Antiproliferative activity and apoptosis‑inducing effects of Trametes polyzona polysaccharides against human breast cancer cells

Fungal polysaccharides have garnered interest due to their biological activities in terms of anticancer properties and antioxidant activity. The present study aimed to evaluate the anticancer properties and antioxidant activity of a newly isolated white-rot fungus, Trametes polyzona CU07 from Thailand. Crude T. polyzona polysaccharides (CTPPs) were extracted from mycelia using hot water. The chemical properties, including total carbohydrates, molecular weight and protein content, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis, were then investigated. The antioxidant activity was determined against the radicals 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS). The anticancer properties were evaluated in MCF-7 breast cancer (BC) cells, whereas the 293 cell line was used as a control. The inhibitory effects of CTPPs on viability were determined by MTT assay, followed by BrdU incorporation assay to assess cell proliferation. The induction of apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry. CTPPs were considered polysaccharide-protein conjugates, which had molecular weights in the range of 0.3-22,528 kDa. They contained ~50 and 37% carbohydrate and protein, respectively, with glucose as the main monosaccharide component. Notably, CTPPs had high antioxidant activity against ABTS, and had a significant inhibitory effect on the MCF-7 cell line with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration value of 0.58 mg/ml. However, they exhibited little effect on the 293 cell line. The BrdU incorporation assay demonstrated that CTPPs inhibited proliferation by ~20% compared with that in untreated cells. CTPPs also induced early- and late-stage apoptosis of MCF-7 cells. These results indicated that the CTPPs may exhibit potential antiproliferative and antioxidant activity, and apoptosis-inducing effects against human BC cells.

Comparative Analysis of Anticancer and Antibacterial Activities among Seven Trametes Species

Species in the genus Trametes (Basidiomycota, Polyporales) have been used in natural medicine for a long time. Many studies reported that mycelia or fruiting bodies of Trametes spp. exhibited effects of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antimicrobial activities. However, comparative analysis in this genus is scarce due to limitation of morphological identification and the sample number. In this study, the 19 strains of seven Trametes species were chosen to generate a five-gene-based phylogeny with the 31 global references. In addition, 39 culture extracts were prepared for 13 strains to test for anticancer and antibacterial activities. Strong anticancer activities were found in several extracts from T. hirsuta and T. suaveolens. Anticancer activities of T. suaveolens, T. cf. junipericola and T. trogii were first described here. The antibacterial ability of T. versicolor and T. hirsuta extracts has been confirmed. The antibacterial activities of T. suaveolens have been reported at the first time in this study. These results suggest an efficient application of the genus Trametes as the drug resources especially for anticancer agents.

Fungal interactions induce changes in hyphal morphology and enzyme production

In nature, species interacts/competes with one other within their surrounding for food and space and the type of interactions are unique to each species. The interacting partners secrete different metabolites, which may have high importance in human welfare. Fungal-fungal interactions are complex mechanisms that need better understanding. Here, 14 fungal isolates were facilitated in 105 possible combinations to interact on potato dextrose agar. Morphologically, no changes were observed when the same fungal isolates were allowed to interact within them. However, 10 interactions between different fungal isolates showed mutual replacement with each fungus; capturing territory from the other. Contrastingly, 35 interactions resulted into complete replacement as one of the fungi was inhibited by rapid growth of the other fungus. In 46 interactions, formation of barrage was observed leading to deadlock type of interaction wherein both fungi have restricted growth. To study in details about the barrage formation, two fungal interactions were taken (i) T. coccinea vs. L. lactinea and (ii) T. coccinea vs. T. versicolor. Microscopic changes in the hyphal growth during interaction were observed. There was significant increase in the enzymatic activities including cellulase, xylanase and chitinase during in-vitro fungal-fungal interaction, suggesting the importance of such interactions for commercial enzyme production.

Enzyme Activities of Five White-Rot Fungi in the Presence of Nanocellulose

White-rot fungi can degrade all lignocellulose components due to their potent lignin and cellulose-degrading enzymes. In this study, five white-rot fungi, Trametes versicolor, Trametes pubescens, Ganoderma adspersum, Ganoderma lipsiense, and Rigidoporus vitreus were tested for endoglucanase, laccase, urease, and glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) production when grown with malt extract and nanocellulose in the form of TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical) oxidized cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC). Results show that temperature plays a key role in controlling the growth of all five fungi when cultured with malt extract alone. Endoglucanase activities were highest in cultures of G. adspersum and G. lipsiense and laccase activities were highest in cultures of T. versicolor and R. vitreus. Urease activities were highest in cultures of G. adspersum, G. lipsiense, and R. vitreus. Glucose-6-phosphate levels also indicate that cells were actively metabolizing glucose present in the cultures. These results show that TEMPO-oxidized CNF and CNC do not inhibit the production of specific lignocellulose enzymes by these white-rot fungi. The apparent lack of enzymatic inhibition makes TEMPO-oxidized CNF and CNC excellent candidates for future biotechnological applications in combination with the white-rot fungi studied here.

Emerging mould infections: Get prepared to meet unexpected fungi in your patient

Invasive fungal diseases are increasing issues in modern medicine, where the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pandemic and the wider use of immunosuppressive drugs generate an ever-growing number of immunocompromised patients with an increased susceptibility to uncommon fungal pathogens. In the past decade, new species have been reported as being responsible for disseminated and invasive fungal diseases in humans. Among them, the following genera are rare but seem emerging issues: Scopulariopsis, Hormographiella, Emergomyces, Westerdykella, Trametes, Actinomucor, Saksenaea, Apophysomyces, and Rhytidhysteron. Delay in diagnosis, which is often the case in these infections, jeopardizes patients' prognosis and leads to increased mortality. Here we summarize the clinical and biological presentation and the key features to identify these emerging pathogens and we discuss the available antifungal classes to treat them. We focused on Pubmed to recover extensively reported human invasive cases and articles regarding the nine previously cited fungal organisms. Information concerning patient background, macroscopic and microscopic description and pictures of these fungal organisms, histological features in tissues, findings with commonly used antigen tests in practice, and hints on potential efficient antifungal classes were gathered. This review's purpose is to help clinical microbiologists and physicians to suspect, identify, diagnose, and treat newly encountered fungi in hospital settings.

Trametes versicolor (Synn. Coriolus versicolor) Polysaccharides in Cancer Therapy: Targets and Efficacy

Coriolus versicolor (L.) Quél. is a higher fungi or mushroom which is now known by its accepted scientific name as Trametes versicolor (L.) Lloyd (family Polyporaceae). The polysaccharides, primarily two commercial products from China and Japan as PSP and PSK, respectively, have been claimed to serve as adjuvant therapy for cancer. In this paper, research advances in this field, including direct cytotoxicity in cancer cells and immunostimulatory effects, are scrutinised at three levels: in vitro, in vivo and clinical outcomes. The level of activity in the various cancers, key targets (both in cancer and immune cells) and pharmacological efficacies are discussed.

Comparative Genomics Uncovers the Genetic Diversity and Synthetic Biology of Secondary Metabolite Production of Trametes

The carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) genes of Trametes contribute to polysaccharide degradation. However, the comprehensive analysis of the composition of CAZymes and the biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) of Trametes remain unclear. Here, we conducted comparative analysis, detected the CAZyme genes, and predicted the BGCs for nine Trametes strains. Among the 82,053 homologous clusters obtained for Trametes, we identified 8518 core genes, 60,441 accessory genes, and 13,094 specific genes. A large proportion of CAZyme genes were cataloged into glycoside hydrolases, glycosyltransferases, and carbohydrate esterases. The predicted BGCs of Trametes were divided into six strategies, and the nine Trametes strains harbored 47.78 BGCs on average. Our study revealed that Trametes exhibits an open pan-genome structure. These findings provide insights into the genetic diversity and explored the synthetic biology of secondary metabolite production for Trametes.

Historical and current perspectives on therapeutic potential of higher basidiomycetes: an overview

Mushrooms are macroscopic fungi which can be either epigeous or hypogeous and is estimated to be 140,000 on earth, yet only 10% are known. Since ancient time, it played a diverse role in human history for mycolatry, mycophagy and as medicine in folklore and religion. Many Asian and western countries consider mushrooms as panacea for a large number of diseases and utilized for consumption as a gourmet food for its taste as well as flavor. In recent years, scientific research fraternities have confirmed that various extracts and metabolites of mushrooms used traditionally are able to treat a wide range of diseases due to their balanced modulation of multiple targets thereby providing a greater therapeutic effect or equivalent curative effect to that of modern medicine. Medicinal mushrooms especially those belonging to higher basidiomycete groups are reservoir of bioactive compounds with multiple therapeutic properties. The present review provides historical importance as well as an updated information on pharmacologically relevant higher basidiomycetes belong to the genus Agaricus, Auricularia, Phellinus, Ganoderma, Pleurotus, Trametes and Lentinus and their biologically active secondary metabolites. This will help the researchers to understand various type of secondary metabolites, their therapeutic role and related in vivo or in vitro work at a glance. The mounting evidences from several scientific community across the globe, regarding various therapeutic applications of mushroom extracts, unarguably make it an advance research area worth mass attention.

Potential of ligninolytic enzymatic complex produced by white-rot fungi from genus Trametes isolated from Bulgarian forest soil

Because of the crucial role of ligninolytic enzymes in a variety of industrial processes, the demand for a new effective producer has been constantly increasing. Furthermore, information on enzyme synthesis by autochthonous fungal strains is very seldom found. Two fungal strains producing ligninolytic enzymes were isolated from Bulgarian forest soil. They were identified as being Trametes trogii and T. hirsuta. These two strains were assessed for their enzyme activities, laccase (Lac), lignin peroxidase (LiP) and Mn-dependent peroxidase (MnP) in culture filtrate depending on the temperature and the type of nutrient medium. T. trogii was selected as the better producer of ligninolytic enzymes. The production process was further improved by optimizing a number of parameters such as incubation time, type of cultivation, volume ratio of medium/air, inoculum size and the addition of inducers. The maximum activities of enzymes synthesized by T. trogii was detected as 11100 U/L for Lac, 2.5 U/L for LiP and 4.5 U/L for MnP after 14 days of incubation at 25°C under static conditions, volume ratio of medium/air 1:6, and 3 plugs as inoculum. Among the supplements tested, 5% glycerol increased Lac activity to a significant extent. The addition of 1% veratryl alcohol had a positive effect on MnP.

Biochemical and mutational analyses of a Trametes pyranose oxidase and comparison of its mutants in breadmaking

Pyranose oxidase (POx) is a homotetrameric flavoprotein that catalyzes the oxidation of pyranose-configured sugars at position C-2 to corresponding 2-ketoaldoses. The wide substrate specificity makes POx potential for application in various biotechnological industries. In the present study we reported the gene cloning and heterologous expression of a POx from the basidiomycete Trametes sp. and functionally expressed the gene in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). Based on sequence alignment, three residues were chosen for site-directed mutagenesis to obtain two single mutants (K312E and E539K) and two double mutants (T166A/E539K and K312E/E539K). In comparison to the wild-type, K312E shifted its optimal pH to 5.5 while the optimal temperature of E539K and K312E/E539K increased by 10 °C. The mutants retained more activities over broader pH ranges and higher temperatures and catalyzed d-glucose at higher efficiency (5800‒12,667 M⁻¹ s⁻¹ for the mutants versus 5083 M⁻¹ s⁻¹ for the wild-type). The recombinant POx and its mutants were all useful in gluten agglomeration and enlarging the loaf volume, which depends on the amounts of enzymes added. Interestingly, adding the same amount (0.5 nkat/g of flour) of wild-type and mutant enzymes differed in the change of loaf volumes, pinpointing that the catalytic activity is not the sole determinant in applying POx in breadmaking.

Characterization of ligninolytic enzyme production in white-rot wild fungal strains suitable for kraft pulp bleaching

Fungal strains identified by phylogenetic analysis of the ITS rDNA region as Trametes versicolor (CMU-TA01), Irpex lacteus (CMU-84/13), and Phlebiopsis sp. (CMU-47/13) are able to grow on and bleach kraft pulp (KP) in a simple solid-state fermentation (SSF) assay conducted in Petri dishes. Kappa number reductions obtained with Phlebiopsis sp. (48.3%), T. versicolor (43%), and I. lacteus (39.3%), evidence their capability for lignin breakdown. Scanning electron microscopy images of KP fibers from SSF assays demonstrated increased roughness and striation, evidencing significant cell wall modification. T. versicolor produces laccase (Lac), manganese peroxidase (MnP), and lignin peroxidase (LiP) in potato dextrose broth (PDB), PDB + CuSO₄, and PDB + KP, whereas Phlebiopsis sp. and I. lacteus showed no Lac and low LiP activities in all media. Compared to PDB, the highest increase in Lac (7.25-fold) and MnP (2.37-fold) activities in PDB + CuSO₄ occur in T. versicolor; for LiP, the greatest changes (6.95-fold) were observed in I. lacteus. Incubation in PDB + KP shows significant increases in Lac and MnP for T. versicolor, MnP and LiP for Phlebiopsis sp., and none for I. lacteus. SSF assays in Petri plates are a valuable tool to select fungi that are able to delignify KP. Here, delignification by Phlebiopsis sp. of this substrate is reported for the first time, and MnP activity was strongly associated with the delignification ability of the studied strains. The obtained results suggest that the studied fungal strains have biotechnological potential for use in the paper industry.

Trametes polyzona, an emerging filamentous basidiomycete in Réunion Island

We describe two serious Trametes polyzona pulmonary infections, which occurred in Réunion Island, in critically ill patients. The identification was performed using sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA and D1/D2 region of 28S rDNA. In one case, the significance of T. polyzona in the pathological process was certain, proven by histopathological evidence of fungal lung infection. T. polyzona, an emerging filamentous basidiomycete, prevalent in tropical areas, has not been described so far in human infections.

Preliminary studies of new strains of Trametes sp. from Argentina for laccase production ability

Oxidative enzymes secreted by white rot fungi can be applied in several technological processes within the paper industry, biofuel production and bioremediation. The discovery of native strains from the biodiverse Misiones (Argentina) forest can provide useful enzymes for biotechnological purposes. In this work, we evaluated the laccase and manganese peroxidase secretion abilities of four newly discovered strains of Trametes sp. that are native to Misiones. In addition, the copper response and optimal pH and temperature for laccase activity in culture supernatants were determined. The selected strains produced variable amounts of laccase and MnP; when Cu(2+) was added, both enzymes were significantly increased. Zymograms showed that two isoenzymes were increased in all strains in the presence of Cu(2+). Strain B showed the greatest response to Cu(2+) addition, whereas strain A was more stable at the optimal temperature and pH. Strain A showed interesting potential for future biotechnological approaches due to the superior thermo-stability of its secreted enzymes.

Trametes meyenii possesses elevated dye degradation abilities under normal nutritional conditions compared to other white rot fungi

Several species of white-rot fungi were investigated for their utility in prolonged decolouration of the recalcitrant sulfonated azo dye, amaranth. Trametes pubescens, T. multicolor, T. meyenii and T. versicolor decoloured amaranth azo-dye best on low-nitrogen agar-solidified media whereas Bjerkandera adusta and Phlebia radiata were most effective in low nitrogen medium supplemented with manganese. Trametes cotonea did not decolour effectively under any condition. The decolouring Trametes species were also effective in liquid culture whereas B. adusta and P. radiata were not. Trametes meyenii, T. pubescens and T. multicolor were equal to or better than commonly employed T. versicolor at decolouring amaranth. This is the first study to show the dye decolouration potential of T. meyenii, T. pubescens, and T. multicolor. Supplementing with Mn(II) increased assayable manganese peroxidase activity, but not long-term decolouration, indicating that laccase is the main decolourizing enzyme in these Trametes species. This appears to be because of inadequate Mn(3+) chelation required by manganese peroxidase because adding relatively low amounts of malonate enhanced decolouration rates. The ability of Trametes meyenii to simultaneously decolour dye over prolonged periods of time while growing in relatively nutrient-rich medium appears to be unique amongst white-rot fungi, indicating its potential in wastewater bioremediation.