Metabolic profiling of pea (Pisum sativum) cultivars in changing environments: Implications for nutritional quality in animal feed

Field pea seeds have long been recognized as valuable feed ingredients for animal diets, due to their high-quality protein and starch digestibility. However, the chemical composition of pea cultivars can vary across different growing locations, consequently impacting their nutrient profiles. This study employs untargeted metabolomics in conjunction with the quantification of fatty acids and amino acids to explore the influence of three different growing locations in Spain (namely Andalusia, Aragon and Asturias), on the nutritional characteristics of seeds of various pea cultivars. Significant interactions between cultivar and environment were observed, with 121 metabolites distinguishing pea profiles. Lipids, lipid-like molecules, phenylpropanoids, polyketides, carbohydrates, and amino acids were the most affected metabolites. Fatty acid profiles varied across locations, with higher C16:0, C18:0, and 18:1 n-9 concentration in Aragón, while C18:2 n-6 predominated in Asturias and C18:3 n-3 in Andalusia. Amino acid content was also location-dependent, with higher levels in Asturias. These findings underscore the impact of environmental factors on pea metabolite profiles and emphasize the importance of selecting pea cultivars based on specific locations and animal requirements. Enhanced collaboration between research and industry is crucial for optimizing pea cultivation for animal feed production.Este trabajo ha sido financiado por los proyectos GO-IMPULSE (O00000226e2000044341), PID2020-114668RB-I00 y CPP2022-009742 (financiados por MICIU/AEI /10.13039/501100011033 y NextGenerationEU/ PRTR), y H2020 RADIANT (GA no. 101000622).Pea SeedsFAMEAmino AcidsAnimal feedMetabolomicsUnpublishe

Phytotoxins produced by Lasiodiplodia laeliocattleyae involved in Botryosphaeria dieback of grapevines in Brazil

Botryosphaeria dieback (BD) is an important trunk disease affecting grapevines. Several Lasiodiplodia species have been shown to be involved in BD affecting the perennial organs of grapevine, mainly causing cankers. (R)-(-)-mellein and tyrosol, two well-known fungal phytotoxins, were isolated from the organic extract of culture filtrate of Lasiodiplodia laeliocattleyae (syn. egyptiacae), which had been isolated from grapevines affected by BD in Brazil. This increases knowledge of the secondary metabolites produced by Lasiodiplodia species, confirming that (R)-(-)-mellein is a toxin typically produced by Botryosphaericeae species

SARS-CoV-2 Gamma and Delta Variants of Concern Might Undermine Neutralizing Activity Generated in Response to BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccination

The Delta variant raised concern regarding its ability to evade SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. We evaluated a serum neutralizing response of 172 Italian healthcare workers, three months after complete Comirnaty (BNT162b2 mRNA, BioNTech-Pfizer) vaccination, testing their sera against viral isolates of Alpha, Gamma and Delta variants, including 36 subjects with a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. We assessed whether IgG anti-spike TRIM levels and serum neutralizing activity by seroneutralization assay were associated. Concerning Gamma variant, a two-fold reduction in neutralizing titres compared to the Alpha variant was observed, while a four-fold reduction of Delta virus compared to Alpha was found. A gender difference was observed in neutralizing titres only for the Gamma variant. The serum samples of 36 previously infected SARS-CoV-2 individuals neutralized Alpha, Gamma and Delta variants, demonstrating respectively a nearly three-fold and a five-fold reduction in neutralizing titres compared to Alpha variant. IgG anti-spike TRIM levels were positively correlated with serum neutralizing titres against the three variants. The Comirnaty vaccine provides sustained neutralizing antibody activity towards the Alpha variant, but it is less effective against Gamma and even less against Delta variants

Melleins—Intriguing Natural Compounds

Melleins are 3,4-dihydroisocoumarins mainly produced by fungi, but also by plants, insects and bacteria. These specialized metabolites play important roles in the life cycles of the producers and they are involved in many biochemical and ecological processes. This review outlines the isolation and chemical and biological characterizations of natural-occurring melleins from the first report of (R)-mellein in 1933 to the most recent advances in their characterization in 2019. In addition, the pathways that could be involved in mellein biosynthesis are discussed, along with the enzymes and genes involved

Untargeted and Targeted LC-MS/MS Based Metabolomics Study on In Vitro Culture of Phaeoacremonium Species

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) can be affected by many different biotic agents, including tracheomycotic fungi such as Phaeomoniella chlamydospora and Phaeoacremonium minimum, which are the main causal agent of Esca and Petri diseases. Both fungi produce phytotoxic naphthalenone polyketides, namely scytalone and isosclerone, that are related to symptom development. The main objective of this study was to investigate the secondary metabolites produced by three Phaeoacremonium species and to assess their phytotoxicity by in vitro bioassay. To this aim, untargeted and targeted LC-MS/MS-based metabolomics were performed. High resolution mass spectrometer UHPLC-Orbitrap was used for the untargeted profiling and dereplication of secondary metabolites. A sensitive multi reaction monitoring (MRM) method for the absolute quantification of scytalone and isosclerone was developed on a UPLC-QTrap. Different isolates of P. italicum, P. alvesii and P. rubrigenum were grown in vitro and the culture filtrates and organic extracts were assayed for phytotoxicity. The toxic effects varied within and among fungal isolates. Isosclerone and scytalone were dereplicated by matching retention times and HRMS and MS/MS data with pure standards. The amount of scytalone and isosclerone differed within and among fungal species. To our best knowledge, this is the first study that applies an approach of LC-MS/MS-based metabolomics to investigate differences in the metabolic composition of organic extracts of Phaeoacremonium species culture filtrates

Spencertoxin and spencer acid, new phytotoxic derivatives of diacrylic acid and dipyridinbutan-1,4-diol produced by Spencermartinsia viticola , a causal agent of grapevine Botryosphaeria dieback in Australia

Spencermartinsia viticola is one of the most widespread Botryosphaeriaceae species isolated from grapevines in South Australia and New South Wales vineyards in Australia. A new phytotoxic dipyridine-butane-1,4-diol and a new diacrylic acid derivatives, here named spencertoxin (1) and spencer acid (2), were isolated from the culture filtrates of S. viticola isolate DAR78870 together with p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (3) and 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl) acetic acid (4). Spencertoxin and spencer acid were characterized as 2,3-di(pyridin-3-yl)butane-1,4-diol and (2Z,2′Z)-3,3′-(carbonylbis(oxy))diacrylic acid, respectively, by spectroscopic methods (essentially NMR and HRESIMS). Spencertoxin (1), p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (3) and 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl) acetic acid (4) showed phytotoxicity when the pure compounds were assayed on grapevine leaves of Vitis lambrusca and Vitis vinifera cv. Shiraz. Keywords: Grapevine, Botryosphaeria dieback, Spencermartinsia viticola, Phytotoxins, Spencertoxin and spencer aci

Phytotoxic Metabolites Produced by Fungi Involved in Grapevine Trunk Diseases: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities

Grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs), caused by fungal pathogens, are a serious threat to vineyards worldwide, causing significant yield and economic loss. To date, curative methods are not available for GTDs, and the relationship between the pathogen and symptom expression is poorly understood. Several plant pathologists, molecular biologists, and chemists have been investigating different aspects of the pathogenicity, biochemistry, and chemical ecology of the fungal species involved in GTDs. Many studies have been conducted to investigate virulence factors, including the chemical characterization of phytotoxic metabolites (PMs) that assist fungi in invading and colonizing crops such as grapevines. Moreover, multidisciplinary studies on their role in pathogenicity, symptom development, and plant-pathogen interactions have also been carried out. The aim of the present review is to provide an illustrative overview of the biological and chemical characterization of PMs produced by fungi involved in Eutypa dieback, Esca complex, and Botryosphaeria dieback. Moreover, multidisciplinary investigations on host-pathogen interactions, including those using cutting-edge Omics techniques, will also be reviewed and discussed. Finally, challenges and opportunities in the role of PMs for reliable field diagnosis and control of GTDs in vineyards will also be explored

Fungal metabolites antagonists towards plant pests and human pathogens: Structure-activity relationship studies

Fungi are able to produce many bioactive secondary metabolites that belong to different classes of natural compounds. Some of these compounds have been selected for their antagonism against pests and human pathogens and structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies have been performed to better understand which structural features are essential for the biological activity. In some cases, these studies allowed for the obtaining of hemisynthetic derivatives with increased selectivity and stability in respect to the natural products as well as reduced toxicity in view of their potential practical applications. This review deals with the SAR studies performed on fungal metabolites with potential fungicidal, bactericidal, insecticidal, and herbicidal activities from 1990 to the present (beginning of 2018)

Advances on Fungal Phytotoxins and their Role in Grapevine Trunk Diseases

Grapevines are produced worldwide with important impact on local economies. Several biotic stresses induce serious diseases of grapevine, which severly affect the quantity and the quality of production. One of the most important problems of vineyards worldwide is the high incidence of grapevine trunk diseases (GTD) induced by fungi belonging to several genera. Environmental-friendly methods for GTD control are being studied. This manuscript offers a perspective and an advanced overview on the fungal phytotoxins involved in GTD and their eventual role in the development of disease symptoms