The diversity and taxonomy of Tomentella (Thelephoraceae, Thelephorales) with descriptions of four new species from Southwestern China

Taxonomy plays a central role in understanding the diversity of life, translating the products of biological exploration and discovery specimens and observations into systems of names that settle a "classification home" to taxa. Up to this point, studies on the taxonomy and phylogeny of the basidiomycetous genus Tomentella stemmed mainly from the temperate to boreal zones of the North Hemisphere, but were scarce in tropical Asia. In this study, four new species, viz. Tomentellaolivaceobasidiosa, T.velutina, T.wumenshanensis and T.yunnanensis from China, are described and illustrated based on the morphological characteristics and molecular phylogenetic analyses, in which the sequences of ITS+nLSU+mtSSU+RPB2 genes were used for the phylogenetic analyses using Maximum Likelihood, Maximum Parsimony and Bayesian Inference methods. All the new species can be well recognised by their macroscopical and anatomical characteristics. The four new species, closely related taxa in the phylogenetic tree and morphologically similar species are discussed.

Four New Species and One New Record of Thelephora from China

Species of the genus Thelephora (Thelephorales, Thelephoraceae) are ectomycorrhizal symbionts of coniferous and broad-leaved plants, and some of them are well-known edible mushrooms, making it an exceptionally important group ecologically and economically. However, the diversity of the species from China has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we conducted a phylogenetic analysis based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian analyses, along with morphological observations of this genus. Four new species from China are proposed, viz., T. dactyliophora, T. lacunosa, T. petaloides, and T. pinnatifida. In addition, T. sikkimensis originally described from India is reported for the first time from China. Thelephora dactyliophora, T. pinnatifida, and T. sikkimensis are distributed in subtropical forests and mainly associated with plants of the families Fagaceae and Pinaceae. Thelephora lacunosa and T. petaloides are distributed in tropical to subtropical forests. Thelephora lacunosa is mainly associated with plants of the families Fagaceae and Pinaceae, while T. petaloides is mainly associated with plants of the family Fagaceae. Line drawings of microstructures, color pictures of fresh basidiomes, and detailed descriptions of these five species are provided.

Molecular phylogeny and morphology reveal four new species of Thelephora (Thelephorales, Basidiomycota) from subtropical China, closely related to T. ganbajun

The genus of Thelephora is a group of cosmopolitan ectomycorrhizal fungi with basidiocarps of morphological diversity that has an extremely scarce species reported from the forest ecosystem in China. In this study, phylogenetic analyses of Thelephora species from subtropical China were carried out based on multiple loci including the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, the large subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (nLSU), and the small subunit of mitochondrial rRNA gene (mtSSU). Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses were used to construct the phylogenetic tree. The phylogenetic positions of four new species, Th. aquila, Th. glaucoflora, Th. nebula, and Th. pseudoganbajun, were revealed based on morphological and molecular evidence. Molecular analyses demonstrated that the four new species were closely related to Th. ganbajun and formed a clade with robust support in the phylogenetic tree. Regarding morphology, they share some common morphological characteristics, including flabelliform to imbricate pilei, generative hyphae more or less covered by crystals, and subglobose to irregularly lobed basidiospores (5–8 × 4–7 μm) with tuberculate ornamentation. These new species are described and illustrated and are compared to similar morphological or phylogenetically related species. A key to the new and allied species from China is provided.

Anti-inflammatory and anticancer p-terphenyl derivatives from fungi of the genus Thelephora

Fungi from the genus Thelephora have been exploited to identify bioactive compounds. The main natural products characterized are para-terphenyl derivatives, chiefly represented by the lead anti-inflammatory compound vialinin A isolated from species T. vialis and T. terrestris. Different series of p-terphenyls have been identified, including vialinins, ganbajunins, terrestrins, telephantins and other products. Their mechanism of action is not always clearly identified, and different potential molecule targets have been proposed. The lead vialinin A functions as a protease inhibitor, efficiently targeting ubiquitin-specific peptidases USP4/5 and sentrin-specific protease SENP1 which are prominent anti-inflammatory and anticancer targets. Protease inhibition is coupled with a powerful inhibition of the cellular production of tumor necrosis factor TNFα. Other mechanisms contributing to the anti-inflammatory or anti-proliferative action of these p-terphenyl compounds have been invoked, including the formation of cytotoxic copper complexes for derivatives bearing a catechol central unit such vialinin A, terrestrin B and telephantin O. These p-terphenyl compounds could be further exploited to design novel anticancer agents, as evidenced with the parent compound terphenyllin (essentially found in Aspergillus species) which has revealed marked antitumor and anti-metastatic effects in xenograft models of gastric and pancreatic cancer. This review shed light on the structural and functional diversity of p-terphenyls compounds isolated from Thelephora species, their molecular targets and pharmacological properties.

Three New Species of Absidia (Mucoromycota) from China Based on Phylogeny, Morphology and Physiology

Species of Absidia are distributed widely in the environment, while their diversity is insufficiently studied. Three new species, A. frigida, A. gemella and A. longissima, are proposed herein from Xinjiang and Yunnan in China based on phylogenetic, morphological and physiological evidence. According to maximum likelihood (ML), maximum parsimony (MP) and Bayesian inference (BI) analyses, the phylogenetical results suggest that A. frigida, A. gemella and A. longissima are closely related to A. psychrophilia, A. turgida and A. zonata and A. koreana, respectively, based on ITS and LSU rDNA sequences. Absidia frigida is characterized by a lower growth temperature, which does not grow above 24 °C. It differs from A. psychrophilia by sporangiophores, sporangia, columellae, collars and projections. Absidia gemella is distinguished from A. turgida by hypha, sporangiospores, sporangia, projections and sporangiophores. Absidia longissima is discriminated from A. zonata and A. koreana by sporangiophores, columellae and collars. The three new species are described and illustrated in this article.