Transcriptomics of Temporal- versus Substrate-Specific Wood Decay in the Brown-Rot Fungus .

Brown-rot fungi lack many enzymes associated with complete wood degradation, such as lignin-attacking peroxidases, and have developed alternative mechanisms for rapid wood breakdown. To identify the effects of culture conditions and wood substrates on gene expression, we grew in submerged cultures containing Wiley milled wood (5 days) and solid wood wafers (30 days), using aspen, pine, and spruce as a substrate. The comparative analysis revealed that wood species had a limited effect on the transcriptome: <3% of genes were differentially expressed between different wood species substrates.

Diverse Xylaria in the Ecuadorian Amazon and their mode of wood degradation.

Background: Xylaria is a diverse and ecologically important genus in the Ascomycota. This paper describes the xylariaceous fungi present in an Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest and investigates the decay potential of selected Xylaria species. Fungi were collected at Yasuní National Park, Ecuador during two collection trips to a single hectare plot divided into a 10-m by 10-m grid, providing 121 collection points.

Proteome of the Wood Decay Fungus Fomitopsis pinicola Is Altered by Substrate.

The brown rot fungus Fomitopsis pinicola efficiently depolymerizes wood cellulose via the combined activities of oxidative and hydrolytic enzymes. Mass spectrometric analyses of culture filtrates identified specific proteins, many of which were differentially regulated in response to substrate composition.

Grapevine trunk diseases of cold-hardy varieties grown in Northern Midwest vineyards coincide with canker fungi and winter injury.

Grapevine trunk diseases make up a disease complex associated with several vascular fungal pathogenic species. Surveys to characterize the composition of grapevine trunk diseases have been conducted for most major grape growing regions of the world. This study presents a similar survey characterizing the fungi associated with grapevine trunk diseases of cold-hardy interspecific hybrid grape varieties grown nearly exclusively in the atypical harsh winter climate of Northern Midwestern United states vineyards.

New Findings on the Biology and Ecology of the Ecuadorian Amazon Fungus var. .

var is a prolific wood-decay fungus inhabiting the forest floor of one of the most biodiverse places on earth, the Yasuní National Park in Ecuador. Basidiocarps and aerial rhizomorphs are commonly found growing on woody debris distributed along the floor of this forest ecosystem. Because of the extraordinary abundance of this fungus in the tropical rainforest, we carried out investigations to better understand the biological and ecological aspects contributing to its prolific distribution.

Fungal Diversity in Multiple Post-harvest Aged Red Pine Stumps and Their Potential Influence on Heterobasidion Root Rot in Managed Stands Across Minnesota.

Thinning operations that occur in managed red pine () stands, create tree stumps that can serve as a habitat for fungi, especially , the cause of a serious root disease. Different fungi can colonize stumps early and the community of fungi can change over time as initial fungal species become replaced. Samples were collected from both the native and non-native range of red pine from stumps that were cut at different time periods.

Taxonomy of the major rhizomorphic species of the "Melanopus group" within Polyporaceae in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.

Yasuní National Park in Ecuador is one of the most biodiverse places on earth. The fungi in this tropical rainforest are also diverse but have received little research attention. This research paper focuses on an important group of fungi in the family Polyporaceae and examines the genera Polyporus, Atroporus, and Neodictyopus that form aerial melanized cord-like structures called rhizomorphs.

Retracted and Republished from: "Substrate-Specific Differential Gene Expression and RNA Editing in the Brown Rot Fungus ".

Wood-decaying fungi tend to have characteristic substrate ranges that partly define their ecological niche. is a brown rot species of Polyporales that is reported on 82 species of softwoods and 42 species of hardwoods. We analyzed gene expression levels of from submerged cultures with ground wood powder (sampled at 5 days) or solid wood wafers (sampled at 10 and 30 days), using aspen, pine, and spruce substrates (aspen was used only in submerged cultures).

Fungi associated with galleries of the emerald ash borer.

The emerald ash borer (EAB) is an exotic forest pest that has killed millions of ash trees in the United States and Canada, resulting in an ecological disaster and billions of dollars in economic losses of urban landscape and forest trees. The beetle was first detected in Michigan in 2002 and has spread through much of the Eastern and Midwestern U.S.

Fungi attacking historic wood of Fort Conger and the Peary Huts in the High Arctic.

Historic wooden structures in Polar Regions are being adversely affected by decay fungi and a warming climate will likely accelerate degradation. Fort Conger and the Peary Huts at Lady Franklin Bay in northern Ellesmere Island are important international heritage sites associated with early exploration in the High Arctic. Fort Conger, built by Adolphus Greely and expedition members during the First International Polar Year in 1881, was dismantled and used by Robert Peary and his expedition crew in the early 1900's to build several smaller shelters.

Fungal attack on archaeological wooden artefacts in the Arctic-implications in a changing climate.

Climate change is expected to accelerate the microbial degradation of the many extraordinary well-preserved organic archaeological deposits found in the Arctic. This could potentially lead to a major loss of wooden artefacts that are still buried within the region. Here, we carry out the first large-scale investigation of wood degradation within archaeological deposits in the Arctic.

Using Wood Rot Phenotypes to Illuminate the "Gray" Among Decomposer Fungi.

Wood-decomposing fungi use distinct strategies to deconstruct wood that can significantly vary carbon release rates and fates. White and brown rot-type fungi attack lignin as a prerequisite to access carbohydrates (white rot) or selectively remove carbohydrates (brown rot). Soft rot fungi use less well-studied mechanisms to deconstruct wood (e.

Diverse subterranean fungi of an underground iron ore mine.

Mines and caves are unusual ecosystems containing unique fungi and are greatly understudied compared to other environments. The Soudan Mine in Tower, MN, an iron ore mine that closed in 1963 after operating for 80 years, was sampled to explore fungal diversity and to investigate taxa that tolerate heavy metals for potential bioprocessing technologies or as sources of bioactive molecules for drug discovery and possible biocontrol for white-nose syndrome (WNS) of bats. The mine is 714 m deep, has 18 levels and contains large quantities of wooden timbers, in contrast to many other oligotrophic subterranean environments.

Antifungal Norditerpene Oidiolactones from the Fungus , a Potential Biocontrol Agent for White-Nose Syndrome in Bats.

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a devastating disease of hibernating bats caused by the fungus . We obtained 383 fungal and bacterial isolates from the Soudan Iron Mine, an important bat hibernaculum in Minnesota, then screened this library for antifungal activity to develop biological control treatments for WNS. An extract from the fungus was subjected to bioassay-guided fractionation, which led to the isolation of 14 norditerpene and three anthraquinone metabolites.

Assessment of biodegradation in ancient archaeological wood from the Middle Cemetery at Abydos, Egypt.

Abydos is a large, complex archaeological site located approximately 500 km south of Cairo in Upper Egypt. The site has served as a cemetery for thousands of years and is where most of the Early Dynastic royal tombs are located. North Abydos includes the Middle Cemetery and the North Cemetery, which are separated from each other by a wadi.

Evolution of substrate-specific gene expression and RNA editing in brown rot wood-decaying fungi.

Fungi that decay wood have characteristic associations with certain tree species, but the mechanistic bases for these associations are poorly understood. We studied substrate-specific gene expression and RNA editing in six species of wood-decaying fungi from the 'Antrodia clade' (Polyporales, Agaricomycetes) on three different wood substrates (pine, spruce, and aspen) in submerged cultures. We identified dozens to hundreds of substrate-biased genes (i.

Cultural characterization and chlamydospore function of the Ganodermataceae present in the eastern United States.

The cultural characteristics of fungi can provide useful information for studying the biology and ecology of a group of closely related species, but these features are often overlooked in the order Polyporales. Optimal temperature and growth rate data can also be of utility for strain selection of cultivated fungi such as reishi (i.e.

Pathogenicity of Ganoderma Species on Landscape Trees in the Southeastern United States.

The genus Ganoderma contains species that are associated with dead and declining host trees. Many species have been described as pathogens in literature, because anecdotally, the presence of fruiting bodies on living trees has been widely associated with a general decline in tree health. Few studies have investigated the pathogenicity of Ganoderma species on landscape trees in the southeastern U.

Identifying the "Mushroom of Immortality": Assessing the Species Composition in Commercial Reishi Products.

Species of , commonly called reishi (in Japan) or lingzhi (in China), have been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years, and their use has gained interest from pharmaceutical industries in recent years. Globally, the taxonomy of species is chaotic, and the taxon name has been used for most laccate (shiny) species. However, it is now known that sensu stricto has a limited native distribution in Europe and some parts of China.

Substrate-Specific Differential Gene Expression and RNA Editing in the Brown Rot Fungus Fomitopsis pinicola.

Wood-decaying fungi tend to have characteristic substrate ranges that partly define their ecological niche. is a brown rot species of Polyporales that is reported on 82 species of softwoods and 42 species of hardwoods. We analyzed the gene expression levels and RNA editing profiles of from submerged cultures with ground wood powder (sampled at 5 days) or solid wood wafers (sampled at 10 and 30 days), using aspen, pine, and spruce substrates (aspen was used only in submerged cultures).