Analogs of the carotane antibiotic fulvoferruginin from submerged cultures of a Thai sp.

A recent find of a Marasmius species in Northern Thailand led to the isolation of five unprecedented derivatives of the carotane antibiotic fulvoferruginin (1), fulvoferruginins B-F (2-6). The structures of these sesquiterpenoids were elucidated using HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR, as well as CD spectroscopy. Assessing the bioactivity, fulvoferruginin emerged as a potent cytotoxic agent of potential pharmaceutical interest

Planctomycetes bacterium - Genome sequencing and assembly

Bacterial communication mostly relies on homoserine lactone molecules, while unknown species of the human microbiome employ N-acyl amino acids for cross-kingdom interaction with their host. Here we describe an unprecedented bacterium of the maverick phylum Planctomycetes which produces a novel type of N-acyl amino acids as quorum sensing signals

The amazing potential of fungi: 50 ways we can exploit fungi industrially

International audienceFungi are an understudied, biotechnologically valuable group of organisms. Due to the immense range of habitats thatfungi inhabit, and the consequent need to compete against a diverse array of other fungi, bacteria, and animals, fungi havedeveloped numerous survival mechanisms. The unique attributes of fungi thus herald great promise for their application inbiotechnology and industry. Moreover, fungi can be grown with relative ease, making production at scale viable. Thesearch for fungal biodiversity, and the construction of a living fungi collection, both have incredible economic potential inlocating organisms with novel industrial uses that will lead to novel products. This manuscript reviews fifty ways in whichfungi can potentially be utilized as biotechnology. We provide notes and examples for each potential exploitation and giveexamples from our own work and the work of other notable researchers. We also provide a flow chart that can be used toconvince funding bodies of the importance of fungi for biotechnological research and as potential products. Fungi haveprovided the world with penicillin, lovastatin, and other globally significant medicines, and they remain an untappedresource with enormous industrial potentia