Fungal endophyte misidentified as Neurospora crassa.

The endophytic fungus isolate, ZP5SE, recently described in Rehman et al. 2008 was misidentified identified as Neurospora crassa. The 28S ribosomal gene sequence of the isolate shows 100% sequence similarity with GenBank accession Neurospora crassa M38154

Discovery of a Secalonic Acid Derivative from Aspergillus aculeatus, an Endophyte of Rosa damascena Mill., Triggers Apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells

A new secalonic acid derivative, F-7 (1), was isolated from the endophytic Aspergillus aculeatus MBT 102, associated with Rosa damascena. The planar structure of 1 was established on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR and ESI-TOF-MS spectra. The relative configuration of 1 was determined applying a combined quantum mechanical/NMR approach and, afterward, the comparison of calculated and experimental electronic circular dichroism spectra determined the assignment of its absolute configuration. The compound possesses strong cytotoxic activity against triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. It was found to induce apoptosis, as evidenced by scanning electron microscopy and phase contrast microscopy. Furthermore, flow cytometry analyses demonstrated that 1 induced mitochondrial damage and reactive oxygen species mediated apoptosis, arresting the G1 phase of the cells in a dose-dependent manner. Also, the compound causes significant microtubule disruption in TNBC cells. Subsequently, 1 restricted the cell migration leading to the concomitant increase in expression of cleaved caspase and PARP

Tubulin Inhibitors from an Endophytic Fungus Isolated from <i>Cedrus deodara</i>

From an endophytic fungus, a close relative of <i>Talaromyces</i> sp., found in association with <i>Cedrus deodara</i>, four compounds including two new ones (<b>2</b> and <b>4</b>) were isolated and characterized. The structures of two compounds (<b>1</b> and <b>4</b>) were confirmed by X-ray crystallography. The compounds displayed a range of cytotoxicities against human cancer cell lines (HCT-116, A-549, HEP-1, THP-1, and PC-3). All the compounds were found to induce apoptosis in HL-60 cells, as evidenced by fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy studies. Also, the compounds caused significant microtubule inhibition in HL-60 cells

Tubulin Inhibitors from an Endophytic Fungus Isolated from <i>Cedrus deodara</i>

From an endophytic fungus, a close relative of <i>Talaromyces</i> sp., found in association with <i>Cedrus deodara</i>, four compounds including two new ones (<b>2</b> and <b>4</b>) were isolated and characterized. The structures of two compounds (<b>1</b> and <b>4</b>) were confirmed by X-ray crystallography. The compounds displayed a range of cytotoxicities against human cancer cell lines (HCT-116, A-549, HEP-1, THP-1, and PC-3). All the compounds were found to induce apoptosis in HL-60 cells, as evidenced by fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy studies. Also, the compounds caused significant microtubule inhibition in HL-60 cells

Tubulin Inhibitors from an Endophytic Fungus Isolated from <i>Cedrus deodara</i>

From an endophytic fungus, a close relative of <i>Talaromyces</i> sp., found in association with <i>Cedrus deodara</i>, four compounds including two new ones (<b>2</b> and <b>4</b>) were isolated and characterized. The structures of two compounds (<b>1</b> and <b>4</b>) were confirmed by X-ray crystallography. The compounds displayed a range of cytotoxicities against human cancer cell lines (HCT-116, A-549, HEP-1, THP-1, and PC-3). All the compounds were found to induce apoptosis in HL-60 cells, as evidenced by fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy studies. Also, the compounds caused significant microtubule inhibition in HL-60 cells