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Frascella A, Sarrocco S, Jona Lasinio G, Pollice A, Emiliani G, Danti R, Barberini S, Della Rocca G. Characterization of Trichoderma species from forest ecosystems by high-throughput phenotypic microarray. Fungal Biol 2023; 127:1376-1383. [PMID: 37993248 DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2023.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
The use of beneficial organisms for the biocontrol of soil-borne pathogens in forestry is still poor explored. In this work, the nutritional demands of 10 previously selected isolates of Trichoderma for the biocontrol of forest soil-borne pathogens have been tested by Phenotype Microarray technology, to investigate about their C-source utilization and exploring the possibility to obtain a microbial consortia (SynCom), an innovative strategy for the biocontrol of plant disease. All Trichoderma isolates tested in this study showed a high spore germination percentage within 3 d and evidenced nutritional preference regardless of the species they belong to, and unrelated to their soil of origin. Results of growth curve analysis and MANOVA test revealed that all isolates assimilate a broad range of substrates, generally preferring complex compounds such as monosaccharides related compounds, nitrogen compounds, carboxylic acids and esters. No evidence of competition for nutritional resources have been observed among isolates of this study. As a result, a combination of different isolates could be proposed to obtain a SynCom useful for the practice of phytopathogen biocontrol in forestry. The addition of i-erythritol, adenosine and turanose to a growth substrate could be suggested as stimulating compounds for the growth of the selected Trichoderma isolates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arcangela Frascella
- Institute of BioEconomy, National Research Council, Via Madonna Del Piano, 10, Sesto Fiorentino (Florence) 50019, Italy
| | - Sabrina Sarrocco
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via Del Borghetto 80, Pisa 50124, Italy.
| | - Giovanna Jona Lasinio
- Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Rome "Sapienza", Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessio Pollice
- Department of Economics and Finance, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Largo Abbazia Santa Scolastica, Bari, Italy
| | - Giovanni Emiliani
- Institute of Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council, Via Madonna Del Piano, 10, Sesto Fiorentino (Florence) 50019, Italy
| | - Roberto Danti
- Institute of Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council, Via Madonna Del Piano, 10, Sesto Fiorentino (Florence) 50019, Italy
| | - Sara Barberini
- Institute of Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council, Via Madonna Del Piano, 10, Sesto Fiorentino (Florence) 50019, Italy
| | - Gianni Della Rocca
- Institute of Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council, Via Madonna Del Piano, 10, Sesto Fiorentino (Florence) 50019, Italy
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Breyer E, Espada-Hinojosa S, Reitbauer M, Karunarathna SC, Baltar F. Physiological Properties of Three Pelagic Fungi Isolated from the Atlantic Ocean. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:jof9040439. [PMID: 37108894 PMCID: PMC10143427 DOI: 10.3390/jof9040439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Oceanic fungi are widely understudied compared to their terrestrial counterparts. However, they have been shown to be important degraders of organic matter in the global pelagic oceans. By examining the physiological characteristics of fungi isolated from the pelagic waters of the ocean it is possible to infer specific functions of each species in the biogeochemical processes that occur in the marine ecosystem. In this study, we isolated three pelagic fungi from different stations and depths across a transect in the Atlantic Ocean. We identified two yeasts [(Scheffersomyces spartinae (Debaryomycetaceae, Saccharomycetes, Ascomycota) and Rhodotorula sphaerocarpa (Sporidiobolaceae, Microbotryomycetes, Basidiomycota)], and the hyphae-morphotype fungus Sarocladium kiliense (Hypocreales, Sordariomycetes, Ascomycota), and conducted physiological experiments to investigate their preferred carbon uptake as well as their growth patterns under different environmental conditions. Despite their taxonomic and morphological differences, all species exhibited a high tolerance towards a wide range of salinities (0–40 g/L) and temperatures (5–35 °C). Furthermore, a shared metabolic preference for oxidizing amino acids was found among all fungal isolates. Collectively, this study provides relevant information on the physiological properties of oceanic pelagic fungi, revealing a high tolerance towards salinity and temperature changes, ultimately contributing to understanding their ecology and distribution in the oceanic water column.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Breyer
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Magdalena Reitbauer
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Samantha C. Karunarathna
- Center for Yunnan Plateau Biological Resources Protection and Utilization, Yunnan Engineering Research Center of Fruit Wine, College of Biological Resource and Food Engineering, Qujing Normal University, Qujing 655011, China
| | - Federico Baltar
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
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Wang C, Zeng ZQ, Zhuang WY. Comparative molecular evolution of chitinases in ascomycota with emphasis on mycoparasitism lifestyle. Microb Genom 2021; 7. [PMID: 34516366 PMCID: PMC8715425 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Chitinases are involved in multiple aspects of fungal life cycle, such as cell wall remodelling, chitin degradation and mycoparasitism lifestyle. To improve our knowledge of the chitinase molecular evolution of Ascomycota, the gene family of 72 representatives of this phylum was identified and subjected to phylogenetic, evolution trajectory and selective pressure analyses. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the chitinase gene family size and enzyme types varied significantly, along with species evolution, especially for groups B and C. In addition, two new subgroups, C3 and C4, are recognized in group C chitinases. Random birth and death testing indicated that gene expansion and contraction occurred in most of the taxa, particularly for species in the order Hypocreales (class Sordariomycetes). From an enzyme function point of view, we speculate that group A chitinases are mainly involved in species growth and development, while the expansion of genes in group B chitinases is related to fungal mycoparasitic and entomopathogenic abilities, and, to a certain extent, the expansion of genes in group C chitinases seems to be correlated with the host range broadening of some plant-pathogenic fungi in Sordariomycetes. Further selection pressure testing revealed that chitinases and the related amino acid sites were under positive selection in the evolutionary history, especially at the nodes sharing common ancestors and the terminal branches of Hypocreales. These results give a reasonable explanation for the size and function differences of chitinase genes among ascomycetes, and provide a scientific basis for understanding the evolutionary trajectories of chitinases, particularly that towards a mycoparasitic lifestyle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China.,Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, PR China
| | - Zhao-Qing Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China
| | - Wen-Ying Zhuang
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China
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De Padua JC, dela Cruz TEE. Isolation and Characterization of Nickel-Tolerant Trichoderma Strains from Marine and Terrestrial Environments. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:jof7080591. [PMID: 34436130 PMCID: PMC8396999 DOI: 10.3390/jof7080591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Nickel contamination is a serious environmental issue that requires immediate action. In this study, 23 strains of Trichoderma were isolated from terrestrial and marine environments and identified using a polyphasic approach of morphological characterization and ITS gene sequence analysis. The Trichoderma strains were tested for their tolerance and biosorption of nickel. Our results showed the growth of all Trichoderma strains on Trichoderma Selective Medium (TSM) with 50–1200-ppm nickel, indicating their tolerance of this heavy metal even at a relatively high concentration. Six Trichoderma strains (three isolated from terrestrial substrates and three from marine substates) had the highest radial growth on TSM with 50-ppm Ni. Among these fungal isolates, Trichoderma asperellum (S03) isolated from soil exhibited the best growth after 2 days of incubation. For the biosorption of nickel, the accumulation or uptake efficiency by the six selected Trichoderma was determined in Potato Dextrose Broth (PDB) supplemented with 50-ppm Ni using a Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The percent uptake efficiency of the three strains of T. asperellum (S03, S08, and LL14) was computed to be up to 66%, while Trichoderma virens (SG18 and SF22) and Trichoderma inhamatum (MW25) achieved up to 68% uptake efficiency. Observation of the Trichoderma strains with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) before and after the absorption of nickel showed very minimal damage on the hyphal and conidial surface morphology, but changes in the colonial characteristics were observed. Our study highlighted the potential of terrestrial and marine strains of Trichoderma for the bioremediation of nickel pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jewel C. De Padua
- The Graduate School, University of Santo Tomas, España Blvd., Manila 1008, Philippines;
- Research Center for the Natural and Applied Sciences, Fungal Biodiversity, Ecogenomics and Systematics (FBeS) Group, University of Santo Tomas, España Blvd., Manila 1008, Philippines
| | - Thomas Edison E. dela Cruz
- The Graduate School, University of Santo Tomas, España Blvd., Manila 1008, Philippines;
- Research Center for the Natural and Applied Sciences, Fungal Biodiversity, Ecogenomics and Systematics (FBeS) Group, University of Santo Tomas, España Blvd., Manila 1008, Philippines
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, University of Santo Tomas, España Blvd., Manila 1008, Philippines
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +632-3406-1611 local 8297
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Cai F, Druzhinina IS. In honor of John Bissett: authoritative guidelines on molecular identification of Trichoderma. FUNGAL DIVERS 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s13225-020-00464-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
AbstractModern taxonomy has developed towards the establishment of global authoritative lists of species that assume the standardized principles of species recognition, at least in a given taxonomic group. However, in fungi, species delimitation is frequently subjective because it depends on the choice of a species concept and the criteria selected by a taxonomist. Contrary to it, identification of fungal species is expected to be accurate and precise because it should predict the properties that are required for applications or that are relevant in pathology. The industrial and plant-beneficial fungi from the genus Trichoderma (Hypocreales) offer a suitable model to address this collision between species delimitation and species identification. A few decades ago, Trichoderma diversity was limited to a few dozen species. The introduction of molecular evolutionary methods resulted in the exponential expansion of Trichoderma taxonomy, with up to 50 new species recognized per year. Here, we have reviewed the genus-wide taxonomy of Trichoderma and compiled a complete inventory of all Trichoderma species and DNA barcoding material deposited in public databases (the inventory is available at the website of the International Subcommission on Taxonomy of Trichodermawww.trichoderma.info). Among the 375 species with valid names as of July 2020, 361 (96%) have been cultivated in vitro and DNA barcoded. Thus, we have developed a protocol for molecular identification of Trichoderma that requires analysis of the three DNA barcodes (ITS, tef1, and rpb2), and it is supported by online tools that are available on www.trichokey.info. We then used all the whole-genome sequenced (WGS) Trichoderma strains that are available in public databases to provide versatile practical examples of molecular identification, reveal shortcomings, and discuss possible ambiguities. Based on the Trichoderma example, this study shows why the identification of a fungal species is an intricate and laborious task that requires a background in mycology, molecular biological skills, training in molecular evolutionary analysis, and knowledge of taxonomic literature. We provide an in-depth discussion of species concepts that are applied in Trichoderma taxonomy, and conclude that these fungi are particularly suitable for the implementation of a polyphasic approach that was first introduced in Trichoderma taxonomy by John Bissett (1948–2020), whose work inspired the current study. We also propose a regulatory and unifying role of international commissions on the taxonomy of particular fungal groups. An important outcome of this work is the demonstration of an urgent need for cooperation between Trichoderma researchers to get prepared to the efficient use of the upcoming wave of Trichoderma genomic data.
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