Cobus M Visagie, Joseph Spraker, Irene Barnes, Carla Buitendag, Callin Ceriani, Lina Del Mar Angel, Deanné du Plessis, Taygen Fuchs, Katharina Gasser, Daniella Krämer, WenWen Li, Kiara Munsamy, Anja Piso, Jenna-Lee Price, Byron Sonnekus, Chanel Thomas, Ariska van der Nest, Alida van Dijk, Alishia van Heerden, Nicole van Vuuren, Neriman Yilmaz, Tuan A Duong, Nicolaas A van der Merwe, Michael J Wingfield, Brenda D Wingfield
{"title":"IMA Genome - F19 : A genome assembly and annotation guide to empower mycologists, including annotated draft genome sequences of Ceratocystis pirilliformis, Diaporthe australafricana, Fusarium ophioides, Paecilomyces lecythidis, and Sporothrix stenoceras.","authors":"Janneke Aylward, Andi M Wilson, Cobus M Visagie, Joseph Spraker, Irene Barnes, Carla Buitendag, Callin Ceriani, Lina Del Mar Angel, Deanné du Plessis, Taygen Fuchs, Katharina Gasser, Daniella Krämer, WenWen Li, Kiara Munsamy, Anja Piso, Jenna-Lee Price, Byron Sonnekus, Chanel Thomas, Ariska van der Nest, Alida van Dijk, Alishia van Heerden, Nicole van Vuuren, Neriman Yilmaz, Tuan A Duong, Nicolaas A van der Merwe, Michael J Wingfield, Brenda D Wingfield","doi":"10.1186/s43008-024-00142-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s43008-024-00142-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The pace at which Next Generation Sequence data is being produced continues to accelerate as technology improves. As a result, such data are increasingly becoming accessible to biologists outside of the field of bioinformatics. In contrast, access to training in the methods of genome assembly and annotation are not growing at a similar rate. In this issue, we report on a Genome Assembly Workshop for Mycologists that was held at the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI) at the University of Pretoria, South Africa and make available the 12 draft genome sequences emanating from the event. With the aim of making the process of genome assembly and annotation more accessible to biologists, we provide a step-by-step guide to both genome assembly and annotation, intended to encourage and empower mycologists to use genome data in their research.</p>","PeriodicalId":54345,"journal":{"name":"Ima Fungus","volume":"15 1","pages":"12"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11149380/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141238830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ima FungusPub Date : 2024-04-07DOI: 10.1186/s43008-024-00141-0
Trine Sørensen, Celine Petersen, Asmus T. Muurmann, Johan V. Christiansen, Mathias L. Brundtø, Christina K. Overgaard, Anders T. Boysen, Rasmus D. Wollenberg, Thomas O. Larsen, Jens L. Sørensen, Kåre L. Nielsen, Teis E. Sondergaard
{"title":"Apiospora arundinis, a panoply of carbohydrate-active enzymes and secondary metabolites","authors":"Trine Sørensen, Celine Petersen, Asmus T. Muurmann, Johan V. Christiansen, Mathias L. Brundtø, Christina K. Overgaard, Anders T. Boysen, Rasmus D. Wollenberg, Thomas O. Larsen, Jens L. Sørensen, Kåre L. Nielsen, Teis E. Sondergaard","doi":"10.1186/s43008-024-00141-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s43008-024-00141-0","url":null,"abstract":"The Apiospora genus comprises filamentous fungi with promising potential, though its full capabilities remain undiscovered. In this study, we present the first genome assembly of an Apiospora arundinis isolate, demonstrating a highly complete and contiguous assembly estimated to 48.8 Mb, with an N99 of 3.0 Mb. Our analysis predicted a total of 15,725 genes, with functional annotations for 13,619 of them, revealing a fungus capable of producing very high amounts of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) and secondary metabolites. Through transcriptomic analysis, we observed differential gene expression in response to varying growth media, with several genes related to carbohydrate metabolism showing significant upregulation when the fungus was cultivated on a hay-based medium. Finally, our metabolomic analysis unveiled a fungus capable of producing a diverse array of metabolites.","PeriodicalId":54345,"journal":{"name":"Ima Fungus","volume":"54 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140562612","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ima FungusPub Date : 2024-04-01DOI: 10.1186/s43008-024-00140-1
Karina Wilk, Robert Lücking
{"title":"Quantitative integrative taxonomy informs species delimitation in Teloschistaceae (lichenized Ascomycota): the genus Wetmoreana as a case study.","authors":"Karina Wilk, Robert Lücking","doi":"10.1186/s43008-024-00140-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s43008-024-00140-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The genus Wetmoreana was studied using quantitative integrative taxonomy methods to resolve the genus delimitation and explore its taxonomy diversity at the species level. As a result, the genus Fulgogasparrea is synonymized with Wetmoreana, and the latter includes 15 formally described species, one subspecies, and three further, thus far undescribed species: W. appressa, W. awasthii comb. nov., W. bahiensis sp. nov., W. brachyloba comb. nov., W. brouardii, W. chapadensis comb. nov., W. circumlobata sp. nov., W. decipioides, W. intensa comb. nov., W. ochraceofulva comb. nov., W. rubra sp. nov., W. sliwae sp. nov., W. sliwae ssp. subparviloba subsp. nov., W. subnitida comb. nov., W. texana, and W. variegata sp. nov. Eleven of 19 examined taxa are newly placed within this genus or confirmed to belong to it. Two species, W. awasthii and W. intensa, are transferred to Wetmoreana without additional analysis but based on previous studies. The W. brouardii and W. ochraceofulva species complexes are discussed in detail. Additionally, Caloplaca muelleri and C. rubina var. evolutior are transferred to Squamulea, and the latter is elevated to the species rank.</p>","PeriodicalId":54345,"journal":{"name":"Ima Fungus","volume":"15 1","pages":"9"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11225190/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140332282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ima FungusPub Date : 2024-03-26DOI: 10.1186/s43008-023-00138-1
Di Wang, Hui Feng, Jie Zhou, Tian-Hai Liu, Zhi-Yuan Zhang, Ying-Yin Xu, Jie Tang, Wei-Hong Peng, Xiao-Lan He
{"title":"New insights into the stipitate hydnoid fungi Sarcodon, Hydnellum, and the formerly informally defined Neosarcodon, with emphasis on the edible species marketed in Southwest China.","authors":"Di Wang, Hui Feng, Jie Zhou, Tian-Hai Liu, Zhi-Yuan Zhang, Ying-Yin Xu, Jie Tang, Wei-Hong Peng, Xiao-Lan He","doi":"10.1186/s43008-023-00138-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s43008-023-00138-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sarcodon and Hydnellum are two ectomycorrhizal genera of important ecological and economic value in Southwest China, and they are common in the free markets in this region. It was estimated that more than 1,500 tonnes of them were sold as edible per year, but there was little information about the taxonomic placements of these edible mushrooms sold in the markets. Traditional concepts of the two genera have also been challenged recently, and circumscription of Sarcodon and the informally defined clade \"Neosarcodon\" remained unresolved. In the present study, specimens collected in the field and purchased from the markets in Southwest China were analyzed based on morphological characters and DNA sequences. Phylogeny of the traditional Sarcodon s. lat. and Hydnellum s. lat. was reconstructed from the combined internal transcribed spacer (ITS), nuclear large ribosomal subunit (nLSU) and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2) dataset based on expanded samples to reevaluate the taxonomic placements of the two genera. In the present molecular analyses, four distinct clades were recovered and strongly supported: Hydnellum, Neosarcodon, Phellodon and Sarcodon. Neosarcodon is formally introduced as a generic name to include nine species previously placed in Sarcodon, and the delimitation of Sarcodon is revised based on phylogenetic and morphological studies. Phylogenetic analyses also revealed an unexpected species diversity (17 phylogenetic species) of Sarcodon and Hydnellum in the markets; nine phylogenetic species of Sarcodon and eight of Hydnellum were uncovered from the samples collected in the markets. Eight species were resolved in the traditional S. imbricatus complex, with S. imbricatus s.str. being the most common edible stipitate hydnoid fungal species. Three of the edible Hydnellum species (H. edulium, H. subalpinum, and H. subscabrosellum), and five separated from the S. imbricatus complex (Sarcodon flavidus, S. giganteus, S. neosquamosus, S. nigrosquamosus, and S. pseudoimbricatus), are described as new. Three new Chinese records (H. illudens, H. martioflavum, and H. versipelle), and the notable S. imbricatus and S. leucopus are also reported.</p>","PeriodicalId":54345,"journal":{"name":"Ima Fungus","volume":"15 1","pages":"8"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10964585/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140289656","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ima FungusPub Date : 2024-03-20DOI: 10.1186/s43008-023-00137-2
Jonathan Cazabonne, Allison K. Walker, Jonathan Lesven, Danny Haelewaters
{"title":"Singleton-based species names and fungal rarity: Does the number really matter?","authors":"Jonathan Cazabonne, Allison K. Walker, Jonathan Lesven, Danny Haelewaters","doi":"10.1186/s43008-023-00137-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s43008-023-00137-2","url":null,"abstract":"Fungi are among the least known organisms on earth, with an estimated number of species between 1.5 and 10 million. This number is expected to be refined, especially with increasing knowledge about microfungi in undersampled habitats and increasing amounts of data derived from environmental DNA sequencing. A significant proportion of newly generated sequences fail to match with already named species, and thus represent what has been referred to as fungal “dark taxa”. Due to the challenges associated with observing, identifying, and preserving sporophores, many macro- and microfungal species are only known from a single collection, specimen, isolate, and/or sequence—a singleton. Mycologists are consequently used to working with “rare” sequences and specimens. However, rarity and singleton phenomena lack consideration and valorization in fungal studies. In particular, the practice of publishing new fungal species names based on a single specimen remains a cause of debate. Here, we provide some elements of reflection on this issue in the light of the specificities of the fungal kingdom and global change context. If multiple independent sources of data support the existence of a new taxon, we encourage mycologists to proceed with formal description, irrespective of the number of specimens at hand. Although the description of singleton-based species may not be considered best practice, it does represent responsible science in the light of closing the Linnean biodiversity shortfall.","PeriodicalId":54345,"journal":{"name":"Ima Fungus","volume":"70 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140166122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ima FungusPub Date : 2024-03-14DOI: 10.1186/s43008-023-00136-3
Macario Osorio-Concepción, Carlos Lax, Damaris Lorenzo-Gutiérrez, José Tomás Cánovas-Márquez, Ghizlane Tahiri, Eusebio Navarro, Ulrike Binder, Francisco Esteban Nicolás, Victoriano Garre
{"title":"H3K4 methylation regulates development, DNA repair, and virulence in Mucorales.","authors":"Macario Osorio-Concepción, Carlos Lax, Damaris Lorenzo-Gutiérrez, José Tomás Cánovas-Márquez, Ghizlane Tahiri, Eusebio Navarro, Ulrike Binder, Francisco Esteban Nicolás, Victoriano Garre","doi":"10.1186/s43008-023-00136-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s43008-023-00136-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mucorales are basal fungi that opportunistically cause a potentially fatal infection known as mucormycosis (black fungus disease), which poses a significant threat to human health due to its high mortality rate and its recent association with SARS-CoV-2 infections. On the other hand, histone methylation is a regulatory mechanism with pleiotropic effects, including the virulence of several pathogenic fungi. However, the role of epigenetic changes at the histone level never has been studied in Mucorales. Here, we dissected the functional role of Set1, a histone methyltransferase that catalyzes the methylation of H3K4, which is associated with the activation of gene transcription and virulence. A comparative analysis of the Mucor lusitanicus genome (previously known as Mucor circinelloides f. lusitanicus) identified only one homolog of Set1 from Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae that contains the typical SET domain. Knockout strains in the gene set1 lacked H3K4 monomethylation, dimethylation, and trimethylation enzymatic activities. These strains also showed a significant reduction in vegetative growth and sporulation. Additionally, set1 null strains were more sensitive to SDS, EMS, and UV light, indicating severe impairment in the repair process of the cell wall and DNA lesions and a correlation between Set1 and these processes. During pathogen-host interactions, strains lacking the set1 gene exhibited shortened polar growth within the phagosome and attenuated virulence both in vitro and in vivo. Our findings suggest that the histone methyltransferase Set1 coordinates several cell processes related to the pathogenesis of M. lusitanicus and may be an important target for future therapeutic strategies against mucormycosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":54345,"journal":{"name":"Ima Fungus","volume":"15 1","pages":"6"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10938801/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140121340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}