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Life
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Fungal Secondary Metabolism: Regulation and Function
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Fungal Secondary Metabolism: Regulation and Function

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (24 March 2023) | Viewed by 10572

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Ang Ren

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Guest Editor
1. Key Laboratory of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
2. Sanya Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University, Sanya 572025, China
3. Institute of Biology, Guizhou Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550009, China
Interests: medicinal fungus; secondary metabolism; gene function; metabolic regulation; regulatory protein
Dr. Shenshen Zou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China
Interests: pathogenic fungi; secondary metabolism; metabolic regulation; virulence; organelles; gene function
Dr. Yumeng Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
Interests: filamentous fungus; secondary metabolism; transcriptional regulation; biosynthetic gene clusters; biological activity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Various fungi are widely distributed in nature. These fungi synthesize a wide variety of low-molecular-mass compounds known as secondary metabolites, which play a wide range of roles in a series of physiological processes of fungi, such as development, stress resistance, pathogenicity and communication. In addition, many of these compounds now have medical applications, such as antibiotics, lipid-lowering agents and immunomodulators. Recent studies have shown that the species and content of secondary metabolites of each fungus have great variability and adjustability in different environments. These characteristics are very attractive for understanding the growth and development of fungi, controlling pathogens and providing precursors for new drug discovery. Further understanding of fungal secondary metabolism, including synthetic pathway, regulatory protein, regulatory mechanism and functional active components, will provide a broader world for humans to make full use of fungal resources. Therefore, in this Special Issue, advances will be presented in gene function, signal transduction, metabolic regulation, regulatory network, post-transcriptional regulation, and functions of fungal secondary metabolites. Reviews and original research articles are both welcome.

Dr. Ang Ren
Dr. Shenshen Zou
Dr. Yumeng Chen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Life is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • gene function
  • metabolic regulation
  • regulatory network
  • post-transcriptional regulation
  • signal transduction
  • biosynthetic gene clusters
  • biological activity
  • virulence
  • secondary metabolism

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 4012 KiB  
Article
Chitinase Is Involved in the Fruiting Body Development of Medicinal Fungus Cordyceps militaris
by Zi-Juan Zhang, Yuan-Yuan Yin, Yao Cui, Yue-Xuan Zhang, Bi-Yang Liu, You-Chu Ma, Yong-Nan Liu and Gao-Qiang Liu
Life 2023, 13(3), 764; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13030764 - 12 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1487
Abstract
Cordyceps militaris is a famous traditional edible and medicinal fungus in Asia, and its fruiting body has rich medicinal value. The molecular mechanism of fruiting body development is still not well understood in C. militaris. In this study, phylogenetically analysis and protein [...] Read more.
Cordyceps militaris is a famous traditional edible and medicinal fungus in Asia, and its fruiting body has rich medicinal value. The molecular mechanism of fruiting body development is still not well understood in C. militaris. In this study, phylogenetically analysis and protein domains prediction of the 14 putative chitinases were performed. The transcription level and enzyme activity of chitinase were significant increased during fruiting body development of C. militaris. Then, two chitinase genes (Chi1 and Chi4) were selected to construct gene silencing strain by RNA interference. When Chi1 and Chi4 genes were knockdown, the differentiation of the primordium was blocked, and the number of fruiting body was significantly decreased approximately by 50% compared to wild-type (WT) strain. The length of the single mature fruiting body was shortened by 27% and 38% in Chi1- and Chi4-silenced strains, respectively. In addition, the chitin content and cell wall thickness were significantly increased in Chi1- and Chi4-silenced strains. These results provide new insights into the biological functions of chitinase in fruiting body development of C. militaris. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Secondary Metabolism: Regulation and Function)
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15 pages, 6310 KiB  
Article
Storage Quality Variation of Mushrooms (Flammulina velutipes) after Cold Plasma Treatment
by Yuxuan Ding, Weixian Mo, Zilong Deng, Benard Muinde Kimatu, Juan Gao and Donglu Fang
Life 2023, 13(1), 70; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13010070 - 26 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1867
Abstract
Flammulina velutipes is susceptible to mechanical damage, water loss, microbial growth, and other factors that lead to postharvest deterioration, thereby shortening the storage period. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of cold plasma treatment on the physicochemical properties and [...] Read more.
Flammulina velutipes is susceptible to mechanical damage, water loss, microbial growth, and other factors that lead to postharvest deterioration, thereby shortening the storage period. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of cold plasma treatment on the physicochemical properties and antioxidant capacity of F. velutipes during storage at 4 °C for 21 days. Compared to the control group, cold plasma cold sterilization (CPCS) treatment (150 Hz, 95 kV for 150 s) effectively inhibited the growth and multiplication of microorganisms on the surface of F. velutipes, with no significant effect on the fresh weight change and the superoxide anion generation rate, but with a higher postharvest 1,1-dephenyl-2-picrylhydrzyl (DPPH) clearance rate. Moreover, CPCS increased antioxidant enzyme activities, delayed both malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation and vitamin C loss, inhibited the browning reaction and polyphenol oxidases (PPO) activity and protected F. velutipes cell membrane from disruption. In general, CPCS not only achieved bacteriostatic effects on F. velutipes during storage, but also reduced cell damage from free radical oxidation, resulting in better postharvest quality and longer shelf life. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Secondary Metabolism: Regulation and Function)
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15 pages, 3283 KiB  
Article
Citric Acid Changes the Fingerprint of Flavonoids and Promotes Their Accumulation in Phellinus igniarius (L.) Quél
by Haoran Dong, Hui Chen, Bing Xu, Yingru Tan, Qun Ling and Liang Shi
Life 2023, 13(1), 68; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13010068 - 26 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1331
Abstract
Phellinus igniarius is a valuable medicinal fungus. P. igniarius is rich in a variety of chemical compounds with medicinal value, among which are flavonoids. Therefore, increasing the content of flavonoids in P. igniarius is beneficial for its potential use in medicinal applications. This [...] Read more.
Phellinus igniarius is a valuable medicinal fungus. P. igniarius is rich in a variety of chemical compounds with medicinal value, among which are flavonoids. Therefore, increasing the content of flavonoids in P. igniarius is beneficial for its potential use in medicinal applications. This study demonstrated that exogenous treatment with citric acid (CA) could significantly increase flavonoid accumulation in P. igniarius. Additionally, we found that CA induced the biosynthesis of flavonoids in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. The flavonoid content could be increased up to 60.96 mg/g when using the treatment with 2.77 mM citric acid for 69.74 h, which was determined by using the response surface method. The changes in the fingerprint profiles of P. igniarius flavonoids with the treatment of CA as an exogenous inducer were also analyzed. In this study, the effect of citric acid as the exogenous inducer on the flavonoid content of P. igniarius was studied, and the processing conditions were optimized through the surface response curve. This approach provides novel insights and a theoretical basis for the production of high-quality P. igniarius. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Secondary Metabolism: Regulation and Function)
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13 pages, 1622 KiB  
Article
Flammulina filiformis Pkac Gene Complementing in Neurospora crassa Mutant Reveals Its Function in Mycelial Growth and Abiotic Stress Response
by Yayong Yang, Bin Xie, Zhuohan Jing, Yuanping Lu, Jun Ye, Yizhao Chen, Fang Liu, Shaojie Li, Baogui Xie and Yongxin Tao
Life 2022, 12(9), 1336; https://doi.org/10.3390/life12091336 - 28 Aug 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1569
Abstract
Flammulina filiformis is a popular edible mushroom that easily suffers from heat and oxidative stresses. The cyclic adenylate-dependent protein kinase A (cAMP/PKA) pathway is the main signaling pathway in response to environmental stress, and the PKAC is the terminal catalytic subunit of this [...] Read more.
Flammulina filiformis is a popular edible mushroom that easily suffers from heat and oxidative stresses. The cyclic adenylate-dependent protein kinase A (cAMP/PKA) pathway is the main signaling pathway in response to environmental stress, and the PKAC is the terminal catalytic subunit of this pathway. In this study, the Pkac gene was identified in F. filiformis, which was highly conserved in basidiomycetes and ascomycetes. The transcription analysis showed that the Pkac gene was involved in the mycelial growth and the fruiting body development of fungi. In Neurospora crassa, the Pkac gene deletion (ΔPkac) resulted in the slower growth of the mycelia. We complemented the F. filiformis FfPkac to N. crassa ΔPkac mutant to obtain the CPkac strain. The mycelial growth in the CPkac strain was restored to the same level as the WT strain. In addition, the FfPkac gene showed significantly up-regulated expression under heat and oxidative stresses. By analyzing the differentially expressed genes of ΔPkac and Cpkac with WT, respectively, seven downstream genes regulated by Pkac were identified and may be related to mycelial growth. They were mainly focused on microbial metabolism in diverse environments, mitochondrial biogenesis, protein translation and nucleocytoplasmic transport. RT-qPCR results confirmed that the expression patterns of these seven genes were consistent with FfPkac under heat and oxidative stresses. The results revealed the conserved functions of PKAC in filamentous fungi and its regulatory mechanism in response to heat and oxidative stresses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Secondary Metabolism: Regulation and Function)
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12 pages, 2457 KiB  
Article
Effects of Heat Stress and Exogenous Salicylic Acid on Secondary Metabolites Biosynthesis in Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq.) P. Kumm
by Yanru Hu, Qianqian Chai, Yue Wang, Yujie Chen, Haozhe Dong, Jinwen Shen, Yuancheng Qi, Haiyou Yu, Fengqin Wang and Qing Wen
Life 2022, 12(6), 915; https://doi.org/10.3390/life12060915 - 17 Jun 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1750
Abstract
Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq.) P. Kumm has high medicinal value, but few studies exist on regulating secondary metabolite biosynthesis. Environmental factors play a substantial role in the accumulation of microbial secondary metabolites. In this study, the effects of heat stress (24 h) and salicylic [...] Read more.
Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq.) P. Kumm has high medicinal value, but few studies exist on regulating secondary metabolite biosynthesis. Environmental factors play a substantial role in the accumulation of microbial secondary metabolites. In this study, the effects of heat stress (24 h) and salicylic acid (0.05 mmol/L) treatment on the secondary metabolism of P. ostreatus were analyzed by metabolome, transcriptome, and gene differential expression analysis. Metabolome and transcriptome analyses showed that salicylic acid significantly increased the accumulation of antibiotics and polyketones, while heat stress increased the accumulation of flavonoids, polyketones, terpenoids, and polysaccharides. The content and the biosynthetic genes expression of heparin were markedly increased by heat stress, and the former was increased by 4565.54-fold. This study provides a reference for future studies on secondary metabolite accumulation in edible fungi. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Secondary Metabolism: Regulation and Function)
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16 pages, 3485 KiB  
Article
The Endoplasmic Reticulum Cargo Receptor FgErv14 Regulates DON Production, Growth and Virulence in Fusarium graminearum
by Fengjiang Sun, Beibei Lv, Xuemeng Zhang, Chenyu Wang, Liyuan Zhang, Xiaochen Chen, Yuancun Liang, Lei Chen, Shenshen Zou and Hansong Dong
Life 2022, 12(6), 799; https://doi.org/10.3390/life12060799 - 27 May 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1670
Abstract
Fusarium graminearum is a plant filamentous pathogenic fungi and the predominant causal agent of Fusarium head blight (FHB) in cereals worldwide. The regulators of the secretory pathway contribute significantly to fungal mycotoxin synthesis, development, and virulence. However, their roles in these processes in [...] Read more.
Fusarium graminearum is a plant filamentous pathogenic fungi and the predominant causal agent of Fusarium head blight (FHB) in cereals worldwide. The regulators of the secretory pathway contribute significantly to fungal mycotoxin synthesis, development, and virulence. However, their roles in these processes in F. graminearum remain poorly understood. Here, we identified and functionally characterized the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) cargo receptor FgErv14 in F. graminearum. Firstly, it was observed that FgErv14 is mainly localized in the ER. Then, we constructed the FgErv14 deletion mutant (ΔFgerv14) and found that the absence of the FgErv14 caused a serious reduction in vegetative growth, significant defects in asexual and sexual reproduction, and severely impaired virulence. Furthermore, we found that the ΔFgerv14 mutant exhibited a reduced expression of TRI genes and defective toxisome generation, both of which are critical for deoxynivalenol (DON) biosynthesis. Importantly, we found the green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged FgRud3 was dispersed in the cytoplasm, whereas GFP-FgSnc1-PEM was partially trapped in the late Golgi in ΔFgerv14 mutant. These results demonstrate that FgErv14 mediates anterograde ER-to-Golgi transport as well as late secretory Golgi-to-Plasma membrane transport and is necessary for DON biosynthesis, asexual and sexual reproduction, vegetative growth, and pathogenicity in F. graminearum. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Secondary Metabolism: Regulation and Function)
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