12 research outputs found

    Morphology, phylogeny, mitogenomics and metagenomics reveal a new entomopathogenic fungus Ophiocordyceps nujiangensis (Hypocreales, Ophiocordycipitaceae) from Southwestern China

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    Ophiocordyceps contains the largest number of Cordyceps sensu lato, various species of which are of great medicinal value. In this study, a new entomopathogenic fungus, Ophiocordyceps nujiangensis, from Yunnan in southwestern China, was described using morphological, phylogenetic, and mitogenomic evidence, and its fungal community composition was identified. It was morphologically characterized by a solitary, woody, and dark brown stromata, smooth-walled and septate hyphae, solitary and gradually tapering conidiogenous cells with plenty of warty protrusions, and oval or fusiform conidia (6.4–11.2 × 3.7–6.4 µm) with mucinous sheath. The phylogenetic location of O. nujiangensis was determined based on the Bayesian inference (BI) and the maximum likelihood (ML) analyses by concatenating nrSSU, nrLSU, tef-1a, rpb1, and rpb2 datasets, and ten mitochondrial protein-coding genes (PCGs) datasets (atp6, atp9, cob, cox2, nad1, nad2, nad3, nad4, nad4L, and nad5). Phylogenetic analyses revealed that O. nujiangensis belonged to the Hirsutella sinensis subclade within the Hirsutella clade of Ophiocordyceps. And O. nujiangensis was phylogenetically clustered with O. karstii, O. liangshanensis, and O. sinensis. Simultaneously, five fungal phyla and 151 fungal genera were recognized in the analysis of the fungal community of O. nujiangensis. The fungal community composition differed from that of O. sinensis, and differences in the microbial community composition of closely related species might be appropriate as further evidence for taxonomy

    Morphological and Phylogenetic Characterization Reveals Five New Species of <i>Samsoniella</i> (Cordycipitaceae, Hypocreales)

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    Samsoniella is a very important fungal resource, with some species in the genus having great medical, economic and ecological value. This study reports five new species of Samsoniella from Yunnan Province and Guizhou Province in Southwestern China and Dole Province in Vietnam, providing morphological descriptions, illustrations, phylogenetic placements, associated hosts and comparisons with allied taxa. Based on morphological observations and phylogenetic analyses of combined nrSSU, nrLSU, tef-1α, rpb1 and rpb2 sequence data, it was determined that these five new species were located in the clade of Samsoniella and different from other species of Samsoniella. The five novel species had morphologies similar to those of other species in the genus, with bright orange cylindrical to clavate stromata (gregarious). The fertile part lateral sides usually had a longitudinal ditch without producing perithecia, and superficial perithecia. The phialides had a swollen basal portion, tapering abruptly into a narrow neck and oval or fusiform one-celled conidia, often in chains. The morphological characteristics of 23 species in Samsoniella, including five novel species and 18 known taxa, were also compared in the present study

    Genomic Comparative Analysis of <i>Cordyceps pseudotenuipes</i> with Other Species from <i>Cordyceps</i>

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    The whole genome of Cordyceps pseudotenuipes was sequenced, annotated, and compared with three related species to characterize the genome. The antibiotics and Secondary Metabolites Analysis Shell (antiSMASH) and local BLAST analysis were used to explore the secondary metabolites (SMs) and biosynthesis gene clusters (BGCs) of the genus Cordyceps. The genome-wide basic characteristics of C. pseudotenuipes, C. tenuipes, C. cicadae, and C. militaris revealed unequal genome size, with C. cicadae as the largest (34.11 Mb), followed by C. militaris (32.27 Mb). However, the total gene lengths of C. pseudotenuipes and C. tenuipes were similar (30.1 Mb and 30.06 Mb). The GC contents of C. pseudotenuipes, C. tenuipes, C. cicadae, and C. militaris genomes differed slightly (51.40% to 54.11%). AntiSMASH and local BLAST analysis showed that C. pseudotenuipes, C. tenuipes, C. cicadae, and C. militaris had 31, 28, 31, and 29 putative SM BGCs, respectively. The SM BGCs contained different quantities of polyketide synthetase (PKS), nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS), terpene, hybrid PKS + NRPS, and hybrid NRPS + Other. Moreover, C. pseudotenuipes, C. tenuipes, C. cicadae, and C. militaris had BGCs for the synthesis of dimethylcoprogen. C. pseudotenuipes, C. tenuipes, and C. cicadae had BGCs for the synthesis of leucinostatin A/B, neosartorin, dimethylcoprogen, wortmanamide A/B, and beauvericin. In addition, the SM BGCs unique to C. pseudotenuipes were clavaric acid, communesin, and deoxynivalenol. Synteny analysis indicated that the scaffolds where the SM BGC was located were divided into more than 70 collinear blocks, and there might be rearrangements. Altogether, these findings improved our understanding of the molecular biology of the genus Cordyceps and will facilitate the discovery of new biologically active SMs from the genus Cordyceps using heterologous expression and gene knockdown methods

    The enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry mission—eXTP

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    International audienceIn this paper we present the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry mission—eXTP. eXTP is a space science mission designed to study fundamental physics under extreme conditions of density, gravity and magnetism. The mission aims at determining the equation of state of matter at supra-nuclear density, measuring effects of QED, and understanding the dynamics of matter in strong-field gravity. In addition to investigating fundamental physics, eXTP will be a very powerful observatory for astrophysics that will provide observations of unprecedented quality on a variety of galactic and extragalactic objects. In particular, its wide field monitoring capabilities will be highly instrumental to detect the electro-magnetic counterparts of gravitational wave sources. The paper provides a detailed description of: (1) the technological and technical aspects, and the expected performance of the instruments of the scientific payload, (2) the elements and functions of the mission, from the spacecraft to the ground segment
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