Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder characterized by specific clinical manifestations of eczema, accompanied by intense pruritus and scratching, which can lead to the disruption of the skin barrier and subsequently induce microbial infections. Lack of understanding diversity of fungal infections and incomplete comprehension of the clinical manifestations of fungal infections during the occurrence and progression of AD as well as improper drug treatments may lead to misdiagnosis and incorrect therapeutic approaches. This article systematically summarizes the types of pathogens causing skin fungal infections in AD patients, including common fungi such as Malassezia, Trichophyton and Candida and rare fungi such as Pseudallescheria and Xanthothecium, aiming to comprehensively understand the impact of fungal infections of the skin and its structures on the occurrence, development and prognosis of AD.
Bamboos are an important forest resource in China because of their significant economic and ecological values. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play an important role in bamboo growth and development. However, research on AMF communities associated with bamboo roots is extremely limited. This study was conducted in accordance with the data of National Bamboo and Flower Germplasm Collection, and focused on 24 bamboo species of eight genera in China, including Phyllostachys edulis and Ph. glauca. The Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing platform was used to explore the effects of bamboo species identity and soil chemical properties on the species diversity and community composition of AMF. The relationship between structural heterogeneity of AMF community composition and genetic distance of bamboos was also analyzed. Additionally, a network analysis was performed to investigate the bipartite network structure characteristics of bamboo-AMF interactions. A total of 1 805 725 sequences of all the samples was detected, resulting in the acquirement of 473 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) that were categorized in nine genera of which Glomus was dominant, and Scutellospora, Acaulospora and Gigaspora were common. In the sample plot, bamboos’ identity had a significant individual effect on the differences in diversity indices (AMF Shannon-Weiner index and ASV richness) and the AMF community structure associated with the roots of different bamboo species. Bamboos’ identity explained 22.28% of the total variation in diversity indices, 20.06% of the total variation in the community structure at the ASV level, and 27.40% of the total variation in the community structure at the genus level. Six soil factors, including pH, did not contribute significantly to the differences in the root AMF community diversity and structure among bamboo species in the studied area. The genetic distance between different bamboo species was significantly positively correlated with the mean value of Hellinger distance of the root AMF community structure, indicating that more closely related bamboo species had more similar root AMF community structure. Structural features of bamboo-AMF interaction network cannot be predicted by null models of assuming species random interaction. The structure of this bipartite network was characterized by low level of nestedness (25.07), low level of connectance (0.17), low-to-medium level of specialization (0.35), and low-to-medium level of modularity (0.36), suggesting that there was a highly intense competition for resources among bamboo root-related AMF and that the interaction networks are relatively unstable.
Pine pitch canker, caused by Fusarium circinatum, is one of the most important diseases of Pinus species. In order to reduce the risks associated with the potential introduction and subsequent epidemic of this quarantine pathogen under climate change, the optimized Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) model was used to predict the potential geographic distribution of F. circinatum in China, and the centroid movement track was also analyzed. The results revealed that the key environmental factors affecting the distribution of F. circinatum were mean diurnal temperature range, isothermality, temperature seasonality, mean temperature of coldest quarter, and annual precipitation. Under current climate conditions, the suitable distribution area of F. circinatum in China was approximately 3.09×106 square kilometers, constituting 32.23% of the nation's land area. The suitable distribution area was primarily situated in the central, eastern, and southern regions of the country, within subtropical climate zones. Under future climate scenarios, specifically the low-forcing Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 126 (SSP126) and the high-forcing SSP585, the suitable area for the pathogen in China is expected to be expanded, with the geographic centroid of the suitable habitat shifting northward.
The exploration of expression and changes of sclerosphere soil proteome of Polyporus umbellatus during symbiosis with Armillaria gallica was conducted in Liuba County, Shaanxi Province. Four experimental groups were set up including blank control group (CK), non-symbiotic A. gallica group (CKA), non-symbiotic sclerotigenic P. umbellatus group (CKP) and experimental A. gallica and P. umbellatus simbiotic group (TP+A). Proteomics analysis was carried out and high resolution mass spectrometry was applied to identify proteins from these groups. The results showed that the interaction between P. umbellatus and A. gallica could change the protein expression profile of each other in the sclerosphere. The informatics analysis indicated that the released protein of non-symbiotic A. gallica played catalytic and transferase activities, and participated in the phosphatidylinositol signaling system, GABA signal and other metabolic pathways; thioredoxin-like protein was specifically expressed by symbiotic A. gallica to exert antioxidant and effector activities. P. umbellatus sclerotium is not a complete resting structure, and can release enzymes involved in the metabolism of amino acids, taurine, phosphonate, etc. SNARE interactions in vesicular transport may play an important role in regulating the exchange and transport of substances between sclerotia and sclerosphere. After infection of A. gallica, sclerotia may adapt to symbiotic relationship through activated mechanosensitive ion channel and calcium signal transduction. This study provides valuable references for further research on mutualistic mechanisms of symbiosis between P. umbellatus and Armillaria sp.
Colletotrichum fructicola is the principal pathogen responsible for anthracnose in Camellia oleifera. Investigating histone lysine methyltransferase CfDot1 in C. fructicola lays the groundwork for understanding its role in pathogenicity. Based on reverse genetics principles, knockout and complement plasmids were constructed by using over-lap PCR method. The mutant strain ΔCfdot1 and the complement strain ΔCfdot1/CfDOT1 were generated through genetic transformation, antibiotics screening and PCR amplification validation. Subsequent analysis revealed the nuclear localization of CfDot1. Biological phenotype determination indicates that the growth rate of the CfDOT1 gene knockout mutant does not exhibit significant difference in comparison with the wild-type and complement strains. However, there was a notable decrease in appressorium formation rate, as well as hypersensitivity to cell wall, H2O2, and endoplasmic reticulum stress agents, and therefore weakening pathogenicity. The histone methyltransferase CfDot1 plays a crucial role in regulation of spore production, appressorium formation, response to external stressors, and pathogenicity.
Glutamine synthetase is the key enzyme of nitrogen assimilation and plays a critical role in nitrogen metabolism. In this study, the glutamine synthetase coding gene PoGlnA belonging to the GlnA family was cloned from Pleurotus ostreatus. The PoGlnA protein was heterologously expressed and purified and the glutamine synthetase activity was determined. The results showed that the CDS sequence of PoGlnA gene was 1 446 bp, coding 481 aa. The molecular weight of PoGlnA protein was 53 kDa, possessing the glutamine synthetase activity. The phylogenetic relationship between PoGlnA protein and other reported glutamine synthetase proteins was analyzed. The result showed that there was a relatively close relationship between PoGlnA and GlnA protein from bacteria, but the relationships between PoGlnA protein and the reported glutamine synthetase protein from edible fungi were distant. The responses of PoGlnA gene to nitrogen starvation and different nitrogen sources were analyzed at the transcriptional and the translational level. The results showed that nitrogen starvation, and Asp, Asn, Leu, Glu treatment could promote PoGlnA gene expression, while ammonium and Gln treatment had no significant influence on the expression, but nitrate treatment inhibited the expression. In addition, the peptide containing dominant epitopes of PoGlnA was obtained by antigen epitope analysis, and the specific anti-PoGlnA PcAb was furtherly prepared, laying a foundation for elucidating the physiological function of PoGlnA gene.
The development characteristics at different growth stages of fruiting bodies of Gerronema lapidescens (Chinese medicine name: Leiwan) were observed under different cultivation substrates, light intensities and planting seasons to determine the optimal conditions for domestication and cultivation of the fungus. The observation showed that in the process of fruiting body formation, the mycelium initially interweaved into a rice-like primordium, and then the primordium elongated and thickened to form a white columnar fruiting body. Subsequently, the central part of the tip of the column expanded and differentiated into a hemispherical black cap. With the cap colour lightened and cap volume increased, basidiospores were produced and a mature fruiting body formed. In the process of sclerotium formation, mycelium first aggregated and twisted into bundle to form rhizomorph, and the end of the rhizomorph sprouted white mycelial cluster with a relatively loose structure. With the density of the mycelial cluster increased, the volume expanded and the epidermal colour changed from light to dark, and finally the mycelial cluster gradually formed a mature sclerotium and detached itself from the rhizomorph. The cultivation experiment showed that the culture medium containing wood chips (87.7%), cornmeal (5.0%), wheat bran (5.0%), soybean meal (1.0%), gypsum (1.0%), MgSO4 (0.1%), and KH2PO4 (0.2%) resulted in the fastest mycelial daily growth rate and the most vigorous growth, suggesting that it is the optimal cultivation formula. The higher environmental temperature in August was the optimal time for artificially inducing the formation of fruiting bodies. The morphology of the fruiting bodies approached the wild state under light intensity of 700 lx.
The polypore Ischnoderma resinosum is both medicinal and edible, having potential to be developed as health foods. The biological characteristics and antioxidant activities of a I. resinosum strain collected from Changbai Mts., Jilin Province were studied. The ideal conditions for the mycelial growth of I. resinosum, including optimal carbon and nitrogen sources, inorganic salts, pH, and temperature, were systematically tested through single-factor and orthogonal experiments as well as Box-Behnken design under solid-state cultivation. Some indexes for its antioxidant activities were measured by spectrophotometry during liquid cultivation. Single-factor experiment results indicated that sucrose, malt extract, and KH2PO4 were the most favorable carbon source, nitrogen source, and inorganic salt, respectively, for the mycelial growth, particularly at pH 6.0 and temperature of 25 ℃. Further orthogonal test displayed that the impact extent on the mycelial growth rate were ranked as nitrogen source > carbon source > pH > inorganic salt. The levels of the main factors that affect the mycelial growth rate were authenticated by the Box-Behnken design. I. resinosum could produce substantial quantities of polysaccharides, polyphenols, and ascorbic acids as well as possessed superoxide dismutase activities and the abilities to scavenge hydroxyl radicals, as observation under liquid culture. The optimal medium for mycelial growth were sucrose 20.0 g/L, malt extract 13.0 g/L, and KH2PO4 0.7 g/L. Under pH 5.0 and 25 ℃, the mycelial growth rate was (12.07±0.11) mm/d. I. resinosum antioxidant activity was confirmed by determination of several indexes in the liquid cultivation.
Polysaccharide named as GL-P extracted from fruiting body of Ganoderma lingzhi GL0102 cultivated on bagasse was extracted by microwave-ultrasound and deproteinized by Sevag method and finally obtained through dialysis. The physicochemical characteristics and antioxidant activity of GL-P were analyzed, and its effect on angiogenesis of zebrafish peritoneal vein was evaluated. The results showed that the yield of GL-P was (22.51±1.29) g/kg. The polysaccharide content was (65.41±2.08)%, the protein content was (31.46±0.34)%, and the molecular weight was 1.27×104 g/mol. The monosaccharide composition was mainly xylose, arabinose, mannose, glucose and galactose, of which xylose and arabinose accounted for more than a half. The infrared spectrum analysis showed that GL-P was a polysaccharide-protein complex with β-glucan configuration. In vitro antioxidant activity evaluation showed that GL-P had antioxidant activity, and the antioxidant effect of 2 mg/mL GL-P was equivalent to that of 0.06-0.08 mg/mL VC. The safe concentration range of GL-P for zebrafish embryos should be less than 4.0 mg/mL, and GL-P can significantly inhibit the subintestinal veins of zebrafish embryos. This study provides reference for the development of G. lingzhi polysaccharide as a new high-efficiency and low-toxicity potential anti-tumor product.
The ethanol extract (SLEE), crude polysaccharide (SLCP) and total protein (SLTP) of Sparassis latifolia were prepared and their main constituent content was analyzed. The effects of SLEE, SLCP and SLTP on the growth of three different human gastrointestinal cancer (GI) cell lines, viz. HepG2, MGC-803 and HT-29 cells, were detected by using MTT assay. Response surface methodology was employed to optimize the preparation process of SLTP, and the inhibitory effects of different doses (12.5, 25, 50, 100 and 200 μg/mL) of different protein successively precipitated by increasing saturation ammonium sulfate on the growth of HT-29 cells were determined. The results indicated that extraction rate of SLEE was (22.75±0.27)%, with total triterpene content of (11.40±0.20)%; SLCP extraction rate was (7.29±0.23)%, with total sugar content of (59.66±0.80)%; SLTP extraction rate was (8.80±0.57)%, with total protein content of (44.59±0.43)%. SLTP possessed the strongest inhibitory effect on the growth of the GI cancer cell lines, with the IC50 values (24 h) of 44.18, 34.27 and 28.93 μg/mL against HepG2, MGC-803 and HT-29 cells, respectively. The optimal extraction process of SLTP was as follows: the concentration of sodium chloride was 0.15 mol/L, the ratio of solid to liquid was 1:26, and the extraction time was 13 h. Under the optimized conditions, the average yield of SLTP was (11.03±0.07)%. Protein precipitated by 30%-50% saturation ammonium sulfate (SLSP-50) exhibited the most significant inhibitory activity on the growth of HT-29 cells, with the IC50 value (24 h) of 18.84 μg/mL. The protein of Sparassis latifolia possessed significant inhibitory property on the growth of GI cancer cells in vitro, being one of the main effective ingredients responsible for the anticancer effect.
Yield-increasing effects of domestic supplements (N0) and imported supplements (MC) on the production of Agaricus bisporus were compared. The analysis was focused on appearance quality, nutritional composition, and physiological changes of postharvest fruiting bodies. The yield of the first and second flushes of fruiting increased by 39.19% and 27.24%, respectively, after using N0 compared with that of untreated control (CK). The total yield of fruiting bodies increased by 35.45% as compared with that of CK, and by 8.60% as compared with that of using MC. The impact of supplements on the nutritional composition of the fruiting bodies was primarily reflected in increased protein, glucose, and Vitamin C content in the second flush of fruiting. Compared to CK, N0 treatment increased these components by 53.83%, 82.43% and 16.75%, and MC treatment increased by 49.21%, 74.31% and 12.92%, respectively. As for postharvest preservation and storage, N0 treatment was advantageous, particularly for fruiting bodies of the first flush, showing lower respiration intensity and weight loss, and the MDA (malondialdehyde) content was similar to that of CK. After 8 days of storage, the whiteness L* value of fruiting bodies under N0 treatment was higher than that under CK and MC treatments, showing good commercial characteristics. MC treatment showed more rapid aging, highest respiration intensity, lowest hardness, and highest PPO (polyphenol oxidase) activity as compared with that of N0 treatment on the 6th day after harvest, while MDA content increased by 42.90% and 64.15% as compared with that of N0 treatment and CK, respectively. The domestic supplements N0 outperformed the imported supplements (MC) in enhancing A. bisporus yield, nutritional quality, and reducing aging during postharvest storage.
Three-dimensional phenotypic structural information plays an important role in monitoring the growth process and precise breeding of Ganoderma lingzhi. In order to rapidly, non-destructively, and accurately obtain phenotypic information, a method was proposed for extracting three-dimensional phenotypic parameters of fruiting bodies of G. lingzhi based on multi-view three-dimensional reconstruction. A mesh model of the fruiting body was obtained by using smartphone. The mesh model was converted into a point cloud model and underwent size calibration. Point cloud slicing along the Z-axis was performed to extract the parts of fruiting body and color-based region segmentation algorithm was used to extract rough pore surface parts. The DBSCAN (density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise) algorithm and nearest neighbor assignment algorithm were used to segment fine pileus, pore surface, and stipe components. Finally, phenotypic parameters of pileus thickness, pileus transverse axis, stipe length, fruiting body volume, pileus color, pore surface color, pileus projection area, etc. were extracted from different components. Results showed that compared with the true values, the root mean squared errors (RMSEs) of pileus thickness, pileus transverse axis, stipe length, and fruiting body volume calculated by using this method were 1.10 mm, 4.55 mm, 1.53 mm, and 0.038 L, respectively, and the determination coefficients (R2) were 0.995, 0.972, 0.986, and 0.981, respectively. The proposed method can accurately extract three-dimensional phenotypic structural information of fruiting bodies of G. lingzhi, and is expected to be applied to other edible and medicinal fungal fruiting bodies.
