Alkaliphilic and alkalitolerant filamentous soil fungi: diversity, phylogeny, and physiology

The present work addresses the diversity, phylogeny and some physiology characters of filamentous fungi recovered from the soils around the basins of soda lakes in Russia (West and South Siberia), Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Tanzania, and Kenya. Obligate and facultative alkaliphilic isolates, along with strong alkalitolerants, appeared to be overrepresented within families Plectosphaerellaceae, Chaetomiaceae, Pleosporaceae, as well as in Emericellopsis lineage. Sodiomyces alkalinus, S.tronii, S.magadii, Acrostalagmus luteoalbus, Chordomyces antarcticum, Verticillium zaregamsianum (Plectosphaerellaceae), Emericellopsis alkalina (Hypocreales), Thielavia sp. (Chaetomiaceae), and Alternaria sect. Soda (Pleosporaceae) grew best at high ambient pH (>8). Phylogenetic analyses show that alkaliphilic fungi have a polyphyletic origin and occupy different ecological niches. These fungi may be promising producers of commercially valuable metabolites, but also as model systems for studying the alkaliphilic phenomenon in eukaryots.Работа выполнена при частичной финансовой поддержке РФФИ (проекты 15–04–06975, 15–04–06260) и РНФ (проект № 14–50–00029)

Basidiomycete Quambalaria cyanescens in association with birch: distribution, phylogeny, ultrastructural characteristics

Basidiomycete Quambalaria cyanescens (Quambalariaceae, Microstromatales, Exobasidiomycetidae, Exobasidiomycetes, Ustilaginomycotina, Basidiomycota) was known earlier mainly as a symbiont of plants of the genera Eucalyptus and Corymbia on the Australian continent. Now it was found in association with silver birch in the territory of Moscow and Moscow Region. Q. cyanescens is revealed most frequently on the surface and inside thyrsus, in pollen samples, and less frequently on the surface of leaves and shoots. DNA profiling provided the evidence for the phylogeographical structure of the species. Further studies revealed Q. cyanescens in the samples collected in Cheboksary (Russia) and in Nessebar (Bulgaria). The list of regions where Q. cyanescens was found in association with birch steadily extends and embraces different geographical zones. The structure of the septal apparatus is of great importance for basidial fungi taxonomy. The mycelium of our isolates contained dolipore septa with thickenings around the pore channel characteristic for the type strain of Q. cyanescens. Accumulated data prove close association between birch and Q. cyanescens that warrant further investigation

Exploring Peptaibol’s Profile, Antifungal, and Antitumor Activity of Emericellipsin A of <i>Emericellopsis</i> Species from Soda and Saline Soils

Features of the biochemical adaptations of alkaliphilic fungi to exist in extreme environments could promote the production of active antibiotic compounds with the potential to control microorganisms, causing infections associated with health care. Thirty-eight alkaliphilic and alkalitolerant Emericellopsis strains (E. alkalina, E. cf. maritima, E. cf. terricola, Emericellopsis sp.) isolated from different saline soda soils and belonging to marine, terrestrial, and soda soil ecological clades were investigated for emericellipsin A (EmiA) biosynthesis, an antifungal peptaibol previously described for Emericellopsis alkalina. The analysis of the Emericellopsis sp. strains belonging to marine and terrestrial clades from chloride soils revealed another novel form with a mass of 1032.7 Da, defined by MALDI-TOF Ms/Ms spectrometers, as the EmiA lacked a hydroxyl (dEmiA). EmiA displayed strong inhibitory effects on cell proliferation and viability of HCT 116 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manners and induced apoptosis