Penicillides from and : Chemical Structures, Occurrence and Bioactivities.

Penicillide is the founder product of a class of natural products of fungal origin. Although this compound and its analogues have been identified from taxonomically heterogeneous fungi, they are most frequently and typically reported from the species of and . The producing strains have been isolated in various ecological contexts, with a notable proportion of endophytes.

Immune Gene Repertoire of Soft Scale Insects (Hemiptera: Coccidae).

Insects possess an effective immune system, which has been extensively characterized in several model species, revealing a plethora of conserved genes involved in recognition, signaling, and responses to pathogens and parasites. However, some taxonomic groups, characterized by peculiar trophic niches, such as plant-sap feeders, which are often important pests of crops and forestry ecosystems, have been largely overlooked regarding their immune gene repertoire. Here we annotated the immune genes of soft scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccidae) for which omics data are publicly available.

-Insect Relationships.

The range of interactions between , a ubiquitous fungal genus, and insects, a class including about 60% of the animal species, is extremely diverse. The broad case history of antagonism and mutualism connecting and insects is reviewed in this paper based on the examination of the available literature. Certain strains establish direct interactions with pests or beneficial insects or indirectly influence them through their endophytic development in plants.

Analysis of Dieback in a Coastal Pinewood in Campania, Southern Italy, through High-Resolution Remote Sensing.

For some years, the stone pine ( L.) forests of the Domitian coast in Campania, Southern Italy, have been at risk of conservation due to biological adversities. Among these, the pine tortoise scale (Cockerell) has assumed a primary role since its spread in Campania began.

Comparative Analysis of Secondary Metabolites in Strains with Different Virulence Degrees Associated with Canker and Dieback of spp.

is one of the most aggressive fungal pathogens of species involved in the decline of Mediterranean oak forests. In this study, three strains of associated with holm () and cork () oak trees exhibiting dieback symptoms and cankers in Algeria were selected to investigate the production of secondary metabolites. Metabolomic analyses revealed the production of several known compounds, such as sphaeropsidins, diplopyrones and diplofuranones.

In Vitro Evaluation of Antiviral Activities of Funicone-like Compounds Vermistatin and Penisimplicissin against Canine Coronavirus Infection.

Recent studies have demonstrated that 3--methylfunicone (OMF), a fungal secondary metabolite from belonging to the class of funicone-like compounds, has antiviral activity against canine coronaviruses (CCoV), which causes enteritis in dogs. Herein, we selected two additional funicone-like compounds named vermistatin (VER) and penisimplicissin (PS) and investigated their inhibitory activity towards CCoV infection. Thus, both compounds have been tested for their cytotoxicity and for antiviral activity against CCoV in A72 cells, a fibrosarcoma cell line suitable for investigating CCoV.

The Outstanding Chemodiversity of Marine-Derived .

Fungi in the genus occur in every environment in both terrestrial and marine contexts, where they have been quite frequently found in association with plants and animals. The relationships of symbiotic fungi with their hosts are often mediated by bioactive secondary metabolites, and species represent a prolific source of these compounds. This review highlights the biosynthetic potential of marine-derived strains, using accounts from the literature published since 2016.

Anti-Insect Properties of Secondary Metabolites.

In connection with their widespread occurrence in diverse environments and ecosystems, fungi in the genus are commonly found in association with insects. In addition to some cases possibly implying a mutualistic relationship, this symbiotic interaction has mainly been investigated to verify the entomopathogenic potential in light of its possible exploitation in ecofriendly strategies for pest control. This perspective relies on the assumption that entomopathogenicity is often mediated by fungal products and that species are renowned producers of bioactive secondary metabolites.

Mycotoxin Contamination in Hazelnut: Current Status, Analytical Strategies, and Future Prospects.

Hazelnuts represent a potential source of mycotoxins that pose a public health issue due to their increasing consumption as food ingredients worldwide. Hazelnuts contamination by mycotoxins may derive from fungal infections occurring during fruit development, or in postharvest. The present review considers the available data on mycotoxins detected in hazelnuts, on fungal species reported as infecting hazelnut fruit, and general analytical approaches adopted for mycotoxin investigation.

Effectiveness of the Fungal Metabolite 3--Methylfunicone towards Canine Coronavirus in a Canine Fibrosarcoma Cell Line (A72).

Canine coronavirus (CCoV), an alphacoronavirus, may cause self-limiting enteric disease in dogs, especially in puppies. The noteworthy plasticity of coronaviruses (CoVs) occurs through mutation and recombination processes, which sometimes generate new dangerous variants. The ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the isolation of a novel canine-feline recombinant alphacoronavirus from humans emphasizes the cross-species transmission ability of CoVs.

Interaction of the Fungal Metabolite Harzianic Acid with Rare-Earth Cations (Pr, Eu, Ho, Tm).

Rare-earth elements (REEs) are in all respect a class of new contaminants that may have toxic effects on organisms and microorganisms and information on their interactions with natural ligands should be of value to predict and control their diffusion in natural environments. In the current study, we investigate interactions of tripositive cations of praseodymium, europium, holmium, and thulium with harzianic acid (HL), a secondary metabolite produced by selected strains of fungi belonging to the genus. We applied the same techniques and workflow previously employed in an analogous study concerning lanthanum, neodymium, samarium, and gadolinium tripositive cations.

-bees: A dynamic symbiotic association.

Besides representing one of the most relevant threats of fungal origin to human and animal health, the genus includes opportunistic pathogens which may infect bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) in all developmental stages. At least 30 different species of have been isolated from managed and wild bees. Some efficient behavioral responses (e.

New Insights into Chemical and Biological Properties of Funicone-like Compounds.

Funicone-like compounds are a homogeneous group of polyketides that, so far, have only been reported as fungal secondary metabolites. In particular, species in the genus seem to be the most typical producers of this group of secondary metabolites. The molecular structure of funicone, the archetype of these products, is characterized by a γ-pyrone ring linked through a ketone group to a α-resorcylic acid nucleus.

Secondary Metabolites, including a New 5,6-Dihydropyran-2-One, Produced by the Fungus . Aphicidal Activity of the Main Metabolite, Sphaeropsidin A.

An undescribed 5,6-dihydropyran-2-one, namely diplopyrone C, was isolated and characterized from the cultures of an isolate of the fungus recovered from in Algeria. The structure and relative stereostructure of (5,6S,7,9,10)-5-hydroxy-6-(2-(3-methyloxiran-2-yl)vinyl)-5,6-dihydro-2H-pyran-2-one were assigned essentially based on NMR and MS data. Furthermore, ten known compounds were isolated and identified in the same cultures.

Interaction of the Fungal Metabolite Harzianic Acid with Rare-Earth Cations (La, Nd, Sm, Gd).

Rare-earth elements are emerging contaminants of soil and water bodies which destiny in the environment and effects on organisms is modulated by their interactions with natural ligands produced by bacteria, fungi and plants. Within this framework, coordination by harzianic acid (HL), a secondary metabolite, of a selection of tripositive rare-earth cations Ln (Ln = La, Nd, Sm and Gd) was investigated at 25 °C, and in a CHOH/0.1 M NaClO (50/50 ) solvent, using mass spectrometry, circular dichroism, UV-Vis spectrophotometry, and pH measurements.

Antiviral Property of the Fungal Metabolite 3--Methylfunicone in Bovine Herpesvirus 1 Infection.

Bovine herpesvirus type-1 (BoHV-1) is a widespread pathogen that provokes infectious rhinotracheitis and polymicrobial infections in cattle, resulting in serious economic losses to the farm animal industry and trade restrictions. To date, non-toxic active drugs against BoHV-1 are not available. The exploitation of bioactive properties of microbial products is of great pharmaceutical interest.

Ecological and Molecular Interactions between Insects and Fungi.

Insects and fungi represent two of the most widespread groupings of organisms in nature, occurring in every kind of ecological context and impacting agriculture and other human activities in various ways. Moreover, they can be observed to reciprocally interact, establishing a wide range of symbiotic relationships, from mutualism to antagonism. The outcome of these relationships can in turn affect the extent at which species of both organisms can exert their noxious effects, as well as the management practices which are to be adopted to counter them.

-Insect Relationships.

Facing the urgent need to reduce the input of agrochemicals, in recent years, the ecological relationships between plants and their associated microorganisms have been increasingly considered as an essential tool for improving crop production. New findings and data have been accumulated showing that the application of fungi can go beyond the specific role that has been traditionally assigned to the species, employed in integrated pest management as entomopathogens or mycoparasites, and that strains combining both aptitudes can be identified and possibly used as multipurpose biocontrol agents. Mainly considered for their antagonistic relationships with plant pathogenic fungi, species in the genus have been more and more widely reported as insect associates in investigations carried out in various agricultural and non-agricultural contexts.

An Integrative Study on spp. (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), Causing Flower Galls on Lamiaceae, with Description, Phenology, and Associated Fungi of Two New Species.

An integrative study on some species of was carried out. Two species of gall midges from Italy, sp. nov.

Cryptic Diversity in Resulting from Sequence-Based Species Delimitation Analyses.

is an extremely widespread fungus involved in associations ranging from mutualistic to pathogenic and is the most frequently represented species in sequence databases, such as Genbank. The taxonomy of species, currently based on the integration of molecular data with morphological and cultural characters, is in frequent need of revision. Hence, the recently developed species delimitation methods can be helpful to explore cryptic diversity in this genus.

Mitidjospirone, a new spirodioxynaphthalene and GC-MS screening of secondary metabolites produced by strains of associated to dieback.

Mitidjospirone, a new spiridioxynaphthalene, was isolated from the mycelial extract of a strain of , a recently described species belonging to the family Botryosphaeriaceae. Its structure was elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis and the absolute configuration was determined by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) experiment. Furthermore, several known compounds were identified during the screening of secondary metabolites produced by four strains of .

The Genus : A Rich Source of Diverse and Bioactive Natural Compounds.

Fungi are renowned as one of the most fruitful sources of chemodiversity and for their ubiquitous occurrence. Among the many taxonomic groupings considered for the implications deriving from their biosynthetic aptitudes, the genus stands out as one of the most common in indoor environments. A better understanding of the impact of these fungi on human health and activities is clearly based on the improvement of our knowledge of the structural aspects and biological properties of their secondary metabolites, which are reviewed in the present paper.

New Species from Normal and Galled Flowers of Lamiaceae.

A series of isolates of spp. were recovered in the course of a cooperative study on galls formed by midges of the genus (Diptera, Cecidomyidae) on several species of Lamiaceae. The finding of these fungi in both normal and galled flowers was taken as an indication that they do not have a definite relationship with the midges.

Endophytic Fungi and Ecological Fitness of Chestnuts.

Chestnuts ( spp.) are plants of relevant economic interest in the agro-sylvicultural contexts of mountain regions throughout the temperate zone, particularly in the northern hemisphere. In recent years, several biological adversities have repeatedly endangered species belonging to this genus, calling for coordinated actions addressed to contrast their decline.