Ceratocystis cacaofunesta genome analysis reveals a large expansion of extracellular phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase-C genes (PI-PLC)

Background: The Ceratocystis genus harbors a large number of phytopathogenic fungi that cause xylem parenchyma degradation and vascular destruction on a broad range of economically important plants. Ceratocystis cacaofunesta is a necrotrophic fungus responsible for lethal wilt disease in cacao. The aim of this work is to analyze the genome of C. cacaofunesta through a comparative approach with genomes of other Sordariomycetes in order to better understand the molecular basis of pathogenicity in the Ceratocystis genus. Results: We present an analysis of the C. cacaofunesta genome focusing on secreted proteins that might constitute pathogenicity factors. Comparative genome analyses among five Ceratocystidaceae species and 23 other Sordariomycetes fungi showed a strong reduction in gene content of the Ceratocystis genus. However, some gene families displayed a remarkable expansion, in particular, the Phosphatidylinositol specific phospholipases-C (PI-PLC) family. Also, evolutionary rate calculations suggest that the evolution process of this family was guided by positive selection. Interestingly, among the 82 PI-PLCs genes identified in the C. cacaofunesta genome, 70 genes encoding extracellular PI-PLCs are grouped in eight small scaffolds surrounded by transposon fragments and scars that could be involved in the rapid evolution of the PI-PLC family. Experimental secretome using LC-MS/MS validated 24% (86 proteins) of the total predicted secretome (342 proteins), including four PI-PLCs and other important pathogenicity factors. Conclusion: Analysis of the Ceratocystis cacaofunesta genome provides evidence that PI-PLCs may play a role in pathogenicity. Subsequent functional studies will be aimed at evaluating this hypothesis. The observed genetic arsenals, together with the analysis of the PI-PLC family shown in this work, reveal significant differences in the Ceratocystis genome compared to the classical vascular fungi, Verticillium and Fusarium. Altogether, our analyses provide new insights into the evolution and the molecular basis of plant pathogenicity. © 2018 The Author(s)

Functional foods as source of bioactive principles. Some marked examples

Functional foods are those that have a beneficial effect on health beyond the basic function of nutrition, helping to promote better health conditions and to reduce the risk of various diseases. This concept was created in Japan in the 1980s and is widely used around the world. The regulation of these products is made by different authorities and has not been defined yet in many countries. The field of food production has increased and changed considerably in the last decades, since the consumers believe that foods, besides satisfy hunger and to provide necessary nutrients for humans, also contribute directly to improve their health conditions. The present chapter will focus with marked examples the main categories of functional foods and respective therapeutic potential (cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, hypolipidemic, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory properties, etc.) as well as the active principles responsible for the medicinal properties (flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenes, etc.), including curcuma, garlic, olive oil, grape, broccoli, and probiotic, among others