Jul 2026· Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry· Vol 74, pp. 23461 - 23471· 0 citations· 55 references
Medicine
TL;DR
A spore-free, high-yield, scalable production platform for oosporein was established, highlighting the potential of rare, protected fungal species as sources for valuable enzymes and bioactive secondary metabolites for efficient microbial biomanufacturing systems.
Abstract
The red bibenzoquinone oosporein, a promising biocontrol agent with potential to replace conventional pesticides in insect pest management in crops, was produced by the Basidiomycota Phlebia centrifuga P. Karst isolated from the Black Forest National Park. A submerged system was established, yielding up to 1.60 g L–1 oosporein in the culture supernatant upon supplementation with the key intermediate orsellinic acid, which strongly induced oosporein-specific biosynthetic genes. Using a multiomics approach, genes encoding enzymes for all necessary conversions were predicted, including a type I polyketide synthase, two monooxygenases, and a heme peroxidase. Enzymatic functions were investigated by extensive docking analyses and molecular dynamics simulations, ultimately leading to the prediction of the underlying biosynthetic pathway. In summary, a spore-free, high-yield, scalable production platform for oosporein was established, highlighting the potential of rare, protected fungal species as sources for valuable enzymes and bioactive secondary metabolites for efficient microbial biomanufacturing systems.
The metabolic cooperation between plants and their endophytic fungi represents a promising frontier in the biosynthesis of natural products. This study elucidates the contribution of the endophytic fungus Fusarium oxysporum Po18 to the production of aromatic polyketides that drive specialized metabolism in Peperomia obtusifolia. Cultivation parameters for F. oxysporum were optimized using a Central Composite Rotatable Design (CCRD), revealing that mild temperatures (28 °C) and extended incubation (9 days) maximized orsellinic acid accumulation. LC–MS/MS identified orsellinic acid as [M–H]– at m/z 167.0356, with the diagnostic fragment ion m/z 122.8924, and quantified by HPLC–DAD, achieving a concentration of 132 μg/mL under optimized conditions. Comparative metabolomic analysis and molecular networking (GNPS) revealed related fungal metabolites, including lecanoric acid, 6-methylsalicylic acid, and citrinin, all derived from the fungal polyketide synthase (PKS) pathway. These metabolites are proposed to act as biosynthetic precursors for chroman and benzopyran derivatives previously reported in P. obtusifolia. The results provide the first experimental evidence of a biosynthetic partnership between Fusarium and Peperomia, in which the endophyte may supply aromatic scaffolds that could subsequently undergo downstream modifications in the host plant. This study expands the understanding of fungal–plant metabolic interactions and highlights F. oxysporum as a sustainable biotechnological source of aromatic polyketides with potential applications in natural product chemistry and biocatalysis.
Wellington Gomes de Lima, A. D. A. Morandim-Giannetti, João Luiz Bronzel Junior et al.· ACS Omega· 0 citations
Coptotermes formosanus, a worldwide pest, inflicts large losses on agriculture, forestry, construction, and other industries. As efficient, environmentally friendly pest control methods, microbial biopesticides are widely used to manage major pests. We previously isolated an Akanthomyces lecanii strain with strong insecticidal activity against termites. However, the interaction between the biocontrol agent and termites is still unknown. In this study, PacBio single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing technology and Illumina RNA-seq sequencing technology were used to explore the transcriptomic differences in C. formosanus before and after A. lecanii infection. A total of 7,882,407 full-length transcripts were obtained. Single genes were further annotated using the NR, GO, KEGG, COG/KOG, Swiss-Prot, and KEGG homology public databases. A total of 2,782 differentially expressed genes were identified, including 1,440 upregulated genes and 1,342 downregulated genes. The expression of the Toll signaling pathway, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, detoxification metabolism, and immune-related genes, including scavenger receptor, apolipophorin, Cdc42, Integrin, Toll, serine protease, and transferrin genes, may be related to A. lecanii infection. This work not only greatly enriches the gene annotation resources of C. formosanus but also provides a new perspective for understanding the fungal immune defense mechanisms of social insects at the molecular level. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the development of new immunosuppressive agents.
K. Feng, Qi Ye, Yiyang Zhao et al.· Sociobiology· 0 citations
The fall armyworm (S. frugiperda) has developed resistance to numerous insecticides and is currently considered one of the most destructive pests threatening global crop production. Consequently, the development of environmentally sustainable pest management strategies has become increasingly important. Insect-associated pathogenic bacteria represent a promising source of bioactive metabolites with potential insecticidal properties. In the present study, pathogenic bacteria associated with S. frugiperda were isolated and molecularly identified as Serratia marcescens strain INS420 based on 16 S rRNA gene sequencing. The secondary metabolites produced by this bacterium demonstrated significant insecticidal activity under both laboratory and field conditions. Metabolic profiling of the extracted compounds was performed using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), revealing the presence of several bioactive compounds, including diketopiperazines, fatty acids and their esters, squalene, phthalate derivatives, and a cardenolide. To gain insights into the potential mechanism of action, molecular docking simulations were conducted to evaluate the binding affinity of the identified metabolites with S. frugiperda acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Among the detected compounds, squalene and several fatty acid derivatives exhibited stable interactions within the active site of the enzyme, suggesting a possible inhibitory effect on AChE activity. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that S. marcescens associated with S. frugiperda produces metabolites with notable insecticidal potential and highlight insect-associated pathogenic bacteria as a valuable source of bioactive compounds for the sustainable management of fall armyworm.
Kreema A. El-Lebody, Ramy E. El-Ansary, Shaimaa A. Nour et al.· Scientific Reports· 0 citations
The present study is the first to report the antifungal activity of bacillopeptins against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a fungus responsible for white mold.
Maria Luiza A. Jesus-Nicoletto, J. P. Baptista, S. Noriler et al.· Scientific Reports· 1 citation
Abstract Didymosphaeriaceae is an important family within Pleosporales, widely distributed globally as saprophytes, pathogens and endophytes on plants, possessing potential for agricultural and medicinal applications. Due to the environmental risks posed by chemical pesticides, plant-associated microorganisms have become an important resource for developing eco-friendly biopesticides. During a study of Didymosphaeriaceae fungi with woody litter from northeast China, decaying wood tissue samples were collected and examined. Through morphological and molecular phylogenetic analysis (ITS, SSU, LSU, tef1-α and rpb2), we described two novel species, Chromolaenicola crataegicola and Paraphaeosphaeria fulva and preliminarily assessed the antibacterial and antifungal activities of their secondary metabolites. This research further enriches the diversity of plant-associated ascomycetes in northeast China and highlights their potential strains for the development of biopesticides.
Wenxin Su, Ranagul Tieliwadi, Bo Zhang et al.· MycoKeys· 0 citations
In this work, genes and biosynthetic pathways linked to secondary metabolite production, biocontrol activity, and plant interactions were identified and supported the experimentally validated capability of DEF39 to protect plants from fungal diseases, highlighting the potential of genomics studies.
Irene Valenti, A. Motta, M. Saracchi et al.· BMC Genomic Data· 0 citations