Heterologous pulcherrimin production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae confers inhibitory activity on Botrytis conidiation.

Pulcherrimin is an iron (III) chelate of pulcherriminic acid that plays a role in antagonistic microbial interactions, iron metabolism, and stress responses. Some bacteria and yeasts produce pulcherriminic acid, but so far, pulcherrimin could not be produced in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here, multiple integrations of the Metschnikowia pulcherrima PUL1 and PUL2 genes in the S.

Genome sequence data of the strongly antagonistic yeast isolate APC 11.10 B as a foundation for analysing biocontrol mechanisms.

strain APC 11.10 B was isolated from apple bark in Switzerland and exhibited strong antagonistic activity against plant pathogenic fungi (e.g.

Pantothenate Auxotrophy in a Naturally Occurring Biocontrol Yeast.

The genus is characterized by some of the smallest genomes among budding yeasts. These fungi are primarily found on plant surfaces and in fermented products and represent promising biocontrol agents against notorious fungal plant pathogens. In this work, we identify pantothenate auxotrophy of a Hanseniaspora meyeri isolate that shows strong antagonism against the plant pathogen Fusarium oxysporum.

Clinical Isolates Are More Fungicide Sensitive than Many Agricultural Isolates.

Fungicide applications in agriculture and medicine can promote the evolution of resistant, pathogenic fungi, which is a growing problem for disease management in both settings. Nonpathogenic mycobiota are also exposed to fungicides, may become tolerant, and could turn into agricultural or medical problems, for example, due to climate change or in immunocompromised individuals. However, quantitative data about fungicide sensitivity of environmental fungi is mostly lacking.

Genome sequence data of the antagonistic soil-borne yeast (SHA 17.2).

strain SHA 17.2, isolated from a Swiss soil sample, exhibited strong antagonistic activity against several plant pathogenic fungi and was highly competitive against other yeasts in soil As a basis for identifying the mechanisms underlying its strong antagonistic activity, we have sequenced the genome of (SHA 17.2) by long- and short read sequencing, assembled them into seven contigs/chromosomes and a mitogenome (total genome size 11.

Competition Assays to Quantify the Effect of Biocontrol Yeasts against Plant Pathogenic Fungi on Fruits.

Yeasts such as are unicellular fungi that occur in all environments and play important roles in biotechnology, medicine, food and beverage production, research, and agriculture. In the latter, yeasts are explored as biocontrol agents for the control of plant pathogenic fungi ( sp.); mainly on flowers and fruits.

Unconventional Yeasts Are Tolerant to Common Antifungals, and Has Low Baseline Sensitivity to Captan, Cyprodinil, and Difenoconazole.

Many yeasts have demonstrated intrinsic insensitivity to certain antifungal agents. Unlike the fungicide resistance of medically relevant yeasts, which is highly undesirable, intrinsic insensitivity to fungicides in antagonistic yeasts intended for use as biocontrol agents may be of great value. Understanding how frequently tolerance exists in naturally occurring yeasts and their underlying molecular mechanisms is important for exploring the potential of biocontrol yeasts and fungicide combinations for plant protection.

Harnessing the Microbiomes of Suppressive Composts for Plant Protection: From Metagenomes to Beneficial Microorganisms and Reliable Diagnostics.

Soil-borne diseases cause significant yield losses worldwide, are difficult to treat and often only limited options for disease management are available. It has long been known that compost amendments, which are routinely applied in organic and integrated farming as a part of good agricultural practice to close nutrient cycles, can convey a protective effect. Yet, the targeted use of composts against soil-borne diseases is hampered by the unpredictability of the efficacy.

Biocontrol yeasts: mechanisms and applications.

Yeasts occur in all environments and have been described as potent antagonists of various plant pathogens. Due to their antagonistic ability, undemanding cultivation requirements, and limited biosafety concerns, many of these unicellular fungi have been considered for biocontrol applications. Here, we review the fundamental research on the mechanisms (e.

Snf2 controls pulcherriminic acid biosynthesis and antifungal activity of the biocontrol yeast Metschnikowia pulcherrima.

Metschnikowia pulcherrima synthesises the pigment pulcherrimin, from cyclodileucine (cyclo(Leu-Leu)) as a precursor, and exhibits strong antifungal activity against notorious plant pathogenic fungi. This yeast therefore has great potential for biocontrol applications against fungal diseases; particularly in the phyllosphere where this species is frequently found. To elucidate the molecular basis of the antifungal activity of M.

Characterization of antagonistic yeasts for biocontrol applications on apples or in soil by quantitative analyses of synthetic yeast communities.

Antagonistic yeasts suppress plant pathogenic fungi by various mechanisms, but their biocontrol efficacy also depends on the ability to compete and persist in the environment. The goal of the work presented here was to quantify the composition of synthetic yeast communities in order to determine the competitiveness of different species and identify promising candidates for plant protection. For this purpose, colony counting of distinct species and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS; MALDI biotyping) were used to distinguish different yeast species and to quantify the composition of a synthetic community of six yeasts (Aureobasidium pullulans, Candida subhashii, Cyberlindnera sargentensis, Hanseniaspora sp.

Anatomical and radiological evaluation of less invasive stabilisation system (LISS) in correlation with knee lateral collateral ligament insertion.

Introduction: The Less Invasive Stabilisation System (LISS) is an angle-stable plate that enables treatment of distal femoral comminuted and periprosthetic fracture. As it is placed through a minimally-invasive lateral approach, lateral knee pain is a commonly described symptom after its application. This study investigates knee lateral collateral ligament (LCL) iatrogenic injury during LISS plate fixation.

Competition assays and physiological experiments of soil and phyllosphere yeasts identify Candida subhashii as a novel antagonist of filamentous fungi.

Background: While recent advances in next generation sequencing technologies have enabled researchers to readily identify countless microbial species in soil, rhizosphere, and phyllosphere microbiomes, the biological functions of the majority of these species are unknown. Functional studies are therefore urgently needed in order to characterize the plethora of microorganisms that are being identified and to point out species that may be used for biotechnology or plant protection. Here, we used a dual culture assay and growth analyses to characterise yeasts (40 different isolates) and their antagonistic effect on 16 filamentous fungi; comprising plant pathogens, antagonists, and saprophytes.

The exopolyphosphatase TbrPPX1 of Trypanosoma brucei.

Background: Exopolyphosphatases and pyrophosphatases play important but still incompletely understood roles in energy metabolism, and also in other aspects of cell biology such as osmoregulation or signal transduction. Earlier work has suggested that a human exopolyphosphatase, Prune, might exhibit cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase activity.

Results: The kinetoplastida, a large order of unicellular eukaryotes that contains many important pathogens such as Trypanosoma brucei (human sleeping sickness), Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas disease) or Leishmania ssp (several clinically dinstinct leishmaniases) all contain several exo- and pyrophosphatases.

The SPX domain of the yeast low-affinity phosphate transporter Pho90 regulates transport activity.

Yeast has two phosphate-uptake systems that complement each other: the high-affinity transporters (Pho84 and Pho89) are active under phosphate starvation, whereas Pho87 and Pho90 are low-affinity transporters that function when phosphate is abundant. Here, we report new regulatory functions of the amino-terminal SPX domain of Pho87 and Pho90. By studying truncated versions of Pho87 and Pho90, we show that the SPX domain limits the phosphate-uptake velocity, suppresses phosphate efflux and affects the regulation of the phosphate signal transduction pathway.

Cordycepin interferes with 3' end formation in yeast independently of its potential to terminate RNA chain elongation.

Cordycepin (3' deoxyadenosine) is a biologically active compound that, when incorporated during RNA synthesis in vitro, provokes chain termination due to the absence of a 3' hydroxyl moiety. We were interested in the effects mediated by this drug in vivo and analyzed its impact on RNA metabolism of yeast. Our results support the view that cordycepin-triphosphate (CoTP) is the toxic component that is limiting cell growth through inhibition of RNA synthesis.

Cordycepin-hypersensitive growth links elevated polyphosphate levels to inhibition of poly(A) polymerase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

To identify genes involved in poly(A) metabolism, we screened the yeast gene deletion collection for growth defects in the presence of cordycepin (3'-deoxyadenosine), a precursor to the RNA chain terminating ATP analog cordycepin triphosphate. Deltapho80 and Deltapho85 strains, which have a constitutively active phosphate-response pathway, were identified as cordycepin hypersensitive. We show that inorganic polyphosphate (poly P) accumulated in these strains and that poly P is a potent inhibitor of poly(A) polymerase activity in vitro.

Banksia species (Proteaceae) from severely phosphorus-impoverished soils exhibit extreme efficiency in the use and re-mobilization of phosphorus.

Banksia species (Proteaceae) occur on some of the most phosphorus (P)-impoverished soils in the world. We hypothesized that Banksia spp. maximize P-use efficiency through high photosynthetic P-use efficiency, long leaf lifespan (P residence time), effective P re-mobilization from senescing leaves, and maximizing seed P concentration.

Inorganic polyphosphate occurs in the cell wall of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and accumulates during cytokinesis.

Background: Inorganic polyphosphate (poly P), linear chains of phosphate residues linked by energy rich phosphoanhydride bonds, is found in every cell and organelle and is abundant in algae. Depending on its localization and concentration, poly P is involved in various biological functions. It serves, for example, as a phosphate store and buffer against alkali, is involved in energy metabolism and regulates the activity of enzymes.

Pho91 Is a vacuolar phosphate transporter that regulates phosphate and polyphosphate metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Inorganic polyphosphate (poly P) is a biopolymer that occurs in all organisms and cells and in many cellular compartments. It is involved in numerous biological phenomena and functions in cellular processes in all organisms. However, even the most fundamental aspects of poly P metabolism are largely unknown.

Specific localization of inorganic polyphosphate (poly P) in fungal cell walls by selective extraction and immunohistochemistry.

Inorganic polyphosphate (poly P) is a linear polymer of phosphoanhydride-linked phosphate residues that occurs in all organisms and cells. It was found in all organelles and is particularly abundant in fungal vacuoles. The fungal cell wall also contains poly P, but very little is known about the nature and functions of poly P in this compartment.

Systematic screening of polyphosphate (poly P) levels in yeast mutant cells reveals strong interdependence with primary metabolism.

Background: Inorganic polyphosphate (poly P) occurs universally in all organisms from bacteria to man. It functions, for example, as a phosphate and energy store, and is involved in the activation and regulation of proteins. Despite its ubiquitous occurrence and important functions, it is unclear how poly P is synthesized or how poly P metabolism is regulated in higher eukaryotes.

Novel method for the quantification of inorganic polyphosphate (iPoP) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae shows dependence of iPoP content on the growth phase.

Inorganic polyphosphate (iPoP)-linear chains of up to hundreds of phosphate residues-is ubiquitous in nature and appears to be involved in many different cellular processes. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, iPoP has been detected in high concentrations, especially after transfer of phosphate-deprived cells to a high-phosphate medium. Here, the dynamics of iPoP synthesis in yeast as a function of the growth phase as well as glucose and phosphate availability have been investigated.